Unicorns and Angels: 2016 and beyond
by 739678
Summary: Another year dawns, and life goes on for those that knew Kurt and Blaine. Starts in 2016, but will go on into the future in time...
1. Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part I

_So, I promised I'd be back by Christmas, and here I am - just! Not had a lot of time to write in the last few weeks, so I must inform you all that I can only promise a weekly update at the moment, probably on a Sunday. I hope you enjoy - and a happy holiday to you all._

 **Unicorns and Angels: 2016 and beyond**

 **Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part I.**

St Valentine's Day was one of those holidays celebrated around the world that you either adored or despised with an equal passion. For those not lucky enough to have someone special, it was often seen as a day from hell, with constant reminders of their status as a singleton. As Sebastian put it, to quote an expression that he had heard more than once during his brief sojourn in England - something that Ethan backed him up on - it was a Marmite holiday. It was also a day, of course, about which people could alter their opinion overnight. Sebastian had hated it before he had met his husband, but now he was as caught up in the whole slushy mess as every other couple that he knew.

Of course, for the group of kids from Ohio that now owned a highly successful diner in New York, Valentine's Day 2016 also marked a milestone. It was a year since they had officially taken charge. Someone had suggested that they make a list of all the successes and failures that they had had, but they had found themselves hard pressed to find many of the latter. They had been bold and experimented, and so far, under the guidance of their experienced manager, they had managed not to set a foot wrong. It had been a lucky day indeed when they had recruited Michelle Lau at Nick's suggestion. They had decided against a big celebration of the anniversary; there was not even to be a full partners' meeting, as they all had other things to occupy themselves that weekend. They would however repeat what they had done on their first night, albeit a day early this year. The Singleton's tables had been a roaring success, and they had been asked tentatively if it was happening again before Christmas had even passed. Once they had confirmed that it would be, they had been inundated for request for a place. It didn't hurt, of course, that the whole affair had been mentioned in the pages of _Vogue_ …

Isabelle Wright was one of the people in the city whose life had been changed through her connection to those young partners; a connection she had created when she had taken Kurt Hummel onto her staff as an intern. She had admired his fashion sense, his work ethic and his enthusiasm at every task that she set him. His untimely death in 2013 had upset her more than she cared to admit at the time, and although she had initially thought that she should stay out of the lives of his closest friends, a chance meeting with Santana, and an interview with Rachel as she was about to embark on her Broadway career had altered her perspective on that. As a consequence, she had been around for the most wonderful Thanksgiving ever… She still felt so blessed that Kurt was still around; he would arrive late at night as she was poring over an article, and he would offer his own unique perspective on the subject. His advice was nearly always sound. She had rewarded him last year when she had overseen the launch of a limited edition fashion collection based on his designs.

Then at Christmas, she had found herself invited, alongside her close friend Carmen Tibideaux, to the re-wedding, at the Rainbow Room, of Sebastian Smythe and Dave Karofsky. That was the day that he had come into her life; the self-assured, charming and handsome stranger that she would later discover was Julian Smythe. He had made her feel special from the off, and she had also fallen in love with his adorable son. She had never believed in love at first sight before that day, but in the whirlwind that had followed that first meeting, she had changed her opinion. She knew that Julian was the man that she had been waiting for her entire life…

She had pretended to be unaffected by the news that he was moving from Las Vegas to New Jersey, but secretly her inner schoolgirl had shrieked with delight at the thought that he would be only a few miles away, instead of on the other side of the country. She had been only too happy to offer him help in his search for a new home, and she had sent him details of all the nice communities he could move to, that were both close to his employer, and an easy journey to the city, so that he could visit his brother, and vice versa, with ease. The fact that it would also be an easy journey for her was just a happy coincidence…

They made time to Skype each other virtually every night, Isabelle now joined on screen by her two kittens, rescued from a dumpster on New Years Day. She had first shown them to Julian the day after; that had been the night that he had told her the truth about his mom, and the fact that he had taken her into his confidence just made her love him all the more. He had then suggested names for her two kittens, and initially she had laughed - then realised that they weren't actually that bad…

Elvis and Presley were her constant companions these days, loved by everyone at the office from the moment that they set eyes upon them. They were at her desk now as she checked her mail. It was Valentine's week, but she had resigned herself to spending the night in question alone, as her boyfriend - well, he was - was three time zones away, and busy with work. That was why she started when she found amongst her mail an envelope containing a printed invitation, from an admirer, inviting her to have dinner on Valentine's night, with them at Rao's. It left her in a strange feeling of flux. Part of her was curious to find out who this mystery admirer was, but most of her was anxious to avoid hurting Julian. In a situation such as this, there was only one person that she felt able to trust enough to bring into her confidence…

Kurt Hummel had once described Isabelle as his Fairy Godmother, when she had first helped make his life more tolerable in his first few months in the city. Now, in a bizarre twist of fate, he was her guardian angel, entrusted with looking out for her as she had for him, and with steering her along a safe path in life. He had been wary of Julian Smythe at first, remembering his early encounters with Sebastian, but he had passed muster in the end; he had let Sebastian know as much, much to the latter's obvious amusement. When Kurt heard Isabelle call for him quietly a couple of days prior to the invitation date, he answered her as promptly as his own busy schedule allowed. It was always a great pleasure for him to come and sit in the _Vogue_ offices when the majority of the staff had gone home, and just chat with Isabelle over a cup of tea. Kurt had also been unable to resist the charms of Elvis and Presley, and found the fact that their names secretly annoyed Sebastian all the more amusing. That night when he arrived, he found his friend in a bit of a state, as she mulled over the invitation in front of her. She handed it to him, and after he had read it carefully, he handed it back to her.

"Rao's! Isn't that one of the hardest places in the city to get a table? Don't you have to know someone who knows someone even to get through the front door?"

"Yes, it is; even Anna has only been there once in the entire time that she has been the senior editor here. I have to admit that it is one of my longest held and most cherished ambitions to be taken there, but I wanted to go with someone that I knew, not with some stranger that signs themselves as 'An Admirer.' If it wasn't for Julian, I have to be frank, I would be very tempted to go, but it just seems so disloyal to him to even consider it!"

"I agree, particularly if you went and didn't tell him."

"But I am so curious to find out who this is from, and I might never, ever get invited to accompany someone to Rao's again… Why does life have to be so darn complicated?"

Kurt laughed, and replied, "Trust me, the afterlife can be pretty complicated too. I am guessing that you wanted my advice? Well, here it is, for what it is worth. Call Julian on Skype, and show him the invite. See what he says. He might hate it, but then again, he must just tell you to go and enjoy the whole experience at someone else's expense. It's not as if it isn't a public place, and you are nor promising them marriage or anything by turning up. I can also arrange for an angel guard to make an intervention if things do start to go wrong."

Isabelle nodded, and then got up to make the tea. Kurt was right, and better still, his method left the final decision up to Julian.

* * *

That same night, Artie Abrams made his way through the streets of downtown New York in the direction of the Spotlight, where he had made arrangements to meet up with a few of his fellow partners. All of them had been told one thing - do not tell Kitty. In his pocket was a small box; it had been burning a hole in there since the previous Sunday, when Mike had taken time from his own busy schedule to help his old friend go around the best jewellery stores in Manhattan. He had found the perfect ring in a tiny shop in Greenwich Village; he had done his initial research on the internet, and they offered the kind of one off piece that he was searching for. The moment that he had seen it amongst the others in the window display, he had been sure that it was the one that he wanted; it was discrete, not flashy; traditional, and yet in the latest fashion. Mike had to admit that it was a very shrewd choice, and he was confident that Kitty would adore it. Secretly though, he was not quite so sure that Kitty would say yes to Artie's proposal. It wasn't that she did not love him as much as he loved her - no, of that love there was a lot of evidence. It was the fact that she was such a strong, independent woman, and accepting his proposal would mean a level of commitment that she might not be ready for whilst she was still studying at school. Her business degree was aimed at preparing her for the cut and thrust of the commercial world, and whilst that would be no problem for Miss Kitty Wilde, it might be for Mrs Kitty Abrams…

Nonetheless, he had put those doubts to the back of his mind, and even now he was waiting at the diner alongside Nick, Marley and Brittany for Artie's arrival. Sam, Jeff, Santana and Tina would also have an important role to play on the actual day, but other commitments meant that they were unable to attend the final rehearsal. They had talked over Skype before now, and the others could communicate any last minute changes to them. The proposal would not be the elaborate four show choirs, rose petals and historic grandeur that Blaine had given Kurt on a day that seemed a lifetime ago, but it would be memorable nonetheless for all of the right reasons. Artie's plan was to serenade the young lady that he loved with all his heart first, with a small backing group, before he asked her. His song choice had been a bit of a surprise. He had eschewed the modern tracks for an older number which they all had to agree had a certain something to it - a touch of good, old-fashioned romance. Artie also pointed out that the lyrics did sum up exactly how he felt about the fact that she loved him, and had been prepared to give him a second chance after he had left her without a proper farewell when he had left Lima and McKinley behind. They all just hoped that she would see it the same way…

* * *

As his husband helped Artie out with the preparatory work for his proposal of marriage, Jeff was taking a moment to stand back and judge the latest work that he had done on his grand second year project. He had begun to work on it as August had drawn to its close; now, almost six months down the line, he was nearing the completion of his most ambitious drawing to date. 'The Judging Angel' would be his main piece of work for his sophomore year of study, and a lot of his final marks were riding upon it. He had been lucky in so many ways; the building that he had the majority of his practical classes in was overcrowded, and he would have struggled to find even a corner to work in there, let alone the space and privacy that he craved. He had come across the tiny room in which he was now standing one evening as he had been the last person to leave his art history class. By chance he had spotted the small door and his curiosity had got the better of him. Once he had found it, he had to get permission to use it, and that had taken time; it was only granted in the end because he was only using pencil to create his piece - true, he was using a whole palette of coloured ones this time, instead of just his usual black and white, but in essence, it was the same.

Wes had come and posed for him for his initial sketches, his wings outstretched behind him, Mr Bangy held firmly in his hand, and a stern expression on his face. He had one eyebrow raised as if in shock or just plain disbelief. Those first drawings had been made on his usual size of sketch pad; the work that he was now creating was life size, drawn on one sheet of paper stretched taut over a frame. It was a massive challenge to his talents; on such a scale, he had to be much more aware of the smallest of details, particularly in the area of muscle tone. Now as he scrutinised the finished face for the first time, he felt something akin to pleasure. The shading was right; the eyes did have the intensity that he had planned upon, and every minute nuance of the face that he had known so well in life was recreated on the paper.

"It's almost like looking in a mirror," said Wes as he came to stand at Jeff's side. He was the only person that Jeff had permitted to enter the room since he had begun to draw for real. Of course, Jeff did not know that Finn had snuck in one night, and Wes would not reveal that. "It is so detailed," Wes continued, as he noticed that each individual hair seemed to be present in the eyebrows of the portrait.

"It has to be if I am going to get the marks that I need," said Jeff, still questioning in his mind if it looked as good as it could. He still had some work to do on the lower body and on the hands, although the gavel shone already; then there was the whole question of what he was going to do for a background. He had to admit that he was more than happy with the wings, the product of several weeks hard work. Still, if Wes was pleased with the face, then that was a good indication that he was indeed on the right track. He smiled a little, and then found himself letting out a yawn, unable to stifle it in time.

"You need to call it a night, Jeff. No arguments. Mistakes are more likely to be made if you are tired after all. Plus, you need to go and eat!"

"I am hungry, but maybe I could just…"

"I said, no arguments! You are going home, and that is an order. It is well after nine."

"After nine!" said Jeff, startled. "It can't be! Nicky will be so upset with me if he gets home to an empty house." As Wes watched, he rapidly packed away his pencils, then covered the drawing reverentially with a dust sheet. With a quick goodbye to Wes, he raced off, locking the door behind him, and moving with speed through a building that now housed more cleaners than it did students.

It took him no time at all to reach the subway, and as was so often the case, a train arrived just as he got to the platform - he suspected angelic intervention as usual. He found a seat, and pulled out his art history text, so that he could catch up on a little reading as the train made its journey downtown. He knew the exact moment to stop reading and get up to make the interchange with the 'L' train back to Bushwick. In contrast to the train he had just been on, the second was as busy as ever, but he managed to find a comfortable spot away from the door to stand in and carry on reading. As he stood, book in one hand, the rail to support himself on the bumps in the other, he suddenly heard a snippet of conversation that gave him cause to pause for just a moment. He had heard, like everyone else in Bushwick, the rumours that the MTA were proposing to do major maintenance works on the line, and like every other passenger on the train, they had all agreed it was absolutely vital. What he had heard just now made his blood run cold. The prospect that the train could be running solely within Brooklyn for 18 months was one which horrified him. Sure, he and Nick could travel to school another way; they could get to work another way too. They had done it once before - and it had taken much, much longer. It had been ok as a one off, but the prospect of having to do it on a daily basis was more than he could tolerate. Jeff sighed as he realised that if the rumour was true, then he and Nick would have no other option for their own sanity but to move to a new home.

It had been something that he and Nick had considered doing before, although admittedly it had only been their intention to move a few blocks within Bushwick at that time - and that had been to the period apartment that Luke and Duncan now called home. It was the sort of place that he and Nick did aspire to, in the longer term, but if truth be told, they were happy enough in the loft for now. In any case, when they had taken a look at the price of similar property in the rest of the city, out of idle curiosity, they had been left shocked at how expensive the areas that they secretly desired to live in actually were, particularly for the home of their dreams, a property with period features and space for their needs now, and in the future. It had to be light, so that Jeff could draw with ease, and had ideally to have a quiet study space for Nick to work at. Even with the money that they had received from their Dalton compensation, and the money left to them by Blaine, the kind of place they would like would have stretched their finances to the limit, and that was assuming Mike was still around to help pay the bills. That was another factor that they had to account for in any move; they had both come to love having Mike around, and he had already admitted to them that he felt closer to them these days than he did to Sam or Artie, whom he had been at school with. Mike's budget was smaller than their own, and even though he was more or less certain now to walk into a job with the City Ballet when he graduated, that would not leave him rich in any sense of the word… All in all, moving was not a viable option right now, although there had been one possibility, if a place came up and they were lucky enough to spot it quickly. Pelham Parkway wasn't that expensive, although Jeff could imagine his parents reaction to the idea of him moving to the Bronx. It would be simple enough to get to school, and to the diner…

When Nick arrived home, it was to be greeted by the smell of chicken being grilled. He smiled to himself, knowing that Jeff was probably only just home himself, and the food had probably been thrown on the grill for speed. His husband did lose all track of time when he was concentrating on his work, and he suspected that the only reason he was even home now was because there had been an angelic intervention. He hung up his coat, and placed his book bag carefully on the hall stand, tidying up Jeff's own bags and coat as he did so - as usual, they had just been thrown down in his hurry to get something cooked. He walked into the kitchen, to find Jeff busy grating a potato as he prepared his latest culinary triumph, a rosti. The skillet was heating on the stove, ready for the potato to be added, and the chicken was grilling nicely. Two brioche buns had already been cut open, awaiting the other food.

Nick waited until Jeff had finished his grating, then walked over to kiss him on the cheek. "Anything that I can do to help?"

"No, not really… Maybe you could get some salad out, slice up a tomato, find the mustard…" Nick laughed, and gave his husband a salute before heading to the fridge. "So how did Artie's thing go? I take it that you will have a whole host of final instructions for me?"

"Yes, I do - but don't fret, none of it is complicated, and you and I can have it sorted out in a minute. I was nearly late in getting there, as one of the girls in my class was asking all kinds of stupid, dumb questions and we ended up seriously overrunning. Apart from that, my day was pretty good. How was yours?"

"Classes were ok, and I finally got the face finished on my project piece. Wes came to see how I was doing, and he approved, so that's a good sign. On the subway home though, I heard something that isn't so good - ad I think that we are going to have to have a serious think about the future…"

Over dinner, the two of them discussed the thorny subject of the 'L' Train. Nick had to agree with Jeff that there was no avoiding the fact - their lives would be much harder and their days much longer if they had to go to town daily by another route. After they had done the washing up, they sat down together, Nick's laptop on his lap, and Caleb on Jeff's, and did a quick search for apartments to rent with two bedrooms, good light, easy access to the subway, and most important of all, cat friendly. What they saw left them shocked. The reality was that to find what they wanted on a reasonable budget, they would have to travel in from New Jersey, or swap the subway for the Metro North railroad. Even in their own neighborhood, the rents had soared in the last two years, and they realised that they had a bargain. The Bronx was still an option, but they would get a lot less space for their money. Nick shut down his laptop with a sigh and turned to Jeff. "We need to consider things very carefully indeed here. We need firstly to sit down and have the conversation we have been avoiding with Mike; we need to know what he intends to do when he graduates. He might wish to move out - though given the rent for even a one bedroom place, it won't make much difference one way or the other…"

"Maybe we should just invest in a pair of really good bikes, and cycle to school whilst the train is off," said Jeff.

Nick nodded, and though he thought it was an option, his heart sank at the idea of having to fight the city traffic, and of Jeff cycling home on his own from a late shift. Then he thought about Wes on his bike in Harvard… Maybe they could get a motorbike instead, and Jeff could ride pillion behind him… With that thought he turned to suggest it to his husband, and chuckled when he saw him sitting there with his eyes half closed. He shook him awake, then held out his hand. With a protest from Caleb, Jeff got to his feet, and he and Nick headed for a shower, then bed. The problem of accommodation could wait for another day…


	2. Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part II

**Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part II.**

As Nick and Jeff headed off to bed, Isabelle was just opening a Skype call to Julian; at just before midnight in New York, it was the ideal time to catch him in Las Vegas. He appeared on the screen with a big smile on his face. "Hey beautiful!" he greeted her. "How is the woman that should be on the cover of _Vogue_ , not just in a tiny little picture on the website?"

"Tired, but exceptionally flattered by the compliment," said Isabelle with a laugh. "You know how to make me feel good. I have had an interesting day at work, and something mysterious arrived in the post."

"Ok, well that beats my routine day at the office any time. Anything that you can tell me about, or is it one of those big fashion world secrets that a mere mortal man like myself is not privileged to? I mean, are loon pants and polka dots about to make an all too hideous comeback?"

Isabelle laughed out loud for a moment, then replied, "I certainly hope not, because then I would feel quite suicidal. No, I received an invitation in the post; an invitation for a meal at the most exclusive restaurant in New York…"

"Wow! Lucky you…"

"Yes and no. You see, it came from someone who signed themselves as 'An Admirer', so I'm not as lucky as you think. I have no idea who it is, or what their intentions are. I don't think that I should accept it, just send a very polite note saying that whilst I am flattered, I am now happily attached."

"You could, and the fact that you are prepared to do so makes my heart feel all light and fluffy in a way it never has at any time before. But, if it is an exclusive place, and you could get an article out of it for the magazine…"

"I could, that much is true. I mean, even Anna has only been there once to my knowledge, and she is the acknowledged queen of fashion in this city."

"Then you should accept and go. I trust you, and I know that you would never hurt me, or cheat on me with someone else. I admit that I should be the one that is taking you out though."

"Particularly as the invitation is for Sunday - Valentine's Day."

There was a pause as Julian digested that little piece of information. "Yes, it should definitely be me then, but what can I do when I am miles away? Just no accepting roses, no violin serenades, and no ordering spaghetti and meatballs and sharing the plate."

"Ok, did you really just reference something from _Lady and the Tramp_?" said Isabelle as she tried not to giggle. "I promise, I will insist on having my own food, with no sharing!"

"Good. Ok, subject closed - apart from saying that if this mystery date looks wealthy, be sure to order the most expensive stuff on the menu…" Isabelle burst out laughing and Julian joined in, pleased to see that his favourite girl in New York city was happy.

As he watched from a distance, in a spare moment before his next collection duty, Kurt smiled at all that he had just seen and heard. It seemed that his advice had been good, and that the situation, which could so easily have been awkward, had resolved itself in a most satisfactory way. He had his suspicions that it would do from the off of course. Honesty was by far the most important thing to have in a long distance relationship; that and time. Honesty was the key, even if it meant that someone ended up getting hurt for their pains. There was something about the whole situation that had him intrigued, not the least the fact that when he had mentioned the invitation in passing to Wes, he had seemed to be all too aware of it. He obviously had more knowledge on the subject than he was prepared to let on; in fact, Kurt was certain that he knew who the mystery man was. He had decided not to press him on the issue; he had accepted that when Wes said it would all turn out absolutely fine, and that it was nothing for any of them to worry about, that he was telling the truth.

It was time now to make his collection he realised; that of a still young man who was dying from the cruellest of viruses. A virus that he had contracted unknowingly from someone he thought of as a friend, who had taken advantage of him when he was drunk. By the time that he had realised what it might be that was ailing him, it was too late to start any meaningful treatment. He was about to die alone, deserted by his family and the majority of his friends, not from the disease, but from the conditions he now lived in. It broke Kurt's heart, and he was only too aware that either he or Blaine could have ended up in his position, facing a lonely demise, had they been less fortunate. As he stood now and watched as the young man's body was wracked by one last coughing fit as the pneumonia finally took him, Kurt shed a tear as he observed his makeshift shelter of cardboard boxes, his sodden clothes and the skin tinged with blue by the cold. At least he would find a better existence in heaven, in a place without the harsh judgement of earth. Kurt was determined that would be the case…

* * *

The following day came, and it was a case of all hands on deck at the Spotlight as they prepared to host its second annual night aimed at singletons who needed somewhere to go and avoid all the happy Valentine's Day couples. The furniture had been moved into place the previous night whilst the place was emptier, and now all that was left for them to do was the final set up; to decorate the room avoiding any and all references to hearts and flowers, and to place the specially devised menu on the tables. The demand this year had been so high that they were starting earlier, just to accommodate as many people as they could. They were all aware of the special significance of that night; it was exactly 52 weeks since they had taken over the diner, and more importantly, it was the same time since Santana had proposed, and it seemed plain to all of them that Brittany was placing more emphasis on that than on the fact it would be a year exactly the following day. Alongside the regular staff, Nick and Sebastian had volunteered to help man the fort, as had Ethan. Dave had a match, and of course, Flint and Beats had their main job to keep them occupied on a Saturday night. Ethan had also accepted an invitation to stay overnight in the study at the big loft on the camp bed, as Trent and Rory would be in the spare room.

There would be one person missing that night, and that was Mike. He had lucked out in the raffle for the person to work on the early shift that day - in return, though, he had to work the late shift the following day, so that all of the others could have a bit of romance. He had not objected as it was actually beneficial to him. Tina had early classes on Monday, and so would not be able to spend the Sunday night in the city, so the fact that the two of them could be together on the Saturday was an immense bonus. They would spend the night together in the loft, where Mike had promised to try and cook something new.

They were not the only couple that would be able to enjoy a spot of romance that night. Mason was not one of them, though - he and Jane had discussed it, and he was going to travel from the city to Yale the following day for lunch, so that they could avoid the worst of the crowds at the city's eateries. Cooper and Rachel both had a busy show schedule; Sam would be at the diner, whilst Grace would be working late at the office, to catch up on a job which she told everyone was top secret, if they queried it. Only Elspeth knew the true nature of what she was working on. That had left her with a bit of a dilemma. Josh had asked Scott to come over and stay for the weekend; have dinner together on the Saturday night, and then spend the day on Sunday doing things as a couple. Scott's parents had readily agreed to it. They had spoken to Grace and Cooper a few weeks earlier, and both had been impressed by the maturity and understanding that the young couple had of the situation. Moreover, they knew of the need to balance the desires of young love with the wishes of the concerned parent. What they did not know as they had seen Scott off on the bus to the city was that neither of those responsible adults would actually be on the premises that night; just a substitute that Grace had found, and slightly blackmailed, in the shape of Mason. He had initially been reluctant in the extreme to take on the responsibility, but Grace had pointed out that if he did not, then Scott would not be able to come. The idea that he could be single-handedly the cause of ruining Josh's night had immediately made him feel guilty, and so he had concurred, albeit with a condition of his own…

Thus it was that as Josh and Scott waited for the lasagne that the former had prepared under supervision earlier to finish cooking in the kitchen, where the table was lit by candles, and a bottle of red grape juice was deputising for wine, Mason had been joined upstairs by Seth and Roderick. They were playing computer games as they waited for the pizzas they had ordered to be delivered. All Mason had to do was head downstairs every so often to check up on the young couple, to ensure that they weren't at risk of burning the house down with cooking for starters, one reason why the dessert, zabaglione, was waiting in the fridge. He was also charged with ensuring that teenage hormones did not get the better of them, and in the heat of the moment, allow themselves to get carried away - Mason hoped to everyone holy that he did not have to intervene in that - or worse yet, Cooper or Grace came home to discover it going on without his knowledge…

As it was, neither Josh or Scott were entertaining those notions. For them, just that fact that they were trusted enough to be together on their own meant a lot. It was not something that they could have imagined happening just a few months before. The food dished up, they sat on opposite sides of the table, talking quietly, never letting the other out of their gaze for a second. Mason came to check on them, and they did not even notice that he was there. He returned back upstairs, making a mental note to clear away the pizza boxes and soda cans sooner, rather than later, just in case Grace came home early to try and catch them out.

"How are the young lovers?" said Roderick with a smile. "Behaving themselves?"

"Yeah, but if I am being completely honest, they are so sweet that as I was watching them, I swear that I could feel my teeth rotting…"

That statement brought an immediate burst of laughter from the other two. "I can imagine what it was like all too well," said Seth. "I ended up losing count at Dalton of the number of times that I walked in on Colin and Edward just gazing at each other, or holding hands… Maybe I am cynical because I am single, but I had to bite my tongue half the time to fight the urge to just shout out 'Do you have to?' Luke and Duncan are over that sickeningly sweet stage, thankfully."

"I hope that you aren't saying that they are at the squeaking bed spring stage instead," said Roderick, earning himself a scandalised look from the other two.

Seth shook his head, and continued, "No. I think that if I even heard that kind of sound once, I would move as far away as possible. I know they do, you know, but they do it in utmost silence, at least when I am at home. Tonight though, given that they are having a romantic dinner for two… lets just say that I am glad you invited me to stay over."

Mason grinned, at least until Roderick started to sympathise with Seth, telling him how hard it had been for him at McKinley, watching as first Mason and Jane, and then Spencer and Alistair had gone through the first flush of love phase. Mason blushed, but did not interrupt his friend. He knew that at the start of his relationship with Jane, he had been every bit as nauseatingly sweet as the two boys downstairs - at least, Madison had told him so, on more than one occasion. Anyway, the other two were both just single and jealous. He resolved there and then to see what he could do to alter that fact in the next few months, if for no other reason than to be able to mock them for being sweet themselves.

In the kitchen, two young men were finishing off their dessert, and talking about their plans for the following day. Since Josh had been forced to flee Bergenfield a little over seven weeks ago, they had not had a chance to really see each other outside of school. Scott had been waiting for him at the bus stop on his first day back at school in January, and had walked with him into the school buildings. People knew that something big had happened to Josh over the vacation; it might be suburban, but Bergenfield functioned like a small town when it came to the art of gossip and the rumour mill. What had surprised Josh was the complete absence of bullying, or even any comment on his new family situation. Ms Ramirez had such a powerful influence over the entire student body, and they all knew that she would not tolerate anything being done. At lunch, a few kids had come over to offer their support, including the wide receiver on the football team - his parting words, "Scott's a lucky guy…" had left them both agog at the potential inferences they could draw from that phrase.

Outside of school, it was much harder. Josh could not risk staying late in Bergenfield, and a visit to Scott's home would be risky in the extreme, unless his parents were in the house - and that in its turn would lead to restrictions being placed upon them. Scott's folks were also against him spending every weekend in New York, as he would have done if he could, so in the last weeks he had only been over twice during the day, and on both of those visits they had been supervised by Elliott. So this time alone together, with the adult supervision being only a year older, and hence extremely understanding, was precious. Hands were held, and soft, tender kisses shared. Anything other than that was for later, in the relative privacy of the bedroom, and not in the middle of the kitchen where anyone could walk in at any given moment.

As for Luke and Duncan, alone in their apartment in Bushwick with no risk of Seth coming home, there were no such qualms. They could put the bolt on the front door, draw the curtains, and do whatever they liked. They had eaten well, Luke having been given access by Nick to his recipe for Fettuccini Alfredo. Ok, so it was not as good as Nick's and the kitchen might have ended up looking like something had exploded in it. Ok, so they had ended up with splashes of sauce all over their faces, but so what? After all, it was fun licking those splashes of sauce off each other's faces afterwards. For dessert, Duncan had managed to perfect a chocolate fudge cake, which he served up with a rich chocolate sauce, which created even more splashes to be licked up. There was still a lot of sauce left after they had eaten their cake, and they both agreed that there were things other than faces that it could be licked off… Their passions inflamed, the dirty dishes were abandoned on the dining table, clothes left scattered in the hall, and they repaired to bed, to make the most of the privacy they had. Much as they both loved having Seth as a roommate, sometimes it was nice to have the space to themselves…

As they relaxed afterwards, Duncan spoke. "Luke, I am going to ask you something right now, and you don't have to give me an answer right away, although I hope that you do… There is an old tradition of hand fastening that I have been reading about, where a couple pledged themselves to each other, but did not swap a ring, or anything like that; they were not quite engaged, but they were definitely together. I was wondering if you would consider embarking on that tradition with me. After all, I want to be your husband one day, and I see this as a good place to start."

Luke smiled, and taking Duncan's hand, he replied. "Yes, Duncan O'Hara, I accept your hand. After all, I think we both agree that we are pretty much stuck with each other, and making it semi-official in the way that you have suggested - well I like it a lot, so it is no problem at all…"

* * *

There was much less in the way of love and romance in evidence in a bar in Princeton that night. All that could be found there, in all honesty, was lust. The crowd was large, all waiting in anticipation for the show to begin; more importantly, they were waiting for the high point of every Saturday night for over a year now; the appearance of the most lucrative act in the establishment - The Preppy Boys. Backstage, Flint and Beats began to prepare for the show; tonight they intended to showcase a few new moves in their routine, aimed, as always, at titillating the crowd. Almost crossing the line, but never actually giving them what they wanted. Both of them were also increasingly aware that their days as the popular double act were numbered. With final exams for both of them looming in just a few months, and with them, the end of their time in Princeton, these nights in which they both now revelled in the adulation of the crowd would have to cease. It would be out of the question for them to travel back and forth from New York twice a week just to put on a show, and their future employers would not appreciate it in any case. They had informed the owner of the bar of this, and had reminded him on numerous occasions now, but he was not keen to discuss it, or face that reality. After all, the crowd that the two of them attracted had boosted his takings, and had increased the tips of their co-stars. It had been one of them that had made the comment that Beats had overheard the previous night. He had spent the night thinking about it, and he had decided that maybe he should broach the idea with Flint.

"So, not many more nights when the two of us sit here, side by side, putting on our make-up, old friend…," he began, and at once he got a laugh from Flint.

"Do you know, if you had said that the two of us would ever be sat here, next to each other, putting on make-up, eighteen months ago, I would have been concerned as to what drugs you had been taking. Now - well it still shocks me just how much this has become normal to me. I mean, Warbler Wilson would have had a fit if you had ever suggested to him that he was destined to become a stripper…"

"We all change as we get older; I still feel so responsible for dragging you into all of this world…"

"It was my choice at the time, and now, I would not change a thing; it got my mom off my back, in a round about way, and it was a magnificent icebreaker with Izzy. I hate to admit it, and still can't believe I am saying this, but I am really going to miss this."

"And to think that when I started, and you found out…"

"Yeah, I admit it now. I was in the wrong."

"This place is going to miss us when we go. We have made it quite the hit. I overheard the other guys discussing it last night, and they are of the opinion that once we leave, this place is going to lose so much business…"

"There isn't any other option, as you well know. We have to leave, and put the act behind us. We will both be working proper, full-time jobs, hopefully, and we won't be able to do this as well, not even just once a month." Flint realised that Beats was looking at him curiously, and so he explained. "The idea was put to me that we could return and perform, in suits rather than a school uniform, on the last Saturday of each month. I declined for both of us as politely as I could. I should have discussed it with you, but I thought you'd agree."

Beats nodded. "Oh, I do. It just wouldn't be a wise idea at all." He paused for breath, then took his chance. "However, I have had a thought. I only took this job in the first place because I needed to keep myself clothed and fed after I lost the other one. It's still a harsh world out there, and there must be other young guys out there, in a similar position to mine, with our kind of background. Maybe not two best friends, necessarily, but two guys who need a way to earn cash, and who aren't afraid to show everyone exactly what they are made of…"

"What on earth are you suggesting?" said Flint, pausing in the application of the last of his face powder, his expression slightly scandalised.

"Well… if the diner can have a talent contest, then why can't we? Why don't we find our replacements; the next generation of Preppy Boys. We wouldn't even need to just find two…"

"Are you really suggesting that you and I should advertise for, and then audition, strippers? I mean, doing it ourselves is one thing, but encouraging other people into the business - it's different! It's almost like being a pimp!"

"I know, I know - but I keep thinking, if it hadn't been for here, and I had still be in need of the money, then who knows what lengths I might have gone to to earn it?" he stopped, as he realised that Flint had gone quite pale under the face powder at this words, and the implication he was making. "If we can stop someone going there, then aren't we doing a good thing?"

Flint, much to his own shock, found himself nodding along in agreement. Would it really be so bad to find a new pair of guys to replace them here? In fact, it might even turn out to be fun…


	3. Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part III

**Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part III.**

When Valentine's Day itself finally dawned, it was to find Flint still mulling over the idea that Beats had put into his head the night before, as he made himself some breakfast. He was eating a large one, as Izzy was coming over for a late lunch, and he did not want to end up snacking later on. She was working an early shift, and he was not entirely unhappy about that - it meant that he could knuckle down to his college work without feeling guilty on this day of romance. As his toast popped out of the toaster, a hand suddenly appeared and grabbed one slice, leaving Flint shaking his head. "Does Elliott know that you are an early morning toast snatcher? Maybe I should warn him about it before he gets in too deep…"

"Elliott makes me toast, thank you very much. We sometimes even cut a single slice in half and share it. It is called love…" came the reply, and Flint had to smile. Beats was so much happier since Elliott had come into his life, and that made him happy. He placed two more slices of bread in the toaster, and then turned to watch his shirtless best friend spread a copious amount of jelly on his toast. It was there in his face; in the way his eyes twinkled; even in the way that he dressed.

'Thank God that Kurt met Elliott, and he was in our lives for Beats to find,' he thought. "So, will you be home from New York tonight, or will you be staying over?"

"I will be back in time for my first class tomorrow, unless something comes up. Elliott has the day off, and well - today is the day…" Beats replied sheepishly.

Flint knew exactly what his friend was implying, and he nodded. He hoped that it would be as fulfilling for both of them as they anticipated. He was the tiniest bit jealous, as both he and Izzy had concluded that it was best for them to wait, but overall, he was very happy for him. "Ok, I won't wait up! Which brings me on to the topic that we were discussing last night. I think after sleeping on it that you might actually have a valid point; it would be a shame if us moving on with our lives destroyed the livelihood of everyone else at the bar, so we should endeavour to procure our own replacements. However, I want it made plain to everyone involved that we are only recruiting at least two new people to dance; they will not be getting involved in any of the other funny business. We just need to find an appropriate place to advertise, because I don't think that either the student notice boards or the college magazine are the right one."

"Yeah - I can't imagine a notice saying 'Male Strippers wanted!' going down too well with either the Principal, or the Deans. There are places online, and we can even put an advert on the bar's own website. I can probably start sorting that out today, if you are 100% certain that you want to get involved in the process."

"I'm as sure as I can be. It is hardly what Dalton was educating us for, but yes, get it sorted." Beats nodded, checked his watch, and cramming the last of his toast in his mouth, hurried off to get dressed. Flint sat down to finish his toast slowly, all the time wondering how Izzy would react when he told her that he was becoming a talent scout for a strip joint…

As Beats agonised over what shirt to wear in Princeton, and as in Manhattan, Elliott ran around his small downtown apartment, tidying the place up for the third time that morning, a man in a house in New Jersey began to make preparations for a trip into New York. His wife and daughter were out - the former at her work, the latter with whichever boy she had chosen to spend Valentine's day with. Romance might well have been in the air elsewhere, but in that house in Bergenfield, it was nowhere to be seen. Ever since that pile of official paperwork had arrived at the end of December, he had been seething with anger. It was bad enough that his eldest son had turned out a queer; for them both to be was too much, particularly when your daughter was no better than a whore. Still, that letter had given him the information that he had needed. He knew where to find his two miscreant sons. His youngest son could still be cured by the camp in New England; could be left there until the fag had been beaten out of his body and mind. But as for his eldest - well, it was far too late. It was far too ingrained in his psyche, his body destroyed by his wicked, sinful way of life. No, once he had secured Josh, he would ensure that Elliott paid the price of sin. He would leave his gun at home - it was too noisy and too messy. But his baseball bat and his fists were perfect for the task in hand. Leave the boy black, blue and bloodied, his mind destroyed. That was what Mr Gilbert hoped to achieve with his eldest son…

Nick and Jeff had also woken up early that morning; ironically, both of them had done so with the intention of making the other breakfast in bed as a surprise. Nick had wanted to do so in return for Jeff having done it the year before, whilst his husband had wanted to start a tradition. So they compromised, and went and made breakfast in harmony, singing as they did so. They did not realise that they had woken Mike and Tina, nor did they see the two of them watching round the corner of the kitchen door as the two of them dueted on _How d'ya like your eggs in the morning_ as they prepared scrambled eggs and toast as Jeff had done the year before - although admittedly the kitchen was left a lot tidier this time. Their cooking done, the two of them headed back to bed, not noticing Mike and Tina darting away, with Caleb right behind them. When he heard Nick and Jeff's bedroom door shut, Mike took Tina back to the kitchen, and he set about making her scrambled eggs and toast too. He had discovered the heart shaped cutter for the toast the night before, and he used it without her knowledge, making her smile broadly. He himself stuck with his usual bowl of granola and fruit, knowing that he would be having lunch with Tina soon enough, prior to his shift and her train back to college. He also had another surprise planned for her later. He still thought that it was far too soon for the two of them to get engaged, but he had instead bought a pendant which separated into two interlocking parts. He would give her half, along with a delicate silver chain on which she could wear it. The other half he would wear around his own neck on a simple string. It felt so right, but so much less formal than a diamond ring.

Across the landing, Rachel had woken to a knock on her bedroom door, and Sam had appeared, carrying a tray on which he had made a vegan breakfast in bed. He had gone all out and bought Vegan bacon (although he had wondered how it could be described as bacon when it had no connection to a pig). He was serving it up on a wholewheat muffin, along with Vegan French toast. It had been time consuming, but he had mastered it after several failed efforts in the kitchen of the Spotlight. It was all worth it for the look on Rachel's face when she saw it, alongside a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, and a red rose in a tiny vase.

Sometimes Rachel felt that Sam had a raw deal in being with her; she still thought about Finn a lot, and worse yet, she talked about him, though not as much as she had done at first. She did not know that when Sam had spoken to Blaine about it, he had told him to talk about Mercedes a lot, or Quinn, or even Brittany if Santana was out of the house. That had been very effective in no time whatsoever. She had not asked him to change to a Vegan diet, just pointed out the importance of a good mouthwash for his dental hygiene. Now she asked him to join her for breakfast, and he agreed, going back to the kitchen to collect his own breakfast of toast and cereal. They sat side by side on the bed, smiling at each other, and enjoying the day. Rachel had to go to work and Sam had to write an essay for school, then work a shift at the diner. This was the only time Sam thought they would have together, but what he did not know was that Rachel was planning on cooking dinner for him later after their work was done.

Across the town in Murray Hill, this had also been the original plan for Cooper and Grace, but then a minor spanner had been thrown in the works as Grace had been waiting for Cooper at the theatre the night before. As they had been about to leave the theatre, the director suddenly appeared, and after greeting Grace, told Cooper that there was a visitor from England who wanted to meet him for an informal chat about his part before he returned home to London on Monday. Then he had dropped the bombshell. "I know that this is the last thing that you two lovebirds will want to hear, and I can only apologise for it, but I have said that you will meet him for dinner tomorrow night at Sardi's. Now, I am certain that the two of you had made other plans, but this… I can't say anymore, but this meeting, Cooper - it is going to be to your advantage. I did point out the date to him, so he has compromised and is willing to meet you after the show, get you to the table, have the discussion over the starter, then he will leave you alone to finish the meal, at his expense - and by you I mean the two of you."

"Well, we did have plans, and I don't want to let Grace down," Cooper began.

"Actually, I am intrigued and I think that we should go, CJ. After all, he is paying for dinner, and I am curious as to why a guy from England of all places wants to see you for. Maybe he wants you for a West End show," said Grace.

"I hope not. I couldn't bear to leave you alone for that long. But we will go, just because I am every bit as curious to hear what he wants to say as you…"

Their plans for the evening altered, Cooper and Grace were now making the most of a leisurely breakfast in a peaceful house. Mason had already been awake when Grace came down, anxious to catch the first possible train to New Haven to see Jane. He had a bag full of gifts with him, and after a quick good morning, he had left for Grand Central. Upstairs, Roderick and Seth were still crashed out in his room; across the hall, Josh and Scott were also still asleep, curled up together on the bed, a sheet between them to keep the older generation happy. Grace savoured the quiet in her tidy kitchen; Mason had been tasked with ensuring that the house was left clean and tidy the night before and he had kept his promise. She opened the fridge, and paused. In front of her was a platter of prepared fruit, a bowl of cream cheese, and a packet of smoked salmon, none of which had been there the night before when she had been putting the milk away after making herself a late drink….

"I did it last night, because it was the only way that I could ensure that I got down first," came a voice, and she turned round to see Cooper standing in the doorway grinning, a paper bag in his hand. "Also, my love, I asked Mason to leave a little early to get me some fresh bagels and croissants from the bakery before he went for his train. They're still warm…"

"You, CJ, are full of surprises this morning. Maybe Blaine isn't the only romantic brother after all…"

Cooper smiled, and replied, "He might have taught me a thing or two, yeah. Happy Valentine's Day, Gracie." Placing the bag on the table, he kissed her, then guided her to a chair whilst he went about preparing breakfast. As she sat there and relaxed, all she could think was how lucky she was to have met the man she knew that she could happily spend the rest of her life with. The man she suddenly realised she wanted to have children with - and that thought was something entirely new.

As Mason headed out of the city, the train that Beats was travelling on was speeding its way through the suburban sprawl of New Jersey, transporting him to Elliott. He too had a bag of gifts, all of which were of a practical nature. He had bought a warm wool sweater in a shade that Kurt had informed him would suit Elliott to a tee; a bottle of good wine for them to share - and yes, a teddy bear just to take advantage of the sheer mushy cuteness of the day. This would after all be their first Valentine's Day as a couple, and though both of them were of the opinion that the whole holiday was mainly a cynical way for Hallmark to sell more greetings cards, they could still see the point in having a day that was dedicated to love. They had no restaurant booked, no tickets for a show; their plans involved them staying at Elliott's place the entire day, enjoying each other's company. Yes, the majority of their time would be spent in the bedroom, and both of them had admitted as much to their closest friends. Flint's response had been to blush madly; Dani had winked. Josh also had an idea what the two of them would be doing, and had promised that he would not disturb them.

It was thus a smiling Beats that made his way along the street from the subway, whistling a happy tune to himself. On impulse, he stopped at the florist and purchased a plant; he knew that Elliott would prefer that to a cheesy bunch of roses that would wither and die all too soon. He no longer needed to ring the buzzer to gain entry; he had been given a key after that Sunday in January. He closed the street door carefully behind him, and headed up the steps to the little apartment on the top floor, still whistling away quietly. He decided to knock, out of politeness, but having done so, he pulled out his key again. Before he could use it, the door was opened by a smiling Elliott, who stepped aside to let him in. Beats stepped in, and once the door was closed behind him, embraced his boyfriend warmly, revelling in a deep and passionate kiss. They pulled apart, and Beats handed Elliott his bag of gifts. He took it with a smile, before placing it on the couch, and saying "I will unwrap these in a moment. There is something else that I need to unwrap first…." As he began to undo the buttons on Beats' shirt, the ex-Warbler blushed, but out of happiness. After all, Elliott was only wearing a robe, so what he was doing was only fair…

Beats had not noticed that as he was walking along the street outside, he was being watched intently, the eyes focusing on him all the more as he had let himself into the block. He had no reason to have expected it after all, and had not thought anything of the man that was sitting alone in his car. Mr Gilbert had also, after a moment spent wondering if it was his son approaching, disregarded Beats as being just a neighbour. Someone that would never even notice what was going on, once he had accessed the building. And that would be simple enough; the flimsy street door would be no match for his tools…

* * *

On the other side of the country, Thad Harwood woke up that morning to the sound of dishes being rattled in the kitchen - and that set him on edge at once. David had spent the night away with Mercedes; she had been singing at a gig in San Francisco, and he had gone with her so they could spend time together, although he had been staying in a separate room, naturally. So given that the display on his bedside clock showed him that it was just a little after 7am, Thad knew that it could not possibly be his roommate in the kitchen. He tensed at the prospect of having to confront an intruder in his nightwear at first, but there was a small part of him that was unafraid, and it was that part that made him get up and move swiftly but quietly through the house to confront them. He had noticed that since Wes had died, he had none of the qualms he had once suffered from in dangerous situations; he knew that either his guardian angels would protect him, or that he would be quickly reunited with the man he loved in the worst case scenario. As he padded down the hall that morning, he had only one regret if this was to be the end; he had booked himself a kite-surfing session the following weekend - the prospect of which had made David stare at him then shake his head when he had announced it - and he had been looking forward to it. It would be terrible if he missed it now…

As he put his head cautiously round the side of the kitchen door, his heart rate calmed. He immediately recognised the man in the kitchen, and if he was being honest, the fact that they were there wasn't such a big surprise, today of all days. "Now, is this strictly allowed? I don't want you getting into trouble and ending up in detention all over again…"

Wes turned round from where he was preparing pancake batter, with a slightly crestfallen expression on his face. "I knew it; the moment that I jostled those plates, I knew that you would wake up and spoil my surprise. I was trying to make you breakfast in bed. I was trying to show you how I would be treating you if…"

"It was a lovely thought, Wessie, and I am sorry that I have spoilt things for you. I do know how you would have treated me if circumstances had been different though, and I know that when we are reunited, I can expect to be brought breakfast in bed every single day…"

"Don't push it Thaddeus. Once a week, maybe."

"It wouldn't matter to me how often you did it. I would just be grateful that I was with you, each and every day, for all eternity."

"I do love you so much, my little one…"

"And I love you for all eternity, and you know that is true. So why don't we just sit at the table together and share breakfast, if you have the time that is?"

"I do. Elizabeth has given me the whole morning off, and permission to cook for you. I think she will actually be happy that you have woken up. She did frown for a moment when I said the 'in bed' part of my plan."

"She was probably worried that I would lose all self control and ravage you as you sat on the bed with me," said Thad with a grin and a wink. "And maybe she was right to be worried. I mean, pancakes, a bed, you… rules broken in the blink of an eye by my impetuous behaviour - it would have meant months if not years of punishment for you this time…"

Wes had managed to keep a straight face up until that point, but now as Thad made big eyes at him, and tried unsuccessfully to bat his eyelashes, he burst out laughing, which caused Thad to do the same. Wes removed the pan from the heat, and fell to the floor, and just allowed himself to laugh. Thad fell at his side, leaning his head on his shoulder. For just a moment, they could allow themselves to forget the division that kept them from being as close to each other as they wanted to be…

Eventually their laughter died down, and they sat next to each other and smiled. "Happy Valentine's Day, Thaddie," said Wes, before moving to kiss him chastely on the cheek.

"Right back at you, my only love," came his reply, as Thad delivered an equally chaste kiss in return.

Wes got up and held out a hand to Thad, who accepted it gratefully. Once he was back on his feet, Wes returned the pan to the heat, and got ready to cook his pancakes, whilst Thad went first to set the table, and then returned to search in the cupboard for the jar of honey he knew was hidden away at the back - it was pancake topping of choice for Wes. He could see that there was already a jar of blueberry jelly on the table, and he smiled, happy that Wes still recalled how he had always kept a jar of it in his dorm room at Dalton for those moments when he craved a semi-healthy sugar rush…

That was when it dawned on him, after so long. The jar of jelly in his room had never seemed to run out until his senior year… He made his way over to the table, and placed the jar of honey next to the place he had laid for Wes, who was walking over by that point with a small pile of pancakes. As he placed them on the table, Wes was rewarded with another kiss from Thad. It left him puzzled, but not unhappy by any means.

"That, my love, was in thanks for three years of blueberry jelly," said Thad. "You really did always love me. I just wish that I had worked it out sooner…" Wes blushed and nodded, putting an arm around the man he loved. He just wished that he had said something to him a lot sooner too…

Wes and Thad proceeded to enjoy their breakfast in a companionable silence, their eyes meeting all the time as they both enjoyed the pleasure of being in each others company. Thad's sudden revelation about the blueberry jelly, something that Wes had first done two weeks after he had heard him sing in his audition for the Warblers, had made the angel's heart swell with a sense of complete happiness that he had not felt for a long time. For Thad, the fact that he could still spend the morning of Valentine's Day with the man he loved was a pleasure. He realised that it was only really possible for this to happen because Wes had died; had he still been alive, ironically, then he would have been stuck in Harvard in his final year of study, and not able to sit with him in his kitchen in L.A.

"I know, my love; it is one of the few benefits of my demise," Wes said, and Thad suddenly blushed at the fact that Wes now seemed to be able to read his thoughts, one of the few drawbacks he supposed of dating an angel. "I used to think that I would rather have the distance between us and still be here, alive," Wes continued, "but now I am not so sure. I can see you whenever I want, and can run to your side in an instant when you need me. I couldn't have done that if I had been alive on the other side of the continent. Even once we both graduated, it would have come down to the fact that one of us would have to make a hard decision…"

"I would have found a job in New York; Dalton is not the only school in the world, after all," said Thad with a smile. "Your career would have been the important factor for me. We could have found a nice place in the city to live, close to our friends. Spent your trust fund on a nice place in Chelsea, or Murray Hill, or the West Village…"

Wes laughed, and replied, "So we were going to spend my money on it?"

"I was the poorer of the two of us after all, and I would have helped with the costs of furnishing the place. A teacher's salary isn't huge and doesn't go very far, even in Ohio. If it wasn't for the fact that one of the Dorm Master's was retiring this year, I would probably have had to find a place to live miles from Dalton. Ok, so this way I am on the premises 24/7, but I don't mind. I want to be there, to be a source of help, advice and discipline. I mean, if there had been a decent Dorm Master around when Hunter was at his worst, then maybe, just maybe, some of the things that happened to people could have been avoided or prevented. I see it as a privilege anyway, to have been asked to take on the role at such a young age. It isn't as if I will be completely devoid of adult company in any case - Jeff's cousin Dylan lives in too, so we can seek each other out if we need an adult voice."

"And I will be around all the time too, because I am never going to be leaving your side," said Wes, as he leant over the table to kiss Thad once more.

Eventually, Wes got up from the table, and headed over to do the washing up before he had to head back to the office. As was the case with all other holidays, there was a spike in deaths on February 14th, as people lives came to an end when unrequited loves or lost ones took their toll on the mind and body, and the will to live was lost. Then there were those that found themselves victims of crimes of passion, the numbers of which increased as the holiday chaos descended, and finally the lonely, for whom the day was often too much of a strain.

Thad immediately got up and joined him, insisting on helping; he offered to dry the dishes after Wes washed, and though Wes was not especially happy about it, he had to comply. "I always saw our long term relationship, Wessie, as a partnership of equals; much as I like the idea of being spoiled, and the whole romance of having an angel of my very own making breakfast for me, I love the idea of the two of us sharing the tasks all the more. Maybe we could do this again sometime for dinner; cook it side by side, then eat it by candlelight."

"I would like that, my love; just the two of us, working together as a couple. The two of us working together is something that I envisage in the long run too; by the time that your life comes to its close, I might well be in a position where I will require the services of a good assistant."

"I knew it! You only want me for my note taking skills!" said Thad in a mock scandalised tone.

"As if! I want you because from the moment that you first sang in my presence as a freshman that day in Dalton, you melted my heart, and made me long to get you all alone…" responded Wes in a flirtatious tone.

Thad blushed, then pulled Wes into a tight hug. "You, my dear, will have me all alone in the future, and then it will be for eternity. We just have to wait…." Wes nodded and sighed. Waiting was not easy, particularly when he fell in love with Thad more and more each day.


	4. Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part IV

**Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part IV.**

Cooper and Grace had finished their breakfast and the former had just begun to stack the plates in the dishwasher, when Josh and Scott appeared in the kitchen, hand in hand, smiling broadly. "Ah, young love," remarked Cooper as he saw their clasped hands, "Still sweet and innocent…"

"I am certain that both of the boys have more sense than to rush headlong down the road to debauchery, CJ," said Grace as the pair blushed, "and all the more credit to them for that. There is all the time in the world for them to take the next step. I admire them for the fact that in this world where everyone is in such a rush, they have decided to wait."

"Me too, trust me. I know that Blaine did when it came to Kurt, and their bond was all the stronger for that decision in the end. Sex is wonderful, but only when you are certain that you are ready."

"And now you have really mortified them, Cooper!" scolded Grace, as the two young men could not even meet either of them in the eye. "Sit down boys, and I will get our resident relationship expert to get you both some breakfast, and an apology." Cooper nodded, and hastened to get something ready for them.

"It is alright really," Josh said quietly. "We know that he is only saying it because he cares. Elliott says much the same kind of things at times. It appears to be something that big brothers are programmed to do…"

"Not just big brothers - Nick and Jeff had to endure the same kind of comments from my grandfather," said Grace, thinking back to that turbulent weekend when Niff had become a reality. "If that wasn't bad enough, he actually proceeded to go out and buy them supplies…"

Josh and Scott just looked at each other, and then burst out laughing at the level of embarrassment that would come from having a man of that age going out and buying two teenagers aids for sex.

"He was quite right too," said Cooper, as he returned to the table carrying toast and a selection of cereals. "I had to do exactly the same for Blaine when I realised he and Kurt had taken that step. Admittedly, he did then proceed to get his own back by telling me that he and Kurt both needed magnums, and that he would prefer a different flavour of lube…" He stopped as he saw Grace face palm, and the two boys started to laugh riotously.

Their laughter was being echoed from the doorway, where Seth and Roderick now stood. "That sounds like the Blaine I knew," Seth said once the laughter had died down. "Wes taught him how to hit back; he taught all of us how to do it…" Cooper motioned to the two new arrivals to take a seat at the table, and went off to make more toast. Grace joined him as he waited for the bread to brown. He couldn't help but smile at the sight before him, as the four young men chatted away, their happy conversation creating a buzz in the room.

"I can imagine the two of us standing her in two decades or so, whilst our own sons sit and eat," said Grace, and that statement made Cooper pause and look at her. "Maybe the two of us having kids isn't as far off as I used to imagine, CJ. I find being a mother figure far more rewarding than I ever could have imagined, and now I find myself wanting some children of my own. I'm not saying that I want one this year, but maybe not that far in the future…"

"Whenever you are ready, my darling. I can't wait to become a daddy either," Cooper responded, though in his heart he knew that if that happy event came tomorrow, he would be ecstatic.

An hour later, and Grace was alone in the house. Cooper had left to get ready for his afternoon show, which was a complete sell out. Roderick, after thanking them for their hospitality, had headed off to the library to do some reading for an essay. Seth also had one to start, and he had headed back to Bushwick, hoping that his two roommates were not still totally loved up, but he sent them a warning text, just to be sure. As for Josh and Scott, they had headed out to do a little exploring on their own. Both had visited the city before on numerous occasions with their respective families, although for Josh the visits had been fewer, and in the last few years he had spent most of the time looking for a glimpse of Elliott. Now of course he was a resident in the city, and although he was still trying to navigate the city himself, he could act as a guide of sorts.

Scott was a big comic fan, and Josh had done his research in advance. Their first port of call was a big comic store near Grand Central station, where Scott was immediately in seventh heaven. As he looked through the comics, pointing things out to Josh, the latter suddenly felt a little uneasiness. There was something that was off somewhere; out in the streets of the city that the comics often referred to as Gotham, there lurked a villain. He pondered calling Elliott for a moment, just to see that he was ok, but he dismissed the idea as quickly as it had come. Beats would have arrived by now, and his call would be an unwelcome interruption. As Scott chose his comics, and as Josh picked up one he had reluctantly put back as an acceptable extra gift, he put all thoughts of misery and pain out of his mind. Today was the day that the world at large celebrated the glories of love, and he could not poison his own special day with thoughts of hate. The comics bought, and his gift earning him a very public kiss, they headed in the direction of the big stores on Fifth Avenue for some window shopping. After all, they didn't want to waste a moment of the time they had left together before a reluctant Scott would have to board his bus home to New Jersey.

* * *

Far above the world below, where two high school seniors in the throes of first love were admiring the latest fashions in the stores, two angels were spending some quality time alone together in their New York loft. Both Blaine and Kurt had been out on collections the night before - not thankfully star-crossed lovers for either of them, but older people, who had lost their partners many years before, and who where now to be reunited with them on the most romantic of days. It had made the hearts of the young married couple light as they had witnessed the joy in their faces, the positive glow of happiness as they saw those special people again. They had received profuse thanks, which in itself was not unusual in those circumstances, but this time it seemed all the more genuine and warm. Kurt's final collection had been some time after Blaine's, and by the time he had returned home, his husband had been curled up in bed, fast asleep. Kurt had slipped in gently behind him in their bed, and although he had not woken, Blaine's body had instinctively grown closer to his, its shape moving to fit with his. They had woken up in the usual tangle of limbs, and had stayed like that for a while, despite of the lateness of the hour. They had no duties after all until later, excepting some emergency, and so they had not rushed to get up; they had time to snuggle and just enjoy the proximity of the other. They knew where Wes had been planning to go, and they also knew that Finn was on duty, at his own request. Today was one of the hardest for Kurt's stepbrother, and if he kept himself busy, then he had no time to dwell on his single status, something that might never be resolved now if the fates were unkind to him.

They had finally climbed out of bed to share a shower, and were finally sitting and drinking their morning coffee after a healthy breakfast for Kurt, and one of bacon and pancakes for Blaine, when the latter suddenly felt something that made him tense up. He felt a tingle in his spine at the spot where the base of his wings emerged, and he was at once uneasy; he knew that it meant that one of his charges was in danger. He tried his best to concentrate, freezing in place as he tried to work out which one of them it was. The fact that he was now staring blankly into space, coffee cup in mid-air was noticed by Kurt, who regarded him with curiosity; then, just as he was about to speak, he was overcome by the same feelings. He too had a premonition that all was not well for his charges in the earthly realm….

Blaine's eyes suddenly went wide, and his face paled. He had seen it now; the danger that was present, and who was about to be hit by it. Worse, he was powerless to do anything to prevent it. He looked across at Kurt, tears forming in his eyes, and saw that his husband was in the same state - that much was inevitable given that he knew who else was at risk. "It's happening; we all knew that it would, but today, of all days…" said Blaine quietly.

"At least they are alone. No Josh…" replied Kurt. Blaine nodded, and reached over to take Kurt's hand, grateful that the young man in question was safely out of the immediate danger zone. It did not however, calm their natural anxiety for the welfare of Beats and Elliott…

* * *

At that moment, the two young men in question were wrapped up in each others arms below the rumpled covers on Elliott's bed. It had been loving, slow, kind; now in the afterglow of happiness from their first time as a couple, they stared into each others eyes, sharing small tender kisses. "You ok, Nate? After all, that was all new to you," asked Elliott softly.

"More than ok, Ell. I was just so worried that I would hurt you, or get something wrong, or…"

Beats paused as Elliott chuckled. "Trust me when I say that you were more than perfect. I have never felt so connected to anyone as I do to you right now - and, of course, the day is not over yet…"

"No, it isn't," replied Beats, "and there is something that we didn't do yet; something that I want to try. Seeing you fall apart when I… I want to experience that. I want that level of connection…"

"You don't have to. The first time can be uncomfortable…"

"No. I want it. I am sure that you will be kind and gentle, and I want you to."

"Well, ok then, if you are sure…but we will need to get some more lube," said Elliott. "I will nip out to the drugstore, and grab some. It will take me five minutes, tops."

"Better idea. You just lie there, relax, recover and build up your strength, and I will go and get it. I should start being more prepared for these situations from now on anyway." After a few minutes more kissing, Beats pulled on some clothes, and with a final kiss, ran out to the store. As he opened the door to the street, he passed an older man that was standing there with a tool bag, waiting to get in. Indeed, as Beats went out, he almost pushed him out of his way in his haste to enter.

Beats could only shake his head at the rudeness of the man, before he hurried off on his way down the street to the local branch of Duane Reed. He was regretting the decision he had made to only put on enough clothes to be decent as he walked along, as there was a decided chill in the air. He shivered, and pondered heading back to grab his discarded jumper - and it was then that he noticed that the car across the street he had seen on his way there was now empty. It was then that he realised that the rude man that had pushed past him so abruptly had been the man that had been sitting in the car before; he recognised the tatty old jacket now. The car now occupied his mind for some reason and he stopped to take a better look. He noticed the New Jersey licence plates, which were not that unusual in the city. Something compelled him to cross the street to take a better look; a voice in his head that he recognised but could not for the life of him place was telling him to go over and inspect it. It was just an ordinary old car after all, battered by age and use, with a handful of stickers in the rear window - _The Republican Party; the NRA; I Love Bergenfield_ ….

That was the trigger in his brain; that was what made him see the man's face in his mind's eye, and made him realise that it was an older, worn out version of Josh…

Beats turned and raced back across the street, ignoring the horns of the cars blaring and the shouted obscenities as he thundered back along the sidewalk. As he ran he grabbed his key, pulled it out and had it ready to place in the lock the moment that he reached the door. Then he was in, and charging up the stairs two at a time, praying that he was not too late…

Elliott had been smiling with utter contentment when Beats had kissed him on the cheek before heading to the door, closing it behind him. Normally when he was alone in his apartment these days, he had taken to putting on the deadbolt, just in case he received an unwanted visitor, but today, as he stretched out in bed feeling a good ache, he did not. It turned out that Beats was not just an attentive and considerate boyfriend, but for someone of limited experience, an excellent lover. As he lay there content, he thought for a moment that he heard the tread of heavy footsteps on the stairs, but he dismissed it as just one of his fellow residents. He decided on a whim to get up and make some coffee; Beats would be cold after his trip to the store no doubt, given that he had only thrown on his jeans and a T-shirt to run his errand, and it was February in New York… The coffee would warm him up before they took that next step. He might have been so confident and sure he wanted to go there, but Elliott wanted to make sure that he was ready before they proceeded. He got up, threw his robe back on, and headed into his tiny kitchen to put the percolator on.

He had just done so when he heard the knock on the door. It had only been a couple of minutes, but in his blissful state, Elliott decided that it had to be Beats back, having forgotten his key in his haste to leave. He made his way towards the door, shaking his head, trying to think of a suitable response to his Nate as he did so. It was as he was about to place his hand on the handle that he heard a thump, and the whole door shook in its frame. He realised to his horror that someone was trying to break his door down and that it could be only one person. As he heard the sound of steps approaching again he flinched; the door lurched, and he heard a cracking noise. His first instinct was to ram in the deadbolts, but it was too late for that now. He hurried away from the door, and grabbed his phone from the table. Again he thought of hiding, heading to the bathroom and locking the door, but that would only delay the inevitable, and leave him stuck in a dead end. So he returned to the bedroom, and after a moment's consideration, dialled a number with his speed dial. As a crash came from the hallway as the door caved in, he threw his phone under the bed, and waited for whatever fate life had in store for him…

* * *

At the Spotlight Diner, Dani was taking an order to the table of a particularly trying customer when her phone began to vibrate in her apron pocket. She handed the food to the customer with her best smile, before taking the phone out of her pocket as she walked away. On the screen was one word - Starchild - and that made her curious from the start. She knew that Beats had been coming to see him, and what they had planned, so why on earth was he calling her? Surely it hadn't all gone wrong? Worse still, had she just been called in error? She shook her head, and bracing herself to hear something she really didn't want to, answered the call.

Before she could speak, she heard the sound of a door slamming, then Elliott saying in a calm collected tone "Hello, father. You didn't need to break…" His voice was cut off as she heard a thump, and the sound of flesh meeting flesh in a violent blow…

Dani ran across the diner then, pushing past the other staff at the counter to get to the office and grab the phone. She dialled 911, and made a frantic request to the operator to send assistance to Elliott's place as fast as they could. Then she slumped into the chair behind the desk, knowing all that she could do now was hope and pray that the police reached him before it was too late. She realised that she was crying, and that the line had now gone dead on her phone. That was bad, but it was better than potentially hearing… No, he wasn't going to leave them all, not now; not when he was happier than she had ever known him. He was strong, and he would survive this. He had to… Then another thought occurred to her. Where was Beats? He had been due first thing. Was he getting the same treatment as Elliott, or worse? And then there was the whole question of Josh - how would the events she imagined unfolding affect him? After all, if Elliott did end up being badly hurt, then his little brother would blame himself, and that was not good…

* * *

Elliott did not know if Dani had answered his call; if she had even heard anything, and if she had, had she called for help. She had been his obvious first choice for aid; he knew that she would not come running, as Beats would have done. He didn't want to put anyone else at risk. As his father had approached, he was transported back to his last moments in his childhood home in New Jersey, when his father had watched over him as he grabbed a few things from his old room before he was banished from their lives. His dad was older now, and angrier. He wanted it over with; he did not want to delay the inevitable moment; if he did, then there was more chance that he would still be here, in the apartment, when his Nate returned to him.

He knew that the punch was coming before he even opened his mouth to speak, but it did not make it any less painful; he still fell backwards, the side of his head stinging from the blow to the jaw that had stopped his speech. He could taste the metallic tang of blood in his mouth as his father loomed over him. "You disgusting piece of shit! You deviant! You have crossed me, and you are going to pay. I should have killed you when I had the chance. My mistake the night you told us you were sick was letting you live. You brought shame upon the family, and sowed the seed of corruption in your brother's head. He wouldn't be the way that he was if you had not corrupted him." He stopped, and spat in Elliott's face. "I am only going to ask you this once, and you will answer me. Where is he?"

Elliott shook his head, and said "Not here. I moved him to safety. I knew that you would come, and you are not going to destroy him."

He had barely finished speaking when his breath was taken away as his father forced his knee hard into his crotch. "Wrong answer, scum! He is coming away with me today, to get help. To be cured. To forget you and that boy. It won't be hard for him to do that, because I will deal with his faggot friend later - and as for you, this is your last day on earth. Today is the day that you die, and I am going to be the one that ends your pathetic existence. Better yet, the way I do it, the cops will see it as a hate crime…"

Beats had felt himself flagging as he reached the top of the steps in Elliott's block, having run up them two at a time. When he saw the door open, and the lock broken, his heart began to pound in his chest. He knew that he should call the cops, let them deal with it, and his hand reached for his phone - and then he realised that any kind of delay now could be the difference between life and death…

His energy back, he ran into the apartment as quietly as he could. He could hear an unfamiliar voice, its tone low and threatening; he heard Elliott speak briefly, before his voice was silenced and swiftly replaced with a groan of agony. By this time he was at the door to the bedroom, where only a few minutes before he had left his happy boyfriend basking in the afterglow - and now the sight before his eyes made his heart ache. Elliott was lying on the bed, curled up in pain, a livid red mark on one side of his face. His view was nearly obscured by the form of a man that had given up his duty as a father to love and protect his child. A child that he was now threatening to kill…

Beats knew at once what Wes would have done if he had ever walked in on one of his flock being threatened in that way. It was a risky strategy, but he could not stand idly by and watch as the man he adored was destroyed. As Mr Gilbert pulled his arm back, as if he was about to aim a fresh blow at his son, Beats closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then leapt at the back of the man….


	5. Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part V

**Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part V.**

Elliott saw his father's fist being pulled back, and involuntarily cringed in anticipation. He was hurting, and he was desperate for the pain to stop, but he also knew that there was no sense whatsoever in revealing his younger brother's location. He would keep his stony silence, and take his secret to the grave. He knew that Cooper and Grace would protect his brother from harm, assisted by Ms Ramirez. Then in the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of movement - and suddenly his father was no longer looming over him, but flying sideways across the room as something landed on his back, throwing him off balance, at least momentarily. Then his father was tottering back, tumbling forward to land heavily on Elliott's chest before he could move. That was when Elliott saw to his horror that it was not a cop on his father's back, but a person he had been praying would not get caught up in this. Beats had one arm around his father's neck, and his face was like nothing Elliott had witnessed before. It was almost feral with the rage that he felt at the man…

His dad was strong though. He thrust himself back up, and on his feet again, he began to swing himself round in an attempt to throw Beats off. The young man was tenacious though, and wasn't going to allow himself to be thrown off easily; he scratched and clawed at Mr Gilbert's face, drawing blood, whilst his legs were kicking at the lower back of the man that he had nothing but hatred for. Elliott summoned up all his strength, and pushed himself back up off the bed, ignoring the pain that was shooting through his body. He had just done so when Beats finally lost his hold, and he was thrown to one side, bodily crashing into the wall. Elliott took his chance, and lunged at his father, who was still staggering with the momentum of throwing Beats off, and pushed him to one side. Mr Gilbert fell to the floor with a crash, but as he did so, his arm swung round and punched Elliott hard in the chest. The blow caused something to snap audibly as it caught his son.

Whatever had just snapped caused Elliott to howl in pain. His father smiled with delight as he fell to the floor next to him, his body racked with agony. The older man was quickly on top of him again, his weight intensifying the pain in Elliott's chest, and leaving him gasping for a breath. He saw his father's hands moving towards his throat, and his own he thrust up out of instinct to try and block them. As he did so, however, pain radiated through his body. He though through it nonetheless, trying to keep fighting his father off, all the time wondering where Beats was, and why he had not returned to join once more in the fray. Then again, he thought, he had hit the wall very hard, and had probably been knocked out in the process. He hoped and begged that he would come round soon, but not for his own benefit; if Beats was still out for the count when his father finished with him - well, it would be likely that two bodies would be found in the apartment, not just one…

That horrible image caused his concentration to lapse just momentarily, and that was all the time that his father needed to gain the upper hand once again. He grabbed Elliott's left arm and forced it back awkwardly, and then there was a pop. Suddenly the pain he was in was white hot, and he knew that his shoulder had probably been dislocated. He screamed in agony, but only for a few seconds. His left arm now useless, he could not stop his father's hands clasping shut around his throat, and as he squeezed, Elliott was left gasping for any air at all. "Say goodbye to the world, faggot. You're off on your way to hell, and as for your friend; don't worry, he will be right behind you. As for your brother, I will find him, and he will return to the normal, decent path he should be walking. If he is too far gone, then he will just have to follow after you…" Elliott could feel his own tears running hot down his cheeks, as inside he prayed harder than he had ever done for help. He felt several draughts and he knew who and what it was. It was probably too late for him, but if they could save his brother and Beats…

Kurt and Blaine had been forced by the rules to stand and watch helplessly from a distance for some time. Those rules stated that they could not intervene to assist their friends, so they had no option but to stand and wait. They were not alone; Finn had appeared and had admitted quietly that he had whispered to Beats to check out the car outside, in the hope he would twig; he had not broken the rules, as Beats had already been curious, and so it did not count as a direct intervention. He had only given him a push in the right direction. Then Wes had arrived, having suddenly been bombarded by Beats' thoughts in his head; he had taken his leave of Thad quickly, and had not told him the reason why. His heart was now in turmoil as he had to stand and observe, fighting back his natural instinct to help his boy and protect them; indeed, if Finn had not placed a restraining hand on his shoulder, Wes would probably have darted over to help. "I can't take much more of this!" he gasped as Elliott screamed. "I know what the outcome is, but still…"

"Wait, did I just see Beats' eyelids flutter?" said Kurt suddenly, and all of their attention became focused on him. As they moved again, that gave them the signal that they needed, and now they were able to fly into the room.

The cool draught was enough to rouse Beats, whose head was pounding - but when he saw what was happening just feet away, his heart was torn in shreds. He could see the man that he loved so much, and the fact that the life was being drained from him… His body ached, but he knew that he had to overcome that pain and help him; he had to… He saw four angels through fuzzy eyes, and he was sure that he had also just heard the sound of cars screeching to a halt outside. He hoped it was the police, that someone had called them, but he had no time to waste and wait to see if it was. He pulled himself back onto his feet, and threw himself back into the fight.

Elliott had begun to see stars in his sight by then. As he struggled to breathe, his vision had begun to fade away. If this was to be the end of his life, then it was so unfair… Then the hands around his neck were knocked loose, and his father was yelling in pain. Beats was once more upon his father's back, his fingers jammed into his eyes. If it had been a refereed fight, then he would have been dismissed for committing such a terrible foul, but it was not, it was a battle of life and death. Beats hand was being grabbed at by his father, and once he had hold of it, he twisted it hard at the wrist, causing Beats to yelp with pain for a moment, before he sunk his teeth into the flesh of Mr Gilbert's neck, causing the older man to howl in agony. His father was using all his strength though, and he had by now got back onto his feet, Beats clinging on, his legs beating a tattoo on his back as he tried to stop the bigger man.

Elliott could hear running feet now, charging up the stairs outside, and his heart felt light as he realised that Dani had heard, and had called the police. It was all about to be over… Then he heard a scream, and he turned just in time to see Beats flying through the air again. He watched in horror as he slammed into the wall head first this time, causing the plaster to crack and fall away with the force of the impact. As Beats slumped to the ground, limp as a rag doll, and completely motionless, Elliott saw his father advancing on him once more, his face full of a murderous rage. It wasn't over yet, and Elliott felt a coldness spread through his veins as he realised in horror that if his father did kill him now, then his beloved Nate might already be there waiting for him…

It happened so quickly this time that Elliott did not have time to even attempt to raise his good hand to try and fend him off. His father's hands closed around his throat again, and once more he found himself struggling to breathe. His head began to spin as his air supply rapidly diminished, as his body, worn out by injury, began to give up. There was a look of satisfaction on his father's face, which made him think that his own face must be showing signs that his struggle to survive was coming to an end. He could feel himself starting to drift away, and he thought how easy it would be to just stop struggling and just accept that it was all over….

"Police! Take your hands off him NOW!" came a strident female voice; a voice that Elliott could barely hear above the buzzing in his ears. His father didn't hear it either, or more likely, chose to ignore it, his goal being so close; there was no let up in the pressure that he was applying in any case. Elliott's vision was starting to dim when suddenly the hands on his throat went loose, and through barely open eyes he saw his father being hauled off him by the female cop whose voice he had heard earlier, her nightstick in use to keep the man that was partly responsible for his very existence from hurting him any more. He was acutely aware that she would not be alone; that there had to be other cops in the room. He moved his head and saw that one of them was bent over the motionless form of Beats, whilst at his side a third was calling in for immediate medical assistance. It was that that sent Elliott into a panic; the grim realisation that Beats was not moving. He had lived to tell the tale, albeit battered and bruised, but what if his Nate had paid the price instead? He went into a full blown panic attack, trying desperately to get up, to get to his boyfriend, to help him; but his stressed body could no longer cope and as the cuffs clicked shut on his father's wrists, he passed out into a black and empty world.

From their vantage point on the far side of the room, four angels had watched in horror as those final moments before the arrival of the police had played out. They had known that the two young men where going to live, but that had not stopped them feeling horror as the fight went on. The moment that Beats had flown through the air for the second time, Blaine had burst into tears, and Wes had panicked. Ignoring the conventions, he had dashed across the room the moment that he landed on the floor, taking the hand of his hurt Warbler, checking his wrist for a pulse, and sighing with delight when he found one. His joy was muted though; he was alive, but Wes had no idea how badly Beats had been injured. He had hit the wall with a considerable force as evidenced by the plasterwork, and Wes had no way of checking how bad those injuries he could not see might be.

When the cops appeared, Wes had to make a retreat and leave Beats to their care. He wished he could have stayed there to hold his hand as they checked him over but that was just not possible. He stayed within earshot though, and his face paled markedly when he heard the cop request that the medics bring a neck brace and a spinal board. In his mind's eye he suddenly saw Beats sitting in a wheelchair, his spine shattered. Wes felt so responsible for it all, as if he had let him down. If it wasn't for protocol…

"We couldn't have stopped this, Wes. It isn't your fault. If Beats was as badly hurt as you are imagining - and I have known you long enough to be able to see what is going on in your head, so don't deny it - then Elizabeth would have told us," said Finn.

As Finn placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, Kurt looked up from where he was holding a still upset Blaine, and said "He's right. It will be ok, or we would know. Mom would have said…" Wes nodded, knowing that they were right, but that did not stop him feeling so helpless…

Elliott was out cold for just over a minute; when he came too, the female cop that had arrested his father was now leaning over him. Her face, which he had glimpsed before had changed from one that was full of rage to a softer one; more concerned and motherly. "Don't try and move; you've had a traumatic experience, and your body just needs you to rest until we can get you properly checked over. Now, if you can, could you tell me exactly what has gone on here? Why don't we start with your name…"

"It's Elliott. Elliott Gilbert… Is he ok? Is Nate ok? Please tell me he is going to be ok…"

"I'm assuming that Nate is the guy that we found slumped down by the wall? I take it that the two of you are close?"

"He's my boyfriend… We were just having a romantic day, and he had to go out to the store and get something, and then my dad turned up…"

"Your dad… That man that has done this to the two of you - he is your father?"

"Yes, yes he is…" rasped Elliott, then he started to cough, his throat feeling raw. "Nate came back, and tried to help me, and he ended up… He has to be ok. Please make him ok, bring him back to me, please…" Elliott began to sob, and the cop could no more than take his hand and squeeze it tight. She sighed as she thought how the events here today were not that uncommon; this was not a first for her. The world was still so full of intolerance and hatred…

* * *

At the Spotlight, Dani had recovered a degree of her composure, and was able to make her way back out onto the floor to start work again. Her mind was not 100% on the job in hand, however. She was worried sick about Elliott and what might have happened to him, but there was nothing that she could do; there was no-one else around to take charge of the place at the moment, and there would not be until Sam arrived in a short while to start work, whilst Rachel performed her usual Sunday matinee. She found herself waiting for that moment anxiously; she would be running out that door the second that he crossed the threshold. She stopped looking at her watch or the clock, as the minute hands did not seem to be moving forward. It was as if the world had frozen around her and only she was still moving at her usual rate.

Then the door opened, and she glanced over in hope and expectation - but what she saw made the blood run cold through her veins. Normally she would have been overjoyed to see them, but knowing what she did, the last person that she had wanted to see coming through that door was Josh Gilbert. There he was though, and now he was walking across the room, smiling, approaching the spot that she stood in, rooted to the spot, at the counter. She wanted to run into the back, to not have to be the one that told him what was happening, but she couldn't budge, and as she reminded herself, she wasn't a coward…

"Hey Dani! I know that Ell said that he and Beats were going to be 'busy' and to just stay near Murray Hill, but Scott and I are hungry, and it is so hard to find food as good as we can get here up there…" Josh had begun so confidently, but now as he saw the tear tracks on her face, his voice trailed off. Before anyone could speak, the door opened again and Sam rushed in, taking off his coat, all the time apologising for being late, but he had been forced to walk around an extra block on his way from the subway as there was a street sealed off with police tape…

He realised his mistake at once when he saw Dani's eyes widen, and Josh turned to look first at one and then at the other. "What's going on? Why have you been crying Dani? What street is sealed off, Sam?" Josh demanded, as Scott, quickly making the necessary conclusions, placed a hand upon his shoulder.

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but Dani got there first. "I got a call, from Elliott… Your dad turned up…"

Sam gasped as he realised what street had been sealed off; and that was all it took for Josh to drop his bags of shopping, and turn on his heel, running out of the door. Scott was right behind him, and after throwing the keys at Sam with an apologetic look, so was Dani, not even pausing to grab her coat before she left. Sam was left to stand in shock, dazed by the enormity of the situation that he had inadvertently wandered into. He hoped that everything was ok, and prayed that there were still only four angels that he knew; that there were not now five, or he realised, six… For him, the whole idea of Valentine's Day had just taken on a very sour note. It was supposed to be about love after all, not anger and hate.

Josh Gilbert, his coach at school had remarked, would never be a star athlete; his boyfriend, Scott De Marko, might be in time. It didn't take Scott long to catch up with Josh then, to run at his side as they headed in the direction of the little apartment he had been to once. He was vigilant, ready and prepared to throw an arm in front of Josh to stop him if, in his haste to reach his brother, he decided to pay no attention to the busy traffic of the city. Elliott had always said he could walk to work in under ten minutes at a comfortable pace; two teenagers could cover the same distance in around three if their motivation was strong enough. The moment that they turned that final corner they could see the police cars, the ambulances, the small crowd of onlookers… Suddenly, Josh stopped in his tracks. Scott stopped and turned to look back at him, and was instantly concerned by how pale he had become.

"What if he is really hurt Scott? I brought dad back into his life, I brought him here. He didn't know or care where Ell was until I came along. This is all my fault; if anything bad has happened to him, or…what if Beats…?"

"Look, Josh, I might not know your brother that well, but what I do know is this; he would say that you were talking total nonsense just now, and that none of this is down to you. The only person that is to blame for any of this is your dad; he is an idiot and a bigot, and if he has done anything to your brother or Beats, then he will be the one that is punished."

"You're right, that is what Ell would say, but if Beats is hurt…"

"It's not your fault," said an out of breath Dani, who had arrived just in time to hear his final words. "You are not to blame for any of this, ok!"

Josh didn't reply, as his eyes had widened as he looked up the street. Dani turned and saw for herself the two paramedics carrying the stretcher out of the apartment building. Josh was suddenly back off again, running up the street, and Scott and Dani could only follow. As they approached, a second stretcher was brought out of the door as the first was being placed into a waiting ambulance. Then there emerged from the door a sight that caused Josh to stop, freeze for a moment, then cower in fear. He had just seen the man that had been dragged out between the two cops…

"That's him, isn't it? That man is supposed to be your dad, the man that should love and protect you, no matter what," said Dani. Josh couldn't even speak to reply; Scott nodded in response as his boyfriend hid behind him. "What is it with men of his generation not being able to deal with and accept the fact that they have a gay son? I mean, Jeff's natural father dumped him at an orphanage; Nick's father is constantly trying to destroy him; Blaine's father was the same, from what I've been told. Why can they not just accept the truth and be glad that their child is healthy and happy?"

"My dad is ok about it now, but he wasn't at first," said Scott quietly. "He couldn't even look at me for days after I came out to them. Then one day he realised that I hadn't suddenly grown two heads, or scales; I hadn't changed at all. I was still his son, I just wouldn't be bringing a girl home with me. I was lucky, I guess. My dad could deal with it."

"My dad is just a redneck bigot." The declaration from Josh caught the other two by surprise. "He doesn't so much as bat an eyelid to my sister's promiscuity, but me and Ell, we aren't straight, so we are abominations. I want him out of my life for good, and I need to show him that I am not afraid of him anymore."

"You do," said Dani, "but right now…" She didn't even get the chance to finish speaking before Josh was striding forward, head held high, chest out, in the direction of the police line. All she and Scott could do was follow.

"Hey, dad! If you have hurt either of them, I want you to know that I will make you pay for it! I am not scared of you anymore!"

Mr Gilbert looked up, and on seeing his son, tried to pull away from the two police officers that were now restraining him. "You should be afraid, Joshua. Afraid of me and of the fires of Hell. That is where you are heading for, you little deviant. You, your faggot brother and his friends. I am going to get you fixed boy, before it is too late. Restore you to your place in our good, American family."

"Elliott is my family; he is all the family that I need. He didn't throw me out onto the streets on Christmas Day! If he hadn't been around, if Beats hadn't managed to get us back in contact, then who knows what might have happened to me, not that you care! For all your talk of family, you seem to have forgotten the one key element of that; unconditional love. I don't just want them to throw the book at you - I want them to throw the whole darn library, because you deserve it! I'm happy, and I don't need or want you, mom, and my whore of a sister. I have my brother, I have Scott. Hopefully, after today, I will never have to see you again!"

"Don't bank on that, you disobedient little fag! I will find you, and I will make you pay for this! You will all pay for this!" That final threat was enough for the cops to drag him, still protesting, to the patrol car, and force him in. they would be taking him to the station to face assault charges. As the car drove past the three people at the barrier, his face was visible at the window, his mouth set in a snarl. Dani couldn't help herself and raised one finger to him as he passed, and then, he was gone…

"Excuse me young man, did you just say that was your father?" The female voice made the three recent arrivals turn back to the barrier, to see a cop standing right beside them. "Yes, I'm Josh Gilbert. Elliott is my brother. Please, is he ok? What has he done to him?"

The cop asked for some ID, and Josh pulled out his driver's licence, then nodded. "Your brother is battered and bruised, but nothing too serious. He has taken some damage to his ribs; his shoulder was also dislocated, but the paramedics have already fixed that for him. He won't recover from this overnight, but physically he will be ok, in time."

There was a loud sigh of relief from Dani at that news, and Josh broke into a smile, before he suddenly remembered that his brother had not been in the apartment alone. "What about his boyfriend? I take it that was him on the other stretcher?"

The police officer nodded, then spoke softly. "The other young man took the worst of it. He is currently unconscious, and has been since we got here. I believe that he was thrown against the wall, and given that the plasterwork is damaged, it must have been with some force. They will both be taken to Beth Sinai for treatment - if you hurry, I can get two of you in the second ambulance."

Josh nodded, and grabbed Scott's hand, before turning to Dani with an apologetic look. "It's ok. You two should go. Give them both all my love, and tell Ell that he owes me several shifts for this one… No, just joking. Tell him to get well soon." Josh nodded, and then he and Scott were hurried away. The first ambulance was already gone and in less than a minute, the second was following it. The small crowd that had gathered began to move off, as the police began to remove the barriers and tape. Dani stood there for a moment, then sighed. This wasn't how today was supposed to turn out for the two young men. It should have been joyful, but it had instead descended into a near tragedy. At least they were both alive… Suddenly, she realised what she had to do now. She turned, and began to walk quickly back in the direction of the diner. She had a whole host of phone calls to make. Flint had to be told what had happened to Beats first off, and then there were all the other partners and friends to inform. Worst of all, somebody, probably Flint, was going to have to make a call to Beats' parents…


	6. Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part VI

**Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part VI.**

By the time that Dani got back to the diner, noticing on her way back the extreme chill in the air for the first time, she realised that making all those calls herself was not going to be necessary. Finn was standing at the counter, and at his side, Sam's face was already grim, his expression one of disappointment and horror. He looked up as she walked in, and saw the same written on her face; he immediately walked over to her, and pulled her into a hug. She collapsed gratefully into it, not least because of the warmth that was radiating from Sam's body. "The boys have gone to the hospital with them. From what the cops told them, it is poor Beats that has come off worst in all of this. He would have been trying to shield and protect Elliott; if he hadn't been there…" Her voice trailed off as the full enormity of the situation hit her. If Elliott had been alone…

She felt another set of hands on her shoulders then. "Sam, she is frozen stiff! Go and get her a hot drink - or better yet, a bowl of soup." Sam nodded at Finn as he realised how cold the girl in his arms was, and he made his way quickly towards the kitchen to get her a bowl of chicken broth. Finn meanwhile gently guided Dani towards a seat in one of the quieter booths in the back, where he could press his body up against hers to try and transfer some warmth to her frozen frame. As he did so, he spoke. "Ok, so all you have to be concerned about just now is yourself. Wes has gone to see Flint, and let him know; Blaine has gone to tell Grace, so that she can go and take care of the boys; Kurt has gone to the hospital to keep watch over Beats and Elliott. Sam has made a quick phone call to Nick, and once he gets over the shock of what has happened, he will make all the other necessary calls. You just need to get yourself warmed up, and then, once Sam and I are satisfied that you are, the two of us will head up to the hospital" Dani smiled and nodded, just as Sam appeared and placed a generous bowl of soup in front of her. She thought once again how lucky she and Elliott were to have such good people around them. That chance meeting with Santana at the diner years ago it seemed; the band that they had formed, and then the trio with the much missed Kurt… All of that had created bonds, given her a support network that made her feel secure; given her a good job that she loved, and allowed her the rare privilege of being able to see and touch angels. She was truly blessed…

When Wes arrived at the apartment shared by three of his boys in Princeton, he found Flint and Izzy sitting together, watching a film. It was one of those romantic chick flicks, and he could tell that the only reason that Flint was sitting and watching it was that it made his girlfriend happy. It did pose Wes a problem. Izzy could not see him, and a sudden revelation on Flint's part that his best friend was hurt was a highly improbable situation. Wes was nothing if not ingenious however, and after a moment of thought, he saw the solution. The apartment was still fitted with a landline phone, and so he stepped into the hall, picked it up, and dialled the number for Flint's cellphone. As he did so, he prayed he had not switched it off for the sake of romance. He was rewarded by the sound of a phone buzzing as it vibrated on the coffee table in front of the sofa on which the two lovebirds were sitting. He heard Flint picking it up, and then heard his voice in a curt "Hello?" on the other end.

"Flint, it's me, Wes. I'm in the hall. I needed to talk to you urgently, and this was the only practical way of doing so seeing as you have company. It's about Beats…"

"Ok, what's happened?" came the response in a worried tone.

"Elliott's dad showed up…" Wes paused as he heard Flint jump up off the sofa, and then he was there, standing staring at him in the hallway.

"He did… Tell me…"

"Beats is on his way to the Beth Sinai Hospital in New York. He's unconscious, and they are worried that he has some kind of head injury."

Wes looked up, and saw Flint was now leaning up against the jamb of the door to the lounge, his face white as a sheet. "Oh my God! I need to get there! His parents? Do they need to be told?"

"Yes, someone will need to let them know. Do you feel up to it?"

"No, but… I'll do it on the way… Is he? Please tell me he's going to be…"

"He is going to be ok, but it is going to take time. He is going to need all the help you can give him for a little bit. I will be around too; we all will."

Flint nodded, and mouthed the words 'Thank you' to Wes, before he hung up his phone, and turned round to break the news to Izzy.

Izzy's response was immediate; she refused to listen to his talk of trains, and instead contacted one of her classmates, who lived a block away. She explained the situation, and asked if, in view of the emergency, she could borrow their car. This having been agreed, she made a call to Ethan, who was at the library studying, to fill him in on the situation.

Ten minutes later he was sat in the back of the car next to Flint as Izzy drove them into the city. He was able therefore to hold Flint's hand and give it a comforting squeeze, particularly as the news had finally sunk in, and the other young man was now in tears. Ethan felt an ache in his own heart for Flint; he knew full well that if something like this had happened to Drew, he would be in the same state, feeling as if his own heart had been ripped out and stamped upon. Eventually, have let his tears out, Flint called the number that he had in Zanesville, Ohio, for use in just such an emergency as this; a number he had never wanted to use. As the car sped along the highway, he heard the call answered, and he was glad that it was Mr Harper that had picked up. He told him what had happened, and although he could hear the note of horror in the older man's voice, he managed to stay calm, which was more than his wife might well have done in the situation. With a promise to Flint that they would be there as soon as they could, Mr Harper hung up, and went to go and break the news to his wife. As for Flint, his duty now done for the moment, he curled back into Ethan's side. He let his friend hold him as he mentally prepared himself for what he might find at the hospital. He could only pray that Beats was not too badly hurt - because if he was, then it would break him just as much as his friend.

* * *

As Flint, Ethan and Izzy made their way through the growing traffic as they approached the city, in Bushwick Nick was making his final call of the day. He had contacted Jeff first, obviously, disturbing his husband as he was working on his project at school once more. He had been prepared to drop everything and run to the hospital the minute that he was told, but Nick had stopped him, pointing out that from what Sam had told him, Grace was likely to already be on her way to take care of Josh, and Flint would doubtless be on his way there too for Beats. There was no point therefore in them going and overcrowding a hospital waiting room. Jeff had still wanted to go, just to pop in, until Nick reminded him that they actually had somewhere else that they needed to be that evening; a duty they had promised to undertake, and he was sure that if they had the opportunity to make comment, both Elliott and Beats would rather that they attended to that instead of rushing to sit and wait for news of them. Jeff had reluctantly agreed he was right - and also start to pack up, as until Nick's call, he had clean forgotten where he was meant to be going…

Nick's next call had been to Sebastian, but that turned out to be very short. He had been coming home when he had seen Grace running out of the house and looking for a cab. She had told him what was going on, and after throwing his bags into the hallway of his apartment, he had joined her on her mission. He promised that he would let Nick know what was going on as soon as he had any news, for which Nick was thankful.

His next call had been to Thad; he was not sure if Wes would already have informed the current Head Warbler, but he decided to make sure. Thad knew nothing, and sounded horrified as Nick relayed the scant details that he knew of what had unfolded that day to his friend. "Well, that explains why Wessie left me so suddenly," said Thad quietly as Nick finished. "Look, I will let David know, and Mitch; I'll also call up Jasper and Brad, maybe even do a partial group Skype…"

"Ok," said Nick, "but I will call Trent myself. He and Beats were always fairly close, and he deserves to hear it from me, one on one."

"Yes, that would probably be best. Trent can get a little emotional about this sort of thing; heck, we all can. Just promise me that the minute you hear anything, day or night, you will let all of us know." Nick promised, and rang off to call Trent. The moment he did, Thad sent a text to his brother before anyone else. Ollie had the day off from the E.R., and was on a date with Michelle, but he would still potentially have contacts at the hospital who could give them the information they all would crave a lot quicker than it would be communicated to those in the waiting room.

Nick's last call was to Trent, and as both he and Thad had surmised, it was more than a little emotional. On hearing what little Nick knew, Trent had begun to sob his heart out, immediately thinking the worst; his certainty that it was all over for poor Beats had almost been enough to start Nick off in the same vein, as images of a group of mourning Warblers gathered around a coffin all over again filled his mind. Then he shook himself, and scolded himself internally for his own pessimism. "Look, Beats is not going to die, Trent. He will be his old self again, given time. You just need to stay calm, and keep your mind busy whilst we all wait to be told that he has woken up, and that he and Elliott are ok. Beats has always known how to handle himself in a fight…"

"This was very different from a meeting of the Dalton Fight Club. This would not have been played by the Queensbury rules, Nick. This was a madman lashing out at his son and his boyfriend. As far as I am aware, no-one was ever knocked unconscious in a bout at the Fight Club…"

"True, but plenty of people ended up with a mild concussion and felt bad for days afterwards," countered Nick, recalling his own experience. "Beats has probably just got a much more severe concussion, and that is why he is out for the count. He is not going to die, and if he was seriously hurt, then don't you think that some amongst us would know? One of our angels would have revealed something to us if it was bad…" As he said those last words, Nick knew that he was not telling the truth; that they would not have been allowed to tell them. But those thoughts were all they had to cling to, and at either end of the conversation, prayers were said in the hope that the supposition that he had just made was the correct one.

* * *

Grace Duval had reached the E.R. at the Beth Sinai Hospital, with Sebastian at her side, just minutes after the two ambulances had offloaded their patients. They hurried in, and found an upset Josh and an unnerved Scott sitting in the reception, trying to fill in the necessary paperwork as best as they could. There was no trace of Blaine or Kurt, and the two new arrivals guessed they would be in the actual Emergency Room itself, keeping an eye on their friends. Scott looked up, saw them, and for a moment a smile flicked across his face, in gratitude that someone had arrived to help him deal with a situation he was not prepared for. Grace walked over, and the minute that Josh looked up and saw her, the forms were flung to one side, and he was up and into her arms, his face etched with pain and tears.

Sebastian walked over and took a seat next to Scott, and put an arm around him. His first priority was to check that the young man was holding up ok, and when he had received an answer, he told him that he had best call his folks to let them know what was going on. Time was moving on, and Sebastian was aware that Scott should really be on his way back to the Port Authority for his bus home. Scott glanced at his watch, then nodded, and went to make the call, handing the clipboard with the form for Beats on it to him as he went. After all, Sebastian could fill it in far more accurately than he could have done. His call was answered by his mom; her initial reaction to the news that he told her was shock, disgust and revulsion; then, as she calmed down, she told him to stay where he was, and that she would drive over to the city to pick him up. The call ended, he passed this information on to Sebastian, who was making short work of the form, who agreed that the arrangement was no bad thing. Scott then took a seat by Josh, and as his boyfriend wrote with his right hand, he clutched on to his left. Grace settled down next to Sebastian, and they did all they could in the situation. They just had to wait patiently for news of the injured friends that lay just beyond those doors, for however long it took…

They were still waiting patiently when the doors opened and Flint ran in, looking stressed out of his mind, with Ethan right behind him; Izzy had gone to find somewhere to park the car. Josh looked up and on seeing Flint, jumped out of his seat, ran over to him and let Flint engulf him in his arms and hold him tight; the two of them both truly understood the pain that the other had to be suffering from. After all, Beats was as good as a brother to Flint. That was the moment that a doctor finally appeared at the door to the E.R. and asked for the family of Elliott Gilbert. Josh left Flint's arms and darted across, explaining that he was his brother. The doctor told him that he could come through to see him, but that he could only bring one person into the E.R. with him. Josh turned round, and saw that Flint was right behind him, and nodded to him. The others had known instinctively that he would be Josh's choice. Scott was secretly relieved, if he was honest, that Flint would be heading in with him. It had been a stressful day already, and the prospect of seeing a bruised and battered Elliott close up was not one that he had relished…

"I am pleased to say that your brother's injuries, although they look awful, are relatively minor," the doctor said as she walked with Josh and Flint down the hallway. "The paramedics reset his shoulder, but he will have a lot of pain and bruising in that area for a while. He has three cracked ribs, about which we can do nothing but allow them to heal - again, this will give him some discomfort and pain for a few weeks. He also has extensive bruising to his neck and face. He is conscious, anxious to see you, but don't let him talk for too long, as his larynx is giving him a lot of pain." By now, they were at the door to a small side room, and she turned to smile at them.

"What about his boyfriend? How is he?"

The doctor looked at Flint, then turned back towards Josh, as he had asked the question. "He is still out cold, I'm afraid, but we have been able to run a few basic tests and make checks. We were initially concerned that he might have suffered a skull fracture, but although there is extensive bruising, there is not even a hairline crack. He also has a badly sprained wrist with some ligament damage, but again, no broken bones. He is tough, I'll give him that."

"Given all that, doctor, why has he not come round?" said Flint.

"My guess would be that he has suffered a severe concussion; you may be aware that he was thrown against a wall with such force that he damaged the plaster. That his skull is undamaged is a miracle, but his brain would have been thrown hard into it, and that is the issue. He will wake up, given time, but we might have a wait. The signs are good in that his brain is functioning well, but we cannot be sure if he has suffered any lasting damage to his brain until he wakes up. I'm sorry that I can't tell you anything more reassuring; all we can do is wait and see, I'm afraid."

Josh nodded at the doctor, and reached out to take Flint's hand, giving it a squeeze. He had seen how his face had paled at the mention of a brain injury, and how treacherous tears were starting to form in his eyes, despite his best efforts. "Come on then Flint, lets go and see Ell. I'm counting on you to be strong for me, and make sure that I don't embarrass myself by starting to cry like a girl." Flint nodded, and blinked rapidly to get rid of the tears that had began to form as he thought of his poor Beats. He had to stay strong; after all, he couldn't let Josh down…

The moment that he stepped into the room and saw his brother, all of Josh's good intentions failed, and he lost his composure. His face was swollen, and covered in livid marks, bruises that were starting to turn black, blue and purple already. He had his eyes shut, and his lips were frozen in an expression of pain, most probably coming from his ribs; after all, they could not be bandaged or splinted in any way, they just had to be endured until they healed. Flint let the boy stand there and cry for a moment, then he gently nudged him in the direction of his brother's bed. Josh moved forward, sat down, and carefully took one of Elliott's hands. His brother's eyes popped open, and for a fraction of a second a smile formed on his lips, before another burst of pain from his ribs made him hiss again in pain.

"This is all my fault, Ell," Josh whispered. "He would never have found you if it wasn't for me. I brought all of this on you and Beats. I am so, so sorry." Josh began to sob as his guilty feelings began to overwhelm him.

"This is definitely not your fault," Elliott croaked out in a low voice. "I am just grateful that I saved you from this; any pain I am in now is worth it to have prevented you lying here. I just wish that Nate…"

"He would not have wanted you to face him on your own," said Flint, and Elliott now noticed him for the first time as he stepped towards the bed. "He would defend you and Josh until the end of time, because he loves the pair of you."

Elliott sighed, and tried to nod, but found it too painful. "My dad was like an animal; he just kept attacking. If the police hadn't come when they did… Was it Dani that called them?" He looked up, and Flint nodded. "I owe her, we both do… Ok, so how bad is it with Nate? He took more of the blows than me. They won't tell me anything… If he is seriously hurt, then I will never forgive myself… Please, tell me that he isn't… that his back…"

"Relax. He is battered and bruised like you, from what little I have been told. Apart from that, he isn't too badly hurt. His back is ok; I know what you were thinking, and that hasn't happened. The only thing at the moment is that he is still out of it. They are just waiting for him to come round. I guess it is a natural defence mechanism to just shut down for a while," said Flint, trying not to let his own worries come out in his voice.

"Can you tell him, when he does come round, that I am sorry, that I owe him, and that I love him so much for all that he did for me. He didn't have to, but I am so grateful he intervened…" said Elliott, before starting to cough. Josh immediately went for the jug of water on the side table, and poured a little in a glass, then held it to his brother's lips to let him drink.

"Ok, I am going to go for just now and let someone else come in and see you. I will tell Beats what you said, I promise. Meanwhile, you two should enjoy a brotherly catch up, ok?" Without waiting for an answer, Flint walked over to the door, and let himself back out into the hall, where he took a gulping breath and stopped himself from sobbing. He closed his eyes, and reminded himself that Beats was tough, and a fighter. He would be alright. He opened them again, and started to make his way down the deserted corridor in the direction of the reception area again. As he did so, he suddenly saw a door which he had not noticed earlier as they had walked in with the doctor. A door with a whiteboard next to it, like all the others, but on this one was written 'Nate ?' Flint trembled, but knew what he had to do. He peaked through the window in the door, and sure enough, there lay his Beats, eyes shut, connected up to a machine. 'Oh, Beats!' Flint thought. 'I know that you had to intervene, you had to help Elliott, but I wish that you hadn't! Please, you have to be ok! I need you. I need my best friend, my brother. Please, God, let him be ok. Don't let him be broken. He has to be ok…"

"Excuse me sir, are you a relative?"

The voice came from nowhere, disturbing Flint's contemplation and his silent heartfelt prayers. He turned and saw a nurse standing there; an older woman with a motherly expression who reminded him ever so slightly of Carole… "No. He's my best friend from school, and his parents are on their way from Ohio; they know that he is here, but it will be hours before they get here potentially, and he just looks so alone in there. I was just saying a quick prayer for him… I'm sorry if I've caused any trouble. I'll go and let…"

"No need, young man. I'm pretty certain that long time friend and I'm guessing, roommate, counts just as much as a relative as anything else, at least to me. If nothing else, you can give me a few more details about him, like a surname for that sign instead of that awful question mark. We didn't like to ask Mr Gilbert."

"It's Harper. His full name is Nathaniel Harper, but he prefers to be known as Beats, at least to his friends. Only Elliott has the privilege of being allowed to call him Nate." He looked at the quizzical expression on the nurse's face, and smiled. "We were in glee club together at school, and he is an absolutely amazing beatboxer, hence the name Beats."

"Well, I think that you are right, he does look lonely. So maybe you could go in and keep him company; although if a doctor comes in and asks, you're his stepbrother or a cousin."

Flint smiled broadly, and had to resist the temptation to pull the nurse into a hug. "Thanks, that would be great. I just need to pop back out to reception to fetch another friend to go and take care of Elliott's brother. I don't like leaving him alone with him right now. He blames himself…"

"Don't worry about that. I can go and fetch them for you. And whilst I'm there, would you like some company too?"

"If you could fetch Grace Duval for me, and tell her that Josh needs her, that would be great. As for me, if Sebastian or Ethan are there, tell them to come and look for me…" The nurse nodded, and walked off, leaving Flint to open the door and walk into the quiet room. He sat down in the chair by the bed, and gently took hold of Beats' hand. "It's ok, I'm here now. Elliott is ok, he's safe. You can relax now, until your ready. I will be here when you wake up, however long it takes - and that's a promise…"

The door opened again, and Ethan walked in and took the seat beside Flint. He instinctively knew to place a supportive arm around Flint's shoulder, then just sit there at his side in silence until he was ready to talk again. All that mattered to either of them was the man in the bed beside him; their lives were on hold until the moment he opened his eyes and was restored to them.


	7. Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part VII

_Apologies for the delay in posting today - internet problems. But, better late than never..._

 **Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part VII.**

Across on the other side of town, completely oblivious to all the drama that was taking place, Isabelle Wright was making her final preparations for her date at Rao's. She had used her place as online editor to enter the famous _Vogue_ closet, and had found the perfect ensemble for a chilly Valentine's Day; a designer dress in a modest style, part of the KEH Collection naturally, topped off with a warm coat and matching accessories. Shoes with a kitten heel also made sense. As she fastened her earrings, she looked at her reflection in the mirror, and had to admit that she liked what she saw there - a youthful, vibrant, successful woman. She still felt a lot of guilt about the fact that she was going out on a date with a total stranger when she had a man that loved her so very much on the other side of the country; but he had agreed to her doing this… Of course, if she had been meeting Julian, she reminded herself, then she would have worn a dress with a slightly lower cut, and maybe shoes with a higher heel. She considered calling him up, to let him know that she was about to leave, and if he had changed his mind and no longer wanted her to go, she wouldn't. In the end, she decided against it. She went to fetch her coat, checked that Elvis and Presley had adequate food and water for the time she would be out, and gave them a final stroke as they slept peacefully. Then with a light enough heart, she headed out for the car that she had ordered.

It did not take long in the lighter traffic of a Sunday evening for the car to make its way up to the northern end of Manhattan, to the tiny street on which the most exclusive restaurant in town could be found. It made her laugh that such an establishment was not to be found on the top of one of the city's highest buildings, nor was it located in one of the grand five star hotels, but here, in a nondescript street, in Harlem. She stepped out of the car, and made her way over to the door. She explained there that she was there for a date, but other than the printed invite that she now presented at the desk, she had no further information. Thankfully the staff were well aware that she was coming, and in no time she found her coat being taken, and she had been seated at a little table towards the back of the tiny establishment. The waiter informed her that her date had been slightly delayed; he had requested that they seat her and treat her like royalty until the moment that he arrived.

As she sat and perused that evening's simple menu, a glass of mineral water in front of her, she was unaware that she was being watched; that in fact her date was already there, and was watching her through the doors to the kitchens. Seeing that she was engrossed in the menu, he slipped quietly out through the door, and made his way towards her, approaching her from the back without her even noticing.

"May I just say that you are looking particularly lovely tonight," he said as he stood right behind her.

Isabelle froze, dropping the menu. She recognised the voice at once. She could only spin round in shock and surprise… "You! But how? And more to the point, why all the subterfuge? Why not just ask me?"

"If I had told you that I was going to take your for dinner at Rao's on Valentine's, you would not have believed me for one minute - after all, getting in here is harder than getting into Fort Knox. Either that, or you would have been looking for the airline ticket for your flight to me in Vegas."

Julian took his seat opposite Isabelle and smiled - and she could not help but respond in kind. "That's true - and I would have told you that there was no way that I could get away from the office; couldn't leave my two adorable kittens with someone else so soon. Now, I do have a few questions to ask you…"

"Ok, so first one will be - why am I not in Nevada? Simply put, I no longer live there. I haven't been there for the last week." Isabelle opened her mouth to respond, but he shook his head, and continued. "It was actually quite easy to do the Skype thing; I just draped the same white sheet behind me in whatever motel room I was staying in. I never liked the white walls in my place in Vegas, but I was finally grateful for them this week. You see, I had to drive here from Nevada, and I had to do it slowly - my car isn't exactly capable of very high speeds these days; plus, having spent most of her life in the warmth of the desert, she didn't particularly take to the colder climes too well."

"I take it that your new job…"

"I start officially in the New Jersey office a week tomorrow. They were pretty desperate for me to transfer, and so I accepted all the generous incentives that they were throwing at me. Your contacts in the real estate business turned out to be very good at keeping secrets, as well as being helpful in the extreme. They have managed to find me a charming place in Maplewood, close to my office and with a reasonable train service to the city. It needs a bit of work, and I will need to get the furniture sorted out, but I will be more than happy to show you around it."

"So that's it? You are here, for good?" Julian nodded, and Isabelle barely stopped herself from clapping her hands together in glee. Maplewood was an excellent area, and her contact had done him proud by the sound of it; as for not telling her… "So, does Sebastian know? Or is this going to be as much of a surprise to him as it was to me?"

"Oh, he knows, and it is actually thanks to him that you and I are sitting here tonight. I can tell by the expression on your face that you are wondering how on earth my brother could get us a table here? Well, apparently, it all started on the night that you launched the KEH Collection onto an unsuspecting world. Sebastian was being harassed by some obnoxious woman whose name escapes me…"

"June Dolloway. She is an old…"

"Anyway, after he had got rid of her, in what he claims to have been the most spectacular fashion, he headed to the restroom to freshen up, and then, as he was coming back out…"

 _Sebastian was glad that he had managed to wash his hands, but the stench of that woman still assaulted his nostrils as he made his way back towards the corridor. 'Who the hell does she think she is! Suggesting that I should ditch Dave and play it straight to succeed! If she comes within 50 yards of me again tonight, I swear that I will…' Sebastian's train of thought was cut off, as, paying no attention as he walked out of the restroom door to where he was going, he managed to collide with a lady that had just exited the powder room. He was about to speak when he looked at her properly. He froze, as he realised what he had just done. He had just walked straight into Bette Midler, and had done so hard enough to knock her purse out of her hand, its contents now lying strewn across the floor…_

" _Ohmigod, I am so, so sorry, ma'am. It was totally my fault, 100%, no doubt whatsoever. Please, let me get that for you! Are you ok? Did I hurt you? I am so, so, sorry - and now you are rabbitting away nineteen to the dozen like the worst kind of fan girl, so just shut up, Sebastian!"_

 _At that, Bette began to laugh; laughter which grew as Sebastian began to stumble about, picking things up, then dropping them again, getting more and more flustered by the second; trying to stay the cool, aloof, prep school boy, whilst inside his head a voice was screaming 'It's Bette Midler!' Once he had managed to retrieve everything, and place it back inside the purse, he handed it back to her, with a bow._

" _Why, thank you, Sebastian. Just to allay your fears, no, I am not hurt, but it was kind of you to ask. I can also excuse you for being distracted. I saw what that awful old Dolloway creature was saying and doing to you, and I applaud your little outburst of rage. I said as much to Meryl; we both know her as of old. She has been pulling that stunt since before I was born."_

 _Sebastian laughed, and then said "So for about thirty years then?"_

" _Oooh, I like you! All the prep school charm, with just a little edge. Nice. If you were straight, and I was in the market for a toyboy… but, hey, ho!" Sebastian instantly felt his cheeks burning, and seeing him blush hard made Bette laugh all over again. "Right young man, in way of an apology, I think that you should escort me back in, and get me a drink - and then you can tell me all about your husband." In a state of shock, and disbelief, Sebastian found himself taking her arm, and then walking with her back into the room…_

"So, anyway, my little brother turned out to be a big hit with the divine Ms Midler. She laughed at his jokes, grinned at his sass, and proceeded to cry her eyes out when he told her all about what had happened with Hunter at Dalton - then howled with laughter again when he told her all about his exploits in Paris," said Julian.

"I did hear her laughing a lot that night, but I was so busy taking orders for the collection…"

"Well, Bazzy ended up having quite the night of it! He went on to formally introduce her to Nick and Jeff; Trent and Rory; Burt and Carole; Mike and Tina; Thad, David and Mercedes - basically everyone that was there. She was polite and showed an interest in them all, but it was my little brother that she fell totally in love with. Eventually, she had to go, of course, but before she did, she invited him and Dave to a small soiree at her place a couple of weeks later; they ended up going, although Dave had initially thought Sebastian was joking with him, until she opened the door to him, and then he spent the rest of the night in awe of the fact that he was actually at a celebrity party. It was that night that she gave my brother what she termed a late wedding gift from his Aunt Bette - the use of this table, here, tonight. Sebastian did not have the words to express his thanks, but she told him to enjoy it."

"Then why are we here, and not him?"

"Ah, my love, as time got closer, two things happened. Firstly, changes were made to Dave's schedule of matches, and although they could still have made it here for the right time, it would have been darn tight. Secondly, my brother might not show it often, but he is a romantic at heart. He could see that I was hopelessly in love with you from the moment we met on Christmas Day, my darling. Then of course, there was all that stuff with my mom at New Years, and he just felt that he owed me a lot of presents for all those years that we were kept apart, and he also wanted to give me a housewarming gift - and it suddenly struck him, what he could do, if he was able. So he called up Bette - yes, he does have her cell number, which was a shock to my system too - and told her what he wanted to do, and why. She replied that it was more than ok, as long as he promised her that he would celebrate today properly with his husband. I believe he then proceeded to tell her, in detail, what he intended to do with Dave instead, and she told him he was naughty - but she loved it…." Julian stopped, colour having flooded into his cheeks.

"So we are here tonight thanks to the fact that your kid brother is a friend of Bette Midler; now that is not something that I could ever have anticipated. Still, I am very grateful to him, and indirectly, to her."

"Me too, my darling. Now, enough talk. Let's order, and then ensure that we get plenty of pictures as proof that we have actually eaten here. Of course, if they are good enough, maybe we could post them on the internet somewhere."

"I think there might be a spot in my work blog for a picture of myself and my handsome Valentine's date," replied Isabelle. Julian grinned and then they both began to study the menu for their choice.

* * *

Of course, Sebastian's plans for the evening had gone a little awry since he had last spoken to his brother. When he had come across Grace in the street, and had heard her say that Beats was badly hurt, he knew that he had to go with her. Nick and Jeff had other plans; Trent was far away in Washington; Thad and David even further away in L.A. Someone had to go and help Ethan look after a devastated Flint. He had taken the groceries he had bought for the meal he was going to prepare, stuck them away quickly, and hurried back out to Grace.

Once Flint had vanished with Josh, he had chatted away to Scott, who had started to tear up the moment that he knew Josh was no longer in the room. Josh blamed himself for the situation that they now found themselves in; but so did Scott. After all, if his dad had not walked in on the two of them that Christmas Eve; if he locked his bedroom door… Sebastian had told him straight that it was not his fault. That even if they had done everything in their power, Mr Gilbert would have found out eventually. That if you were going to go and start attributing blame on that kind of shaky evidence, then you needed to go back to Beats himself. After all, he was the one that had reunited the Gilbert brothers… When Scott had told him that he was stupid to even suggest that Beats had brought it all on himself, Sebastian had replied "That's my point exactly. We can't interfere with fate. What is going to happen, will. Even if you changed every detail one at a time, this would still have come to pass. Trust me, I know all about that."

Eventually, Scott's parents rushed in, and Sebastian found himself being introduced to the De Marko's, and trying to summarise what they knew. Basically, Elliott was injured, but awake. Beats wasn't awake, and no-one knew how badly he was hurt. Now that they were here, he was able to excuse himself, and make his way into the corridor to take a look through the window at Beats. The sight of his friend lying there in the bed made him feel sick at heart, but there was nothing he could do, and Ethan was more than capable of looking after Flint with Izzy's help. He made his way along to Elliott's room, and popped his head round the door. If anything, the sight of the battered Elliott made his heart ache worse. He took his leave of them all then, anxious to get out of the hospital.

He jumped in a cab, and headed home. His plans for a delicious, romantic, three course French meal were out of the window now, given the time. Instead the moment he arrived home he called a good restaurant that he knew and ordered takeout, then concentrated on decorating the table and on his own appearance. The food managed to arrive before Dave got home, and for a moment he considered telling him that he had made it himself - then he dismissed it. Their marriage was built on honesty and trust. As he heard the sound of a key in the lock, he checked his appearance in the mirror, and then went to greet his man. He knew that he would have to tell him all of the days events - but then they could enjoy all the pleasure that romance brings…

* * *

Artie had spent most of the day thinking about what he was intending to do that evening, and wondering if in fact, he was actually doing the right thing. He was certain that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Kitty at his side, but he wasn't quite so sure that she felt the same way about him. Yes, she told him all the time that she loved him, but there was a big difference between that and actually marrying someone. He tried his best not to dwell on it, but he struggled, and in the end he was relieved when Tina turned up at his place at lunchtime. She and Mike both knew that he could over think things from experience, so whilst Mike headed to Julliard to get in some practice on a quiet day, she had decided that she would distract Artie by insisting that the two of them had a proper catch up. It was nice for the two of the to just sit together and discuss the old days, back at McKinley, when live had seemed so carefree; a time before death had claimed three of their former team-mates within the space of six months. They talked about their experiences at school too, and Tina made a point of asking Artie how his script was coming along for his film based on Sebastian and Dave in Vegas. He told her that he had managed to cast both parts from amongst his classmates at film school. He had considered at first casting from amongst his close friends, but as they tended to be friends of the two young men too, he had decided against it as it could get too weird.

Then, in a rare moment of candour, Artie handed Tina his notes for the documentary project he was intending to embark on next semester. She read the first page, and then looked up. "You've spoken to all of them? To Jeff, Burt, Carole, Cooper? I hope so, because you will need their permission to proceed with this. It is such a personal subject for all of them - heck, for all of us…"

"I have spoken to the main players, and they are all ok with it. They feel the story needs to be told. I am intending on telling everyone soon enough, because the stuff in it will impact on all of you. I began to consider doing this just after Hunter's trial, and I spoke to Burt about it; he advised me to wait a bit, let the dust settle. I only mentioned it to one other person at the time - Wes. He agreed that the story did need to be documented, and even offered to let me interview him as practice, which I did that summer whilst he was in the loft alone…"

"So you have Wes speaking about it all from beyond the grave. I also think that the story has to be told, but you do need to be careful. Even now, the whole affair with Hunter is a sensitive subject, not least amongst the Warblers who were there and lived through all the torment."

The chat ended abruptly there as suddenly they realised the time, and they had to hasten to the diner, after getting changed. On their arrival, they were greeted by the ashen faces of Sam and Dani. They sat and listened in horror as they were told what had been going on whilst they had been chatting aimlessly. Artie's first instinct was to call everything off and postpone his proposal to another more appropriate time.

When he came out and said as much though, Dani immediately spoke up. "Don't you dare! If we don't go ahead with this now, then it is another victory for their thug of a father. If Elliott was here, he would be telling you to go for it, and not to cancel everything just because of him. I don't know him as well, but I am sure that Beats would tell you the same. What you and Kitty have is love, pure and simple. That is an emotion that Mr Gilbert just does not get, if we are all being honest. The best way to fight hatred is with love. If you cancel this now, Artie, then you will have me to deal with for a start - and trust me, Santana told me exactly how to conceal razor blades in my hair. I am not afraid to use them if the need arises either!"

Sam had stood quietly by her side, deep in thought, but now he spoke up. "I have to say that I agree with her guys. We carry on. Nick and Jeff are on their way, ready to go. Everyone is up for this, so for the sake of those two guys lying in a hospital bed, we have to do this, Artie. I want to see you and Kitty happily engaged!" As Tina nodded in agreement, Artie found himself going along with it. It didn't mean that he felt any less uneasy about going ahead on what had become such a sad day for so many other people. However, as Rachel would have told him, the show had to go on…

The others then began to arrive in quick succession. Nick and Jeff walked in with grim faces, but a steely determination that love had to win out that day. Santana and Brittany arrived all smiles, fresh from a trip to look at wedding supplies - once they discovered the news, those smiles faded, and Santana was left muttering threats, but they agreed they had to look forward. Marley was next to arrive, fresh from doing something she had always dreamed off; singing on a radio show. Mike was right behind her, straight from school. The news was again relayed, and both felt as uneasy as Artie until something unexpected happened. Dani's phone began to ring, and to her surprise, and that of everyone else, it was Elliott. He was speaking surreptitiously on his brother's phone from his hospital bed, whilst a reluctant Grace was busy outside distracting the nurses. He wanted firstly to thank Dani, and then to ensure that they were pressing ahead with the plans for the day. She had put him on speakerphone so that they could all hear him, and his words made her smile, as it vindicated the position that she had taken. Artie was also relieved, and was quick to assure him that they were going ahead as planned, and that if it was possible, he and the potential future Mrs Abrams would come and see him the following day. Elliott laughed, then hissed as the pain in his ribs struck, making them all wince. Then they all heard Grace's voice being raised in the background, indicating the nurse was coming, so after hastily wishing them good luck, Elliott rang off.


	8. Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part VIII

**Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part VIII.**

With Elliott having called to give them all his blessing, all the misgivings that had been felt about the appropriateness of going ahead with the proposal, given the circumstances, were forgotten. They all now hastened to prepare everything for the big moment, as the time that Artie had told Kitty to meet him at was fast approaching, and she was usually very punctual. A friend of Artie's from film school had arrived to film the whole thing, as for once he would not be around to record a special moment in the lives of the group of friends, which they all agreed was a first. He spoke briefly to Artie to get the low-down on what he wanted, then took a seat, hiding in plain sight. Artie had by then made his way to the restroom to complete his own final preparations. He wanted everything to be perfect; he checked his appearance in the mirror, ensuring that his hair was neatly styled, his tie was straight and his jacket was not creased. Then he checked on the little box that seemed to be burning a hole in his pocket. He hoped with all of his heart that Kitty would say yes to him; he would survive is she did not, but he wanted to live in the joyful state of knowing that he had declared his intentions towards her to the world. Kitty was the one for him - she made him happier than any other girl ever had…

"She would have to be certifiably mad to say no to you," came a voice, and Kurt appeared in the corner of the room. "If she does not fall all the more in love with the dapper, suave Mr Artie Abrams tonight, then she is an idiot. Moreover, I will tell her so if she does let you down!"

"Tell Kitty that she is an idiot - it's a good job your already dead, or she would kill you for that!" replied Artie with a smile.

"I very much doubt I will have to… So, go and get her Artie. Own that song, which is a perfect choice for you, by the way. Go and get the girl!"

As Kitty Wilde hurried down the street, she cursed, and not for the first time that evening, the traffic that seemed able to completely snarl up the streets of Lower Manhattan from time to time, even on a Sunday. She had made her feelings quite clear to the first offender that had been blocking the road out of the bus window, as they passed by after a lengthy delay. The comments that she had made had left her fellow passengers either shocked or grinning in delight. When the second snarl up came along, when she less than two blocks from her ultimate destination, she had managed to remain patient for less than a minute. Then she had stood up, stalked down the length of the bus, and turned to the driver to make her request. There had been no need, as the driver, her ears still burning from the language that she had used the first time, and knowing where the young lady was heading, had already opened the bus door. Kitty wove her way through the stalled cars to the sidewalk, ready to make an appropriate gesture to any unsuspecting motorist that blasted on their horn. She was late for her date, dammit, and today of all days. She did not run though; unlike some of her fellow women, she realised that she did not 'glow' after exertion. She sweated, and she was not about to let her current ensemble get sweat stains, even for Artie. She even paused for a moment outside the store next to the diner to check her reflection in the window, quickly tidying up a few strands of hair. For some reason, she had felt that she should make a special effort tonight.

Then as she stepped into the diner, her heart fell. She was only ten minutes late, but there was no sign of him. Sam was at the counter, with Nick and Jeff, the three of them talking in hushed tones, their faces grim, but of the man she was supposed to be meeting there was no sign. That was odd, as he was like her; usually on time, if not early, for most things. She took in the grim faces again, and began to think that something had happened to him…

That was when she heard the music start. She looked up at the dark stage, wondering who was about to sing the old standard that had a special place in her heart. Then the lights came on, and she froze for a moment in shock. There, up on the stage, was Artie, beckoning at her to step forward as he began to sing _Wonderful, Wonderful_ with his eyes focused right on her. She suddenly felt a hand on her back, gently guiding her forward; turning round, she saw it was Sam, now smiling his widest smile. Turning back, she now saw that Mike and Tina had joined her boyfriend on the stage, and where dancing arm in arm; also, he was being backed up in his vocals by Santana, Brittany and Marley. Kitty walked forward, shaking her head at him as she did so. Totally over the top for a simple meal, even on Valentine's Day. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Nick and Jeff were now striking bottles of water to make the notes of the tune, and she nearly laughed out loud at that; it was ridiculous and so very Niff… Then she was right by the stage, standing right in front of Artie as he came towards the end of the song, his voice filling her heart with pleasure, and bringing smiles from most of the room. And then, just as she felt it could not get any better…

Artie had been watching the expression on her face from the moment that she had walked through the door and the music had begun to play. He knew by now all the various moods and feeling that she displayed through her eyes and her actions, and so he would have known at once if he had got the whole situation wrong and she was deeply unhappy. All he could see, thankfully, was love, most of the time; for the song, for her friends, and most of all, for him. There was a moment when he sang the lyric about 'the treasure that I own' when her faced momentarily darkened, but he had anticipated that, and if he could have altered the lyrics without damaging the rhythm of the song, then he would have done. He did not own her, and even if she did consent to be his wife, she would remain the free spirit that she always had been; after all, that was what had attracted him to her in the first place. Had he seen even a moment of disapproval on her face, then he would not have proceeded with the last, crucial step. But he had not, and now it was time for that most life-changing of moments, that most adult of steps. He was ready to commit - to be honest, the idea of being a player was far too exhausting, and in any case, he had heard rumours about a nasty outbreak of STDs at school amongst his more 'adventurous' classmates. The thought of that sent shivers down his spine; he could not have lived with the shame of being in that position. No, Kitty Wilde was it for him, and now it was the moment. Time to hope for acceptance and pray that he would be strong enough not to burst into tears if she did reject him. He sang the last line with gusto, and as he did so, put his hand into his pocket and grasped the box that lay within. By now, the woman of his dreams was mere feet away. He pulled out that small box, opened it, and held it out towards her…

Kitty's initial reaction when she saw the box in front of her, and the beautiful ring that lay within it, was shock. It had come completely out of the blue; a broadside, yes, but not an unwelcome one. The ring was perfect - and now she realised the implications of it; why Artie was dressed up so smartly, why he had just crooned a beautiful old love song to her with the assistance of some of their mutual friends, and the significance of the date. At least, she hoped that was what it was all adding up to.

Then she heard his voice, just audible above the closing music of the song. "Kitty, will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me? Not today, or anytime soon, but one day, when we are both ready?"

The words were the ones that she had expected. He wanted to show her and the rest of the world how committed he was to them, as a couple, but at the same time, he respected her need to forge a successful career on her own before she settled down. She knew that there was only one answer that she could ever give him, and fortunately it was so easy to express without speech, as her voice was failing her; she knew that if she spoke, it would break with all the emotions that were welling up in side of her at that moment. So she just nodded her head in reply, tears forming in her eyes out of joy. Yes, she wanted nothing more than to be Artie's wife at that moment. She loved him, and she needed his love around her, his unwavering support as she fought her way to the top. She knew that he would always be there for her…

As Artie saw her nod her head in reply, his smile threatened to tear his face in two. Around him, he heard cheers from his friends, and from the random strangers that were present. His friends he knew were celebrating the fact that finally, a straight couple amongst them were getting engaged, and bucking the trend. Kitty was suddenly on the stage with him, and he had the ring in his hand, gently slipping it on to her outstretched finger, letting the world know that they loved each other, and wished to commit to each other on a permanent basis. Then he found himself being pulled into a bro hug by Mike, as Kitty was engulfed by Tina and Brittany; Santana and Marley held back but both were smiling happily. Artie could see that Sam had now made his way back to the counter, as there were customers needing served, but he knew that he would get a hug and a fist bump from his friend later. Nick and Jeff were also giving him a thumbs up, Nick's arm holding Jeff close to him; if his marriage to Kitty was any bit as happy as theirs seemed to be…

"You're a lucky man, Artie. She loves you, and respects you; she has the same drive and ambition. You are going to be quite the power couple," Mike said quietly in his ear.

"I don't know so much, and in any case, I would be just as happy to live quietly in her shadow… Anyway, you and Tina next?" he replied.

"No," said Mike, with such firmness that it left Artie shocked and surprised. "Don't get me wrong, I love Tina, and she is the one, but I am not going to propose to her until I am successful in my career. Tina knows that, and she is happy to wait. She knows that one day, I will, and that is enough for her."

It would be Mike in the end that would have to rescue Kitty from the grasp of the two excitable girls, and then deliver her, via a quick hug from her best friend, Marley, into the quiet booth that Artie had asked be reserved for the two of them. He had asked also for decoration, on a modest scale, and that was what he had been given; a vase of flowers, and some candles, just enough to make the mood a little more romantic. Jeff came to take their order, mainly because he wanted to be the one that passed on his and Nick's best wishes to the newly engaged couple; after all, they were the longest married of the friends, and he wanted to wish them well as they took their first step down the road to the altar. He knew that their journey would probably be longer than his and Nick's had been, but he wanted them to know that if either of them needed any advice, then the two of them were there.

As Jeff headed off with their order, Artie reached over and took Kitty's hand; she grasped his as tightly in return, and spoke. "I had no idea, which is a surprise for me. When I walked in, and you started to sing… You knew how much I secretly love all of those old songs, and that one…"

"I knew that it had to be a favourite. It was on the play list for the reception when Dave and Sebastian got married; and when it was played, I heard you humming along to it with your eyes closed and a smile on your face. I had already started to think about asking you, and your reaction to that tune… I just hope that I did it justice. I want to make one thing clear though, right now; I certainly do not feel that I own you, nor will I ever."

"I never assumed that you did; if anything, it's the other way round…" replied Kitty playfully.

Artie laughed, and Kitty joined in. "I love you so much, and I just want the entire world to know, that's all. I want to make a statement about how I feel. No more distance. There is no-one else for me but you, Kitty. I have my perfection when I am with you."

"I love you too, and tonight was wonderful. Tomorrow I will show off this ring to all those bitches in school that try to put me down. It's you and me, forever. After all, who else could I show off my softer side to?"

"Now that treasure really is all mine," said Artie, leaning across the table to kiss her.

Watching from a discrete distance, Nick and Jeff smiled, both wondering if they had looked as happy and contented on the night when they had become engaged. Close by, Santana held Brittany in her arms, her mind thinking back to the night a year ago when she had been about to propose - and now, in a little over three months, she would be getting married. Love, when you thought about it, really was a beautiful thing.

* * *

Although the video that had been shot by Artie's classmate would not be online for a few more hours, the news had been broken by Sam on text to those that were not there. There were soon a plethora of warm and heartfelt messages of congratulations flooding the couple's phones, not that they were aware of this as they sat and ate their meal. It was a moment of light that even managed to raise a smile of Flint's face as he sat by the side of Beats' bed in the Beth Sinai Hospital. Ethan and Izzy were still at the hospital, but at the moment the news came through, Flint was alone in his vigil, having sent the two of them to get something to eat. Ethan had tried to persuade him to go with Izzy, pointing out that he could sit by Beats' bedside just as well, but Flint had been adamant; he had never left his best friend's side when he was needed up until now, and he wasn't about to start on the day he needed him the most. He did consent to eating something that they brought back to him, though; he would be no use to anyone if he was starving with hunger. Before they went, Ethan had popped out and came back with a liquid that alleged it was coffee from a machine in the waiting room, although Flint was not convinced.

He sat now, his phone back in his pocket, staring at the supine form of his best friend, his fellow Warbler; his Preppy Boy partner in crime… "I wish that you would wake up for me, Beats. I know that you have been through a heck of a lot today, but you're missing out now. Kitty and Artie have just got themselves engaged, and I say good for them! Contrary to popular opinion, it would appear the younger generation are all about long term commitment after all. I mean, Izzy and I aren't ready for that yet, but maybe I should plan to go and get a ring. Yes, I definitely should, because she is the one for me. So you need to hurry up and get better, because I will need your help in finding one, and to plan a proposal…" He stopped, and swiped a rogue tear from his eye, then looked once more at the still unmoving man in the bed, the only sound in the room coming from the machines that he was still hooked up to. "More important than me though, there is Elliott. He needs you to wake up, because as long as you don't, he blames himself for all of this; so does Josh. So please, give me a sign that you can hear me, or just open your eyes, because you being like this is breaking all of our hearts…."

Flint had not expected a response from his best friend; he had hoped beyond all hope that he might get one, but he was answered with the same silence that had pervaded the room since he had arrived. He half expected to hear Wes chastising him, and telling him to patient - that Beats would wake up when he was fit and able, and not before. He waited for Blaine to speak, to say that he could understand his frustration, but that it was not going to alter the facts; or for Kurt to start lecturing him in his own unique way. They too seemed to have abandoned him to the lonely silence, punctuated only by the steady noise of the heart monitor and the ticking coming from his wristwatch. All he could do was continue to hold his friend's uninjured hand to let him know that he was there, and that he had no intention of leaving whatsoever. And then he realised that there was one other thing that he could do, something that he did not do very often these days; he began to silently pray, to work his way through all those that he had learnt off by heart over the years on the Sabbath day in that other Manhattan. As he repeated those sacred words quietly to himself, he let the tears roll unchecked down his cheeks, glad of the release that doing so let him feel…

He was so involved in his recitation that he did not even hear them approach until the door was barged open. Flint quickly finished the prayer that he was on, and swiped at his eyes, before turning to see Josh struggling with the wheelchair that Elliott was sitting in. It was a surprise to see him, given that the nurses had told him earlier that Elliott was going to have to have complete bed rest…

"I know what you are thinking, but I couldn't just keep on lying there without seeing for myself that he was ok. Grace had been forced to leave as she had a meeting with Cooper; she was going to cancel it, but I told her Josh was ok with me, and she should go…"

"Then you took advantage of the unquestioning love that Josh has for you to help you out of your sick bed and bring you over here… You are a bad man, Elliott, getting your brother embroiled in this," said Flint.

"He wanted to help; I told him that I would manage on my own, but he refused to allow me to do so…"

"You nearly fell out of the bed, Ell!" said Josh, "What dad has already done to you today is bad enough, without you adding a fall to it. Then again, I also knew that there was no way that you would be able to settle down properly until I could get you over here…"

By now, Elliott had manoeuvred himself right over to the side of the bed; and now, seeing the man that he loved up close, the tears he had been holding back began to fall rapidly. "Oh, Nate! You look so small, so… This is all my fault, and I don't care what either of the two of you say; this is my fault! He wouldn't be lying here like this if he hadn't fallen for me; if I hadn't invited him to come and spend the day with me. I mean, what if…"

"He's going to be fine, Elliott. The doctors have said as much. He's just getting over the trauma, and then he will be back with us, right as rain."

"How can you be certain until he does wake up? He'll be awake, but what if his brain is damaged. What if he has lost his memory, or some function? How do I live with that knowledge; that it was all my fault, because he would never have been placed in any danger if he wasn't with me…"

"It really isn't your fault…" The voice was tiny and hoarse, but it was still a sound that made Flint's heart leap with joy, and made Elliott stop in mid sentence. "You didn't hit me Ell. I chose to get involved, when I could just have easily retreated to safety and dialled 911. I wanted to help the man I love, and if I had the situation to replay, I would still do it all exactly the same. He was a bully, and I have zero tolerance for them." Beats paused and coughed; Flint instinctively reached for the water jug, and poured a little into a cup, before holding it to his friend's lips. Beats drank, frowning when he saw the tear tracks on Flint's face.

"Ok, so that is true…" Elliott began.

He was cut off by Josh placing a hand over his mouth and in a near hiss, saying "Beats is awake, fully compos mentis, and all you can do is try and argue that his being hurt is your fault! If I was in your place, I would just be overjoyed that he was awake, and that he will heal."

"Hear, hear!" said Flint, his smile wide.

"I am happy. I am… It was all just such a total nightmare. I thought that I might have lost him forever, and that…" Elliott stopped, tears falling as he suddenly felt Beats grab at his hand and squeeze it tight. Through his moist eyes, Elliott could see Beats smile, and that was all the hope that he really needed.

From opposite sides of the bed, Flint and Josh observed the happy couple, and smiled at each other, both grateful and relieved that the situation had resolved itself. They also both knew that they would have to cut short the happy reunion; Elliott would have to be taken back to his bed in the other room, and Flint would have to let the staff know that Beats had regained consciousness and was back with them, so they could conduct all the necessary tests. He wanted that done sooner rather than later. He knew his friend well, and although he would say nothing in front of the other two, he could see that Beats was being economical with the truth. His mind and memory might be ok, but as for his physical health - well on that score he wasn't so certain. There was something just a little off about the way he was behaving, unnoticeable to anyone but his best friend. After all, he was the man that had shared a room with him for nearly 8 years…

"I hate to be the one that has to spoil this moment, but we have to cut this short. There will be a nurse through on her rounds soon enough; worse, Izzy could come back at any moment, and as a trainee doctor, she will have no choice other than to report the fact that Elliott is in here. Plus, we do need to get Beats properly checked over, just in case…"

"Flint is right, Ell," said Josh, "If they catch you in here, they will probably ban me from seeing you, regardless of whose idea it was for you to come in here, and I couldn't bear the thought of not being able to see you. There will be plenty of opportunity for the two of you to catch up later."

"I know you're right, little bro, I just don't want to go. I want to say one more thing first; thank you for all that you did today. I love you Nate, and I promise here and now, in front of witnesses, that my love is all yours, for eternity. I will pay you back for everything, I promise you that." He lifted Beats hand to his lips, and kissed it, unable to reach his mouth.

Beats smiled, and replied, "I love you too, my Starman. Now go, before you get us all into trouble." Elliott nodded, and after checking that the coast was clear, Josh pushed him back to his own room once more.

The moment they were gone, Flint turned towards Beats, his arms folded across his chest. "Ok, now it's just us, tell me the truth. I know you, Nathaniel Harper. What is wrong with you?"

"I knew that I wouldn't be able to fool you, Flint, but thanks for not calling me out in front of them. It's my eyes; I can see you, all of you, but things are a bit fuzzy. I have a pounding headache too, but that is to be expected, I guess, when you get body slammed into a wall."

"It's not the first time you've had bother with your eyes, is it? And yes, a headache is an obvious side effect of being slammed into a wall so hard you cracked the plaster. I have no option but to press the nurse call buzzer. They will no doubt be here very shortly after I do, and they will kick me out into the hall whilst they run all their tests. But I am not going any further, at least, not until your folks arrive. And don't look at me like that, I had to call them. By the way, if anyone asks, I am your cousin." Flint reached over, and pressed the call button. "Oh, before I forget, one little bit of good news. Artie and Kitty are engaged; he proposed tonight at the Spotlight."

"That's nice," said Beats, who then went silent as the nurse walked in, and on seeing that his eyes were open, turned on her heel to go and fetch a doctor.

When Ethan and Izzy returned from the hospital canteen with the promised food and drink for Flint, it was to find him sitting outside Beats' room in the corridor, his head bowed. Ethan froze on the spot, his brain immediately thinking that the worst case scenario had happened, and that once more the happy band of brothers were going to have to deal with the early death of one of their own. It was only momentarily, but nonetheless, it shook him to the core. Then Flint looked up, and he was smiling at them. "He came round. He spoke to me, and he knew who I was, and the first thing he asked was if Elliott was ok. They are just checking him over now; he was complaining about fuzzy vision and a massive headache. I hope that it's nothing too serious…"

"Sounds like a classic case of concussion to me," said Izzy. "It shouldn't be anything to worry about, unless it keeps getting worse. They will want to keep an eye on him for a while, just to be certain. At the worst, if his eyes don't improve - but they probably will guys, trust me - at the worst, he might have to end up getting glasses."

"I hope it doesn't come to that," said Flint. "If Beats ends up having to wear glasses all the time to see properly, Elliott will feel so guilty about it, and that kind of guilt can put a strain on a relationship."


	9. Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part IX

**Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part IX.**

As the three Princeton students waited in the hospital corridor for news on the fourth, Grace Duval was sitting alongside Cooper in a restaurant close to Times Square. It was not one of the many in that area designed to appeal to tourists, nor was it Sardi's, as the man that had requested this meeting had wanted their discussions to remain private for now, and in the latter, someone was always listening for the latest showbiz news to be broken, even when they were not supposed to be. Instead they were sat in Aureole, one of the best restaurants in town, the only problem being that Grace felt a bit out of sorts. After leaving the hospital, she had barely had time on getting home for a quick shower before she had to dress and leave, so she felt that her make up could have been applied better, and that her hair could have been tidier. Cooper had been sympathetic, but had promptly pointed out that he was not looking at his best either after another show. He pointed out that they did have the whole of the following day to recuperate from their stressful Sundays, and that in any case, as far as he was concerned, she was the most beautiful woman in the room at the moment. She blushed and swatted at him with her hand, enjoying the compliment nonetheless. She returned it by telling him that it was only because she was with one of the most eligible men in the city that she was worried that she had not made enough effort.

Cooper laughed, then asked her to tell him in detail everything that had gone down since he had left her that morning. He shook his head with sadness at the news. "I used to think that everything my father did was bad, but now I am starting to think that Blaine was lucky that he was just cold, arrogant and homophobic. He and Rory seem to have been let off pretty lightly…"

"I still fight the urge to kill my dad for hitting Nick the way he did; ache for all that poor Jeff suffered at the hands of those Clarington men, but this - this is horrific. I dread to think how this might have ended up if Beats had not been around - or if Josh had still been living there…." Cooper nodded; he had grown quite fond of Elliott's little brother in the few weeks that he had been staying with them, and he was so glad now that he did.

The two of them were still deep in thought when the man they were waiting for walked up to the table, having been pointed in their direction by the head waiter. It wasn't until he was right there that they noticed him, having been so engrossed in their own thoughts. "I am so sorry that I have kept you both waiting like this, tonight of all nights, but I was delayed at a previous meeting. It was so good of the two of you to alter your plans to meet me, especially you, Ms Duval. I am grateful to you, and may I say, you are looking radiant this evening."

Grace smiled, and replied, "It isn't a big issue, honestly. Though, if I am being truthful, you nearly didn't have me; the brother of one of our young lodgers was attacked, and I ended up spending most of my afternoon at the hospital with them. He insisted that I come, and I agreed, mainly because my curiosity got the better of me, Mr…?"

"Of course, I do apologise. This has all been quite cloak and dagger," he replied, and handed Grace one of his cards.

She showed it to Cooper, who immediately recognised the name, and he smiled. "It is a great honour to meet you sir. Your work over the years has been exemplary. The big question in my mind now is why you wanted to see me?"

"Well, Mr Hummel-Warbler…" he began.

"Please, call me Cooper, it's easier."

"True, although I have done enough research to know the origins of your unusual surname, and I have to say that I approve of the motivation behind it. I'll cut to the chase. Cooper, you know as well as I do that the world that we inhabit in the theatre can be fickle. One day you are at the top, and the next… I know that you have a great deal of love and affection for your role in _Kinky Boots_ , and for the cast and crew of that show, but in time, you will have to move on to a new role. You were brought to my attention by a number of people - your current director for one, and by a dear old friend of mine, Carmen Tibideaux. At their insistence, I came to see you perform, and did so several times. Each time, your sheer energy was infectious, and you took the part and made me believe in you. I still wasn't completely certain though…" He paused, and Cooper and Grace looked across at each other, both wondering where this was all going. "And then, at the end of last month, fate brought me to a crowded diner downtown, and I saw you get up on stage, then heard you sing a Bowie track, and I knew. I knew that you were perfect for the part…"

He left them to eat their dinner in peace, as he had promised, although both of them had begged him to say after what he had said to them. He declined, as he did not wish to spoil such an attractive young couple's Valentine's evening completely by sitting there as a third wheel. The moment he had left, Cooper had turned to his fiancée and grinned like a loon. "Oh, my Gracie! Did that really just happen? Did he really just ask me to be the lead in…"

"He did, my lovely CJ, and in my biased opinion, I think that you were made to play that role. You will excel in that part. I know that you told him that you needed time to think, but I really believe that your answer has to be a definite yes…"

"I'm touched that you have so much faith in my abilities, but this role is different. With Charlie Price, I was stepping into a role that was already established on Broadway. I could watch my predecessor in action, and see how it all fitted together. I knew what I had to do to make the part my own when I pulled on those boots. It was so easy, where as this, it is totally different. Sure, the show has been done before, and there is footage I can watch, people I can talk to - but it is not the same thing. I mean potentially the only person in the cast at the moment would be me and that is something in itself. I'm actually scared to death of the prospect of this role, because if it all goes wrong, and the whole thing flops, it will all be down to me."

"Admittedly, that is true, but given what I know of the story, I think that the idea of it being a flop is unrealistic. They would not even be asking you to take on this part, to be the lead here on Broadway, if they did not think you could do it, and do it well. This is your opportunity to show the world that you are more than a replacement; you can work with the crew in developing the show, and I daresay you will be able to request changes that benefit you. You will have more chance for input."

"I guess…"

"The costume will be easier for you too - no more high heels, saving your aching legs. And of course, as you will be originating the role, you will of course put yourself in the running for a Tony. I can hear Kurt and Blaine's reaction to that one right now…"

"Screams of jealousy and pride from both of them. It's just - if the songs that I am thinking of are in it, and I'm certain they will be… I used to sing one to Blaine when he was upset by something dad had done, when he was my little squirt brother of seven, and I had not yet changed into the unsympathetic teenage brother I would become. Even thinking about that one song now makes me sad, so how the heck do I sing it in front of an audience eight times a week? I know that I should be able to disconnect the two, but it might not be so simple…"

"You have time to think about this, CJ. Take it, speak to Blaine. After all, whilst your potential future director did swear us to secrecy about all of this, I am guessing that only really applies to the living." As Cooper nodded, their food arrived, and conversation ceased as they ate. What little chat there was, was of a more romantic nature, as they enjoyed the pleasures of dinner together on Valentine's night.

* * *

Back at the hospital, the three people waiting in the corridor had less cause to be enjoying the day. Flint and Izzy had been due to go out for a meal, but all of that was academic now. Izzy knew that until Flint found out exactly what was wrong with his best friend, he would not leave, and they could go out for a meal on any other night. She had grown quite fond of Beats herself in any case. As for Ethan, he had secretly planned to head to a speed dating night, trying to find that all too elusive connection. His heart had not really been in it, so he was really quite glad of an excuse to avoid sitting and talking to an endless parade of hopefuls. He had sent a message earlier to Drew in Oxford, to let him know that Beats was hurt; he had received no response, despite the fact that he had sent it at what was a perfectly respectable time in England. This was becoming all too common, he thought sadly. Drew was taking far longer to respond to him than he had even a few months ago, and it wasn't uncommon for his messages to receive no answer at all. This was the problem that existed when there were miles of ocean between friends.

"Hey guys, I take it that he is in there?" came the voice, and they all looked up to see Ollie Harwood approaching them down the hall, with Michelle at his side, both of them dressed up for their dinner date. Flint nodded, and after a few moments of looking through the window in the door, Ollie managed to attract someone's attention, and he walked in, closing the door behind him.

Michelle came to sit by Flint, and took his hand. "I would ask how Elliott is coping, but you are my first concern. Wes always used to tell me that there were three close couples in the Warblers; Klaine, Niff and Fleats. He said that whilst the first two were romantic, you two were like brothers, joined at the hip all the time. So I am guessing that whilst Elliott is devastated, you are just plain horrified."

"I am better now than I was, but yeah, when I heard he was hurt, it really shook me up…"

The door opened, and the doctor that had been checking Beats out stepped out with Ollie at his side; the two of them shook hands, and then the former walked away to his next patient. "Ok, so I volunteered to speak to you all, given that strictly it is only immediate family that can be told by the consulting physician. His mind is ok; no sign of any damage to the brain, or any loss of function. He has severe bruising in various parts of his body, but given all that he was subjected to by that man, it is hardly surprising that is the case. The biggest worry that we have at the moment is the severity of the concussion that he is suffering from, and the affect that it is having on his eyes; they will be running some more tests on them if the issue does not resolve itself in the next couple of days. All in all though, he has been really, really lucky."

Before anyone could ask what kind of tests he would need to undergo, the doors at the end of the corridor slammed open to allow in a middle aged couple in a hurry. One of them was carrying a small suitcase with them. Flint knew at once who they were; he had spent several weekends at their house when he was at Dalton. They saw him, and Mrs Harper promptly left her husband and the suitcase behind. "Where is he Flint? How is he? Has he woken up? Is he badly hurt? And what about poor Elliott?"

"He's awake now, ma'am," replied Flint. "Everything seems to be ok, but the doctors would be able to tell you more than I can. In fact, Dr Harwood here can fill you in."

"Harwood?" said Mr Harper, who had come up to stand by his wife. "That name rings a bell…"

"He's the older brother of Thad, one of our fellow Warblers. He is one of the residents here, so Beats is in good hands."

"And how is Elliott?" Mrs Harper asked again.

"Battered, bruised, and guilt-stricken. He thinks that all of this is his fault, naturally; that if Beats hadn't been there…"

"Right," said Mrs Harper. "I need to see young Mr Gilbert right now, and get that stupid notion out of his head right away. Maybe you could show me the way Flint, and it is Ethan, isn't it. My mind might be getting older, but I am still able to put a name to a face, given time."

Ethan laughed, and nodded. Flint smiled, and spoke again. "At this point I should introduce you to my girlfriend Izzy, and Ollie's girlfriend - well, we all think that she is by now - Michelle. She also happens to be the cousin of our late Wes Montgomery."

"Pleased to meet you both," said Mr Harper. "Dalton it appears created a very small close knit world."

"You could say that sir," said Ethan. "After all, Izzy's sister is married to Trent's husband's brother…"

Mr and Mrs Harper looked at each other, and laughed. All they could see at that moment was that their difficult decision to send their son to the safety of Dalton had paid off; he had a close circle of friends that would be around to support him for the rest of his life.

In his room, back in the relative comfort of his bed, Elliott had heard the laughter in the corridor, and initially it made him frown. How could anyone be so happy when his boyfriend was lying ill and injured so close by? Then he checked himself, as he realised that it was wrong of him to think that way. Beats was going to be ok, after all. He turned to look at Josh, the rims of his eyes still red, although they were much less puffy than they had been. His dad might not have laid a finger on his younger brother, thanks to his decision to move him out to safety, but the events of the day had still taken an awful toll on him - and had destroyed what should have been a happy day for him. "So, how was your night with Scott? Did you both enjoy yourself?

"Last night was great, Ell. We had a nice dinner, and we just talked, held hands and kissed. We watched a movie, then just snuggled together for a while. Today was good too, until…"

Elliott heard the sniff, and reached out to take his brother's hand, ignoring the pain. "It is over now, all of it. There is no way that anyone would force you to go home now. Yeah, dad knocked me about a bit, he hurt Beats, but the thing that I am so grateful about is that he did not manage to lay a finger on you. I know that you thought I was being paranoid when I moved you out to live with Cooper and Grace, but it was the right move. If I hadn't, then you and Scott might have been there when he arrived, and that does not even bear thinking about."

"But you got hurt instead, and that is not right…"

"It's what big brothers do; we protect our younger siblings until the end. It was just a shame that Nate was there, and got so badly hurt, because that is the one thing about all of this that is killing me; he is the innocent in all of this, and if I hadn't invited him to visit me…"

"Then you, young man, might not be here." Elliott looked up and saw Mrs Harper in the doorway. He opened his mouth to apologise; to beg for her forgiveness for the fact that he had got her son hurt, but she shushed him at once. "You are in no way to blame for any of this, Elliott. My son would protect you, just as you protected your brother, because it is a natural instinct. There was nothing that you could have done that would have prevented him from doing what he did. I am proud of him for getting involved, for not just taking the easy road and walking away when it got tough. Then again, that is what people that are in love do…"

"I am still so sorry that it happened though," sniffed Elliott, as his tears began to roll again.

Mrs Harper stepped over, carefully took his free hand, and produced a paper tissue. "Now, we will have none of that! You've probably cried enough of those to last you a lifetime already today. I am glad that you are ok, and that is an end to the subject. Now, maybe you could introduce me properly to this young man…" Elliott smiled at her, and introduced Josh. Now that Mrs Harper was here, and that she had forgiven him, he felt so much happier…

It would be the early hours of Monday morning before the trio from Princeton was able to return home. Flint had taken much persuasion that he could now leave the bedside of his best friend, and in the end, Mrs Harper had more or less thrown him out, albeit with a hug and gratitude that he had been there for her boy when he needed a friend. Izzy dropped off the two boys and then headed back to her own place; she would return the car in the morning. Once inside, Ethan steered Flint into the lounge, and onto the sofa, where he promptly burst into tears, this time of relief, not sadness. Ethan sat next to him and held him until they died down again, then announced that he was going to make them both a hot chocolate; a milky drink to help them sleep. Flint checked his watch, then realised that he had not done something that he had promised, so quickly sent a text to Thad, asking if he was still awake. At once he had a response, asking him to Skype.

By the time that Ethan walked back in with the drinks, Flint was sitting in front of his laptop, and Thad was just coming online. "So, how are they?" said Thad, his brows furrowed. "You did say that you would let us all know what the doctors said, and that was hours ago."

"Darn. I did, didn't I?" said Flint. "I guess that I had to process the news myself first, and then Beats' parents arrived, and we all got kind of tangled up… I'm sorry I left it so late, but ironically, your brother could have told you."

"Ollie was there? I thought that it was his day off. I mean, I admit that I asked him to see if he could find out what was going on, but I never imagined…"

"That he would actually head into the hospital? Don't worry, he came with Michelle for company, after their date, and I am certain that she was as anxious to find out what was going on with Elliott as we were with Beats. Anyway, back to him. He is ok, more or less. No major broken bones, no mental problems. The only thing that concerns any of them at the moment is his eyes. His vision is all fuzzy, which can just be an after effect of concussion, but they are waiting to run tests on him, just to be sure."

Thad nodded, his fingers crossed out of sight of the camera, hoping that it was just a temporary blip, knowing full well that if it wasn't, some people would blame themselves. "Right, ok. So, I will compose a group text to let everyone know what you have just told me, and they can all read it when they wake up in the morning. As for you, you are both to drink your hot chocolate, then go to bed and sleep. You've both had a stressful day, and it isn't going to get any easier over the next few. Look, we both know you Flint, me and Ethan. You and Beats are so close that all this must be anathema to you. He would not want you to worry too much. He's strong, and regardless of what happens in the future, he will cope and be fine. So drink up, then bed. That is an official Warbler order, and I deputise Ethan to enforce it! You will have a lot to do tomorrow after all; someone will need to let the college authorities know what has happened to him, not to mention your place of work."

Flint nodded, as his mind digested the reality of the situation. Beats' tutors would have to be informed, and they might not be too impressed with his timing. In addition, it seemed likely he would be flying solo at the club on Friday this week. After all, Beats needed time to rest and recuperate, and he would be doing everything in his power to ensure that happened.

By the time that Flint ended his call, none of his friends on the East coast were still awake. The day had been long, but in the end, all any of them could do was head to bed, still anxious for news of their friend. Josh had been taken home from the hospital; Grace and Cooper had arrived straight from the restaurant to take him away, much as he wished to stay at Elliott's side all night. In the end, they had been joined in the cab by the Harper's - Cooper had offered them the use of the guest room at his place for the night, and indeed, for as long as they needed it.

The only people still awake in fact, were Julian and Isabelle. After their date at Rao's, they had both agreed that it would be nice to carry on the evening of celebration, and so they had headed downtown. They arrived at a nice little club, the doors of which opened at once when Isabelle gave her name. Julian saw a few famous faces that he recognised as they were escorted to a table by an attentive waiter, but in reality, the only person in the room that he had eyes for that evening was the beautiful woman right in front of him; a woman that he now knew for certain was a big part of his future. They had chatted and danced and had forgotten everything else; Isabelle forgot that she had work in the morning; and Julian forgot the time of his last train home. The feeling of love was mutual, and Cupid's arrows had well and truly found their target. Nothing and no-one was going to stand between them now.

In a police cell, not a hundred miles away from that intimate club, Mr Gilbert lay awake, angry at the world in general. He cursed the fact that the other fag had been present, and that someone had managed to alert the cops, despite his careful planning. He was not in the wrong here; those deviants were. It was just another symptom of the malaise that had penetrated and destroyed, in his opinion, the once great nation he was so proud to live in. They were going to get what was coming to them in the end though. He had seen the future, and those liberal thinkers like his son were not going to like it one little bit…


	10. April Fool's Day 2016: Part I

_I'm early! Due to other commitments tomorrow, there was no guarantee that I would be able to post as usual on Sunday, so I thought it was better to be early than late or never. In addition, I will be on holiday a week on Sunday, and so I am going to possibly make an additional post on Thursday next week, and Tuesday the week after. Anway, thanks as always for reading..._

 **April Fool's Day 2016: Part I**

The first day of April was traditionally a day for pranks; for jokes; for tomfoolery. It had been dreaded by the faculty of McKinley High and Dalton Academy in equal measure, and when it fell on a weekend, there was almost a collective sigh of relief that the whole thing might be mitigated slightly. Of all the young men that had walked the corridors of Dalton in recent years, it had been Nick and Jeff that had gained the title of arch-pranksters. In their sophomore year, they had caused chaos in a morning Warbler meeting by rigging the council table to collapse the moment that Wes used Mr Bangy to call the room to order, right onto the knees of the three councilmen. The fact that they had also liberally coated the underside of the table with strong glue, which then meant that the table bonded to their trousers had the vast majority of those gathered in the room howling with laughter. That was until Blaine had decided to get up and go and help them, and had taken the cushion of the couch he had been sitting on with him… Of course, the glue had ended up getting everywhere, and in the end, it was the two pranksters that had the most to regret. Whereas the rest of the room had been able to escape by slipping off their trousers or blazers, there was less they could do about the fact that, as they had not been wearing gloves, their hands were now stuck fast in their pockets…

In Junior year, they had managed to literally 'brick up' the door to Sebastian's dorm room during the night, and had done it so effectively that the other Warbler had been forced to shin down a drainpipe to get out of his room. The builders had to be called in to demolish the wall. The following year at Dalton had been quiet, for obvious reasons; and since leaving, other than gelatine in the sugar and an over sprung toaster, they had been well behaved. Which was why this year, the two had decided that it was about time they made up for it, and regained their title of 'Princes' of Pranks'. After much thought, they had decided to shake the foundations of the world around them by starting a rumour. They would let two people witness something first hand, and then watch as the gossip spread far and wide for a couple of hours before they set everyone straight. It was cruel; it was evil; but it should also be fun…

That Friday morning though did not see the young married couple be the first of their friends awake. That honour fell to Beats, who had other things on his mind. The last few weeks after all had been some of the hardest of his life so far. His stay in hospital after the unexpected visit from Mr Gilbert had not been long at all; he had been discharged the following day, into the supervision of his mother. His father had to return to Zanesville for work, but there was no such need for his mom. Flint had given up his room in the Princeton house temporarily, moving out to sleep on a camp bed in Ethan's room to give her somewhere to sleep, as she became a temporary live-in mom to the three young men. She had stayed for less than a week in the end, as Beats had recovered quickly, and was back in his classes by Wednesday, leaving his mother to disinfect the entire apartment. He had sat out his usual Friday night gig at the bar, but he had been back up on stage with his fellow Preppy Boy on the Saturday.

Outwardly, he was fine, and that was the impression that he had left with them all. He had not mentioned the fact that his vision remained blurry to his mom, his roommate, or the still guilt ridden Elliott. The latter was having a much slower recovery, and Beats did not want to increase the burden upon him. He knew that he should tell someone, but he did not want to have to deal with his friends fussing around him. In the end, he had been sitting alone one night, straining his eyes to try and read a text for school, when he had heard Wes' voice, and he knew then that the game of silence was up. Wes had made him a deal; he would read the relevant sections of the text out to him, as long as he went back to the doctors and told them the truth. His biggest concern once he had agreed was that the doctor in question would turn out to be Ollie Harwood, but as Wes had reminded him, he was very conscientious, and would respect his right to complete confidentiality.

Now he lay awake, the bedside clock telling him it was just after 4am. He had made several clandestine trips up to the city in the last few weeks, undergoing test after test as the doctors tried to identify what was wrong. He would get the final verdict at an early morning appointment today. The doctors had given him no clue as they had done their work, all telling him that they would have to analyse the data first, and then confer with their colleagues. In despair, he had stupidly turned to that mainstay of the medical profession, Dr Google, and had now decided that he was likely to go blind in the next few weeks, when his eyeballs exploded. That diagnosis had left him so terrified that Wes had turned up and given him a good talking to, before trying to calm his frayed and shattered nerves. He had also made him a deal; if he refused to confide in any of his friends, as he had urged, then Wes himself would accompany Beats to the hospital for the results. Beats knew that there was nothing that he could do to stop Wes coming along in any case, and so had agreed. As the rest of the world began to wake up, and think of jokes, Beats would instead be saying a string of silent prayers, hoping that everything was ok, and that whatever problem he had could be easily fixed.

It was the loud report of a door being slammed shut nearby that woke Mike Chang up from his sleep that morning. The noise reverberated through the entire loft, disturbing him from his slumbers. He groaned, and was about to try and shut his eyes again when he felt something land heavily on his stomach. He opened his eyes fully, and was greeted with a miaow from Caleb, a sound that seemed this time to echo with distress and pain. Mike sat up carefully so as not to disturb the cat, but as he did so, something crashed to the floor, causing him to sit almost bolt upright. Then, indistinctly, he heard the sound of raised voices. "What on earth is going on, Caleb?" Mike asked the unanswering cat as he gathered him up into his arms, then climbed carefully out of bed. He made his way into the hallway, and by the time that he was at the threshold of the living area, it was abundantly clear that his roommates were not having their usual happy morning - not by any means…

"Do you know, there are times when I wonder what on earth possessed me to marry you, Nick! You are so inconsiderate, so ignorant, so downright unkind to me!"

"Me, unkind and ignorant!? Just because I refuse to agree to some trivial, nonsensical whim of yours, you go stomping off in a childish temper tantrum, slamming doors and breaking things! I have to spend every minute of every day doing things your way, and the one time I stand up to you, and say no, you start to question the wisdom of our entire relationship? Well, let me tell you, at this precise moment, maybe you aren't the only one that is questioning why we got married, trust me on that!"

"That is such an unfair thing to say! I bend over backwards trying to keep you happy! I put up with so much rubbish from you as well, Nicholas!"

"Such as…?"

"Well, I never know when your asshole of a father might turn up and start abusing me again for starters!"

"Well, at least my father has never tried to kill you, which is more than I can say about yours! And trust me, Grace would never try and blackmail you into taking illegal drugs!"

Mike winced, and was about to step forward, to try and defuse the situation, when he jumped as he heard a glass shatter against the kitchen wall. "Well excuse me if my natural family isn't as perfect as yours, Nick! Do you think that I asked to have two psychopaths as relatives? How could you even… I hate you so very much right now!"

"Trust me when I tell you that that feeling is one that is definitely mutual right now, Jeffery!"

The sound of a resounding slap echoed through the loft, before Jeff hissed in a voice dripping with acid "Don't you ever… In fact, let's just get this over with once and for all. I don't want to be with you anymore! I can't do this; I can't be with someone so cruel and twisted; someone who would stoop so low! I suggest that you phone your precious perfect sister right now, because firstly, you will need somewhere else to sleep tonight, because you won't be coming within 100 yards of me; and secondly, because you will need a divorce lawyer and she might be able to recommend one!"

"Well, thank God you finally said it! It's a relief! I've wanted out of this charade for a while, and now I can blame you! I'll be gone before you come home tonight."

"Good!"

Fearing that at nay moment one of them would come charging out of the kitchen, Mike beat a hasty retreat to his bedroom with Caleb. He slumped down onto his bed and sat there, dazed, absent-mindedly stroking Caleb. He had to still be asleep. What he had just heard had to be a nightmare. Niff splitting up was just beyond the realms of possibility…

Had he lingered a little longer in the living room, he might have heard Nick's composure break, and him begin to giggle. The door slam had been deliberate, calculated to wake Mike up. Had Mike been thinking, he might have wondered how Caleb had got into his room, given that he had shut the door fast the night before, and he might have realised that one of the two young men had held the door open as the other shoved Caleb in. Nick and Jeff had known that Mike would come to see what was going on, and only once they had seen his shadow on the floor had they begun their well rehearsed argument. A taped slapping noise and a cheap glass broken had been the final part of their scheme.

"Stop it, Nicky!" Jeff whispered. "If he comes back…"

"Then the game stops early. He won't though; I know Mike by now, he will be trying to work out what the heck has happened, and wondering if there is anything that he can do to pour oil on troubled waters. Find someway of helping us to sort our differences."

"You know, we could just have told him what we were planning, and got him to play along…"

"It's better this way, as we agreed. He will have a more believable reaction, and I'm sure he will forgive us, eventually…"

"I hope that is sooner rather than later, my love. Well, it is started now, so time for part two. It is time for me to storm out to school." Jeff paused to kiss Nick, who smiled. "I will send the text we agreed on to Brittany in an hour, ok."

"That's fine by me. Meanwhile I will go and grab that suitcase, then linger so that Sam catches me coming out of the door with it in floods of tears."

"Do you know, I think that this is our most elaborate prank yet - and at least this time, no glue is involved."

"It is - a great idea forged by two minds perfectly in sync," replied Nick. Jeff nodded, and went to crash about the loft for a while before he headed out to school.

In his room, Mike sat in silence, not listening, as tears streamed down his face. This was just so awful; he had failed them, and he had failed Wes. He should have seen the signs, done something to help them stay together… As his grief threatened to overwhelm him, he reached for his phone, and dialled the one person he needed to hear. If the whole world was going to fall apart, he needed someone to cling to, who would listen and help him survive. He needed Tina…

The young lady in question had been about to head out to an early morning class when her phone rang. She cursed at first, but then when she saw who it was, she could not help but smile. She had been thinking about him that morning, and he always seemed to have an uncanny knack of knowing exactly when to call. She picked up, said hi, and before he even had a moment to speak, she launched into a long spiel of all of her latest news. It was only when he did not reply that she realised that something had to be badly wrong. She had been walking along the street on her way to class, but now her footsteps slowed to a halt. She listened in silence as Mike finally spoke, and told her what was going on in New York.

"Are you sure? That is exactly what they said? That it was all over, and they could not even stand to look at each other anymore? Oh my… Mike, this is awful. We need to stop this! We need to sit them down and make them realise that they are meant to be together. I mean, if Niff can disintegrate, then what hope is there for anyone else! Mike, you need to grab them, bang their stupid heads together, then lock them in the hall closet until they see sense!"

"Tina, I can't do that, much as I would like to. It would be totally out of line…" Mike paused as a bang echoed through the loft. "Did you hear that? That was the front door being slammed shut, so that means that there is only one of them here now. I guess me and Caleb could go and talk to which ever of the two of them is still here, try to see if there is anything that could be done to prevent them splitting up altogether… I would ask Kurt, Blaine, or Wes to intervene in the situation, but they aren't allowed to interfere in these situations."

"Right, that's a plan. Go and find out who is still there, and talk to them! Make them see sense! Niff can't be allowed to die. It just can't!"

"I'll try my best, but I don't think that I am the right person for this job, but then again, who else is there right now? Ok, wish me luck! I hope that your day turns out better than mine, my love."

Mike rang off, leaving Tina in stunned silence on the sidewalk. She shook her head, then looked up - and saw, to her horror, that Jeff's cousin Flora had seen her, and was now approaching. 'Say nothing!' screamed the voice of reason in her head. 'It isn't your place, Tina Cohen-Chang!' Tina agreed, as she realised that the inner voice sounded a heck of a lot like an annoyed Kurt Hummel.

Naturally, the moment that Flora said hello, Tina felt obligated to tell her absolutely everything she had just heard from Mike…

When Jeff had walked out, closing the door with such a crash that Nick jumped, the latter took a deep breath, and pulled out the chopped onion that he had brought with him into the bedroom from the kitchen. Sure enough, his eyes began to tear up as they always did; a quick glance at the mirror showed him that the look he had been hoping for had been achieved. It was all just a matter of timing now. From careful observation, he knew that Sam left for his Friday classes at the same time each and every week… His case was already 'packed' and his whole appearance was grief-stricken and dishevelled. He left more quietly than Jeff, virtually tiptoeing out, knowing that Mike would try and talk to him, and after his lapse in the kitchen, he did not think he could maintain the charade under close scrutiny. Once out of the door, he paused, and smiled inwardly as more or less on cue, he heard the sound of Sam's footsteps as he made his way down the hall towards the door in the loft across the landing. As the door opened, Nick was kneeling down, pushing the spare door key underneath his own front door; he sniffed loudly as he got back up, and picking up his case, started to walk away sadly, purposefully ignoring Sam. He had heard him call out his usual cheery "Hey Nick!" but he did not respond, just hunched his shoulders and sniffed loudly once more. He would take his suitcase to college and place it in the cloakroom there until his first class was over - and then he would take it to the library, and return all the books he had placed inside it…

When Nick failed to reply to his usual greeting, something that he had never failed to do before, Sam paused on the landing, pondering what was going on there. They had all heard the door being slammed with force earlier in the other loft, and they had all been surprised, as that was totally unlike either of the two husbands or their roommate. His curiosity got the better of him, and he dismissed his original thoughts of chasing after Nick, and decided instead to ask Mike if he knew what was going on. He knocked on the other door, and it was opened in seconds by a white faced Mike. He was carrying Caleb in one hand, and was staring at the key lying on the floor as if his heart was broken by it. "Mike, is everything ok? Nick seemed a bit off this morning as he left, and you look so pale - you're not coming down with a virus or something?"

"Niff are getting a divorce. They had a huge fight, and Jeff stormed out… I was going to try and talk to Nick, but as I psyched myself up, he must have snuck out…"

"He was carrying a suitcase," said Sam, his voice reflecting the devastation that Mike's first few words had caused. "I can't believe it, but that kind of proves that it is true. They really are on the rocks…."

"This is Nick's door key, Sam. He can't be planning on coming back…" Mike had tried to stop his tears, but now he started to sob. He felt at a complete loss, as if there was an aching hole in his soul.

Sam steered him back into the loft, and made the decision there and then to skip his first class that morning. Santana had already left; he would send her a message and ask her to explain why he wasn't in school. That of course meant telling her everything. She would find out soon enough in any case; everyone would. After all, this had implications for one thing that linked them all - the Spotlight. Nick and Jeff had a joint share; if they did divorce, then what would happen with that? If they couldn't stand being together any longer, then there was no way they could both be partners, and that would affect all of them.

Unaware of what was going on back in Bushwick, the day was proceeding as normal for Nick and Jeff. The latter had made it on time to his first class, and was busily drawing today's subject without a care in the world. So engrossed was he in his task that he forgot that he had been supposed to send a text to Brittany, in which he would tell her that he and Nick had made up after their fight, and everything was ok. He knew that Sam and Mike would have told someone, and they had both assumed it would be the one other person around in the loft. It had not occurred to either of them that Mike would turn to Tina, nor that Sam would ignore the young lady in the loft and turn to Santana. If he had sent the text, though, Brittany would doubtless have asked about the fight, and the good news would have been put into circulation. As it was, she would not find out until it was much too late…

Within half an hour of Sam speaking to Santana, the news had begun to spread, not so much like ripples in a pond, but like a full grown tsunami. When Sam had confided the news to Santana on the phone, she had been in the company of Mason and Marley. Sebastian was busy with his practical tests with Madam Tibideaux, so was not present, which was unfortunate, as he could easily have stopped what happened next. As Sam spoke to Santana, her face fell enough the other two immediately picked up on the fact that something was wrong, and she felt she had no option but to confide in them, leaving them both as devastated as she herself felt. After all, Nick and Jeff were the last people in the world that they would ever have expected to break up. Only last week, they had been their usual, happy selves after all…. Of course, Mason shared his news with Roderick and Jane. Marley had no intentions of passing the information on, but then Kitty called her, and before she knew what she was doing, she was telling Kitty every devastating thing that she had been told. She was every bit as shocked as the others, and hanging up on Marley, she called Artie to tell him. He just happened to be at the diner that morning, talking with Michelle about the filming of his Dave and Sebastian themed film. His mouth had dropped open with surprise; Michelle had asked why, and so he told her straight, also realising the implications for the diner. Of course, Dani heard every word too. So it was that by the time that Santana called Brittany to break the news as gently as possible, she had already heard over the grapevine, and was distraught.

The news from Artie had left Dani and Michelle devastated, both of them wondering exactly what had gone wrong so quickly and so disastrously between the two young men they were both heartily fond of. Artie did not join in their discussion; he wheeled himself to a quiet corner and shed a few tears; like Mike, he felt real pain at the prospect of Niff being over. In the end, he called Kitty back, and asked her to join him for lunch at the diner, along with a spot of brainstorming. He refused to believe that the marriage in question could not be saved. He couldn't help but think that their might be something that could be done to keep the two of them together; there had to be, as the prospect of having to potentially pick a side horrified him.

Sam had made the mistake of telling Rachel; after she had blurted it out to Brittany and left her in tears, she had tried to pass the news on to Cooper, but he wasn't answering his phone. She came to the conclusion that he had to know in any case, as after all, Nick's sister was his fiancée. Instead, without bothering to check on the time she made a call that woke Mercedes up in L.A.

After barely a moment of polite chat, Rachel told her all that she knew about the situation from Sam, albeit with a small number of embellishments of her own for good measure. After all, the only reason that she could think of for the sudden and total collapse of one of the most stable relationships that she knew was cheating; one of them had to have been cheating. Half awake in L.A., Mercedes had her doubts about that, but the news, if true, was devastating. Worse, she knew that the moment Rachel rang off, she would be obliged to pass the news onto David and Thad - and the tale she had to tell was going to hit those two every bit as hard as the loss of Kurt, Blaine and Wes. Niff was the stability, the happiness that had emerged from the rubble of the hard times at Dalton, and had shone out like a beacon of hope; if its light had now been extinguished…

Dani meanwhile had concluded that she had to let Elliott know, and had left him shocked to the core. He in his turn had sent a message to Beats, asking him if he knew anything about it all; the disjointed reply that he got back on his phone a few minutes later told him that his boyfriend had not. As for Beats, his mind was elsewhere, and he could not handle one more bit of stress that day; he did not call Flint, just forwarded Elliott's message to him, in the hope that he could try and work out why the two sunny boys of the Warblers had just split apart….

Rachel had gone on to call Burt after she had hung up on Mercedes; he would want to know, she had told herself, because he took a keen interest in the welfare and happiness of all the friends that Kurt had known. On top of that, he had once said that he loved those boys like they were his sons. His initial reaction to Rachel's news was disbelief, but the problem was that the damage had already been done. He had out of habit put her call on speaker phone in his office, and she had blurted it out just as the door had opened, and Trent and Rory had walked in. Rory had promptly burst into floods of tears, whilst Trent had frozen in shock, but then in the back of his mind, something told him that it could not be right. Something was off. If they had been in trouble, they would have confided in him - Jeff in any case, and he had heard absolutely nothing… Then he saw the calendar on Burt's desk, and the light dawned upon him. He took Rory into his arms as Rachel ranted on, and pretended to be as upset, just to get her off the phone. Then he would point out his suspicions. His only hope was that if he was correct, that the reactions of everyone else would be as understanding as his own; he couldn't help but think that this prank, if it was one, had got way out of control…

In Princeton, the only conclusion that was drawn by the two former Warbler's there was the bad one. Having come to terms with it themselves, Flint proceeded to tell Mitch in Boston, just to tell someone, whilst Ethan had called Drew, letting his phone ring until he answered. Neither of the two of them wanted to be the one that had to tell Thad after all…

As it was, Thad would end up hearing the news from two people simultaneously. As Mercedes was breaking the news on the phone, he received a text from Ollie - he had found out when Michelle had told him, and suggested he should maybe break it to his brother… Thus, in less than two hours from the moment that Nick walked away from the loft with a suitcase, the news of the demise of the couple called Niff had gone from coast to coast.


	11. April Fool's Day 2016: Part II

**April Fool's Day 2016: Part II**

It was an understatement to say that when he heard the news about Nick and Jeff, Thad was shocked. For several moments he was frozen, wondering how on earth he was going to go into the other room and break the news to David. As he pondered the best means of doing so, unable to decide between the slow and subtle, or the just drop the bombshell, he received a text message from Skylar. It informed him that Dalton had just become aware of a very disquieting rumour from New York, and confirmation was needed from the Head Warbler as to the veracity of that rumour, or hopefully, a denial of the subject. Thad groaned, wondering how on earth it had managed to spread so far, so quickly. He decided that he had to be completely honest, and was about to break the hearts of those boys at Dalton when he received a second message from the school. This message, from Edward, informed him that one of the boys had successfully managed to convince the school nurse that he had dengue fever, and had been declared the official Prince…

It was that one word that jogged Thad's memory, and made sure that the reality hit him like it had Trent in far away Washington DC. Suddenly he recalled what the date was, and who had been called the unofficial Princes' of Pranks in his time at Dalton. If this was all just a prank, then it was in poor taste, and had escalated out of all proportion and control by the sound of it. With a sigh, he picked up his phone, and replied to Skylar - _'In connection with the rumour; remember the date and who loved a prank. Doubt there is any truth there, but will confirm once I have words with Niff! By the way, who informed you?'_ That done, he stopped as he began to consider exactly what he was going to say to the two idiots at the heart of all the consternation.

"Morning Thad!" said David as he walked in, all smiles - and then he saw Thad's face. "Ok, what's up? You look deep in thought…" He went to pour himself some juice as he waited for a reply.

"Niff is what is up, Davie. Apparently, the word on the street is that they are getting a divorce.." He paused, as David choked on his orange juice. "..but then I remembered the date, and their reputation, and I am hoping that it is just a prank that has snowballed out of all control."

"It has to be! Nick and Jeff are the happiest, most stable couple that any of us know! Just how out of hand has it got?"

"Dalton is apparently in uproar; I heard the news from Mercedes and Ollie at the same time, so I am guessing it is all over the east coast. Yes, I would assume that thanks to our hyper efficient grapevine, and probably the gossiping of a couple of influential people, everyone that we know will know, and we may be the last two to find out." He paused, to read a response from Skylar. "So, Dalton heard from Dylan, which means that Jeff's family must have been told…."

"And that would indicate that Mike must have told Tina - we all know what she can be like. I'm guessing that Mercedes might have heard from a certain Ms Berry?"

Thad nodded, then sighed. "Right, so I am going to call those two halfwits now; I have a sneaking suspicion that they have no idea how far all of this has spread; it was probably intended as a prank on Mike, but now…"

"Good. Give it to them with both barrels, and you can tell them it comes from me too. I would also suggest that maybe you should send one of our more level headed locals round to deal with them disapprovingly - and it might just be a job for the other two musketeers." Thad nodded, knowing that once he had had a stern word with Niff, then Trent and Sebastian would be his obvious next port of call. Then it was time for some serious damage limitation.

It was just before 10.30am that Nick's phone started to buzz in the Law Library; Jeff's began to do exactly the same as he sat in his little room working on his project, with the nagging feeling he had forgotten something. The message was the same. Thad had not felt able to speak to them without losing it, so he had sent a text - _'Dalton is suicidal! NYC is in uproar! You idiots have gone too far this time! Call it off right now, or Mr Bangy and I are on the next flight - and I will use him on you! Thad.'_

As two faces paled slightly, a second text arrived on both their phones. _'Still the Princes' of Pranks! Pretending to be absolutely horrified, but secretly proud that you can cause so much chaos. If you tell Thad I sent this, I will deny it. Good luck! David.'_ That statement caused both Nick and Jeff to smile momentarily, but then they realised that they had to call a halt. Nick wondered how on earth it had gone so far, when all they had intended to do was prank Mike and Sam - and then he realised what had not happened, just as across the way, Jeff realised what he hadn't done. He hadn't sent the text to Brittany to say it was just a prank. Nick groaned as he realised that the one missing part of the plan had escalated the whole thing from a local to a global crisis… He grabbed his case, now empty of books, and sent a text to Jeff, telling him he didn't blame him, but that they needed to act now - and fast.

Jeff had shed a few tears as he cursed his brain for allowing him to forget that one thing. He was about to send a text to Nick when his phone rang - and he paled even more when he saw the name. He couldn't avoid it though… He answered the call from his mother, but before he could even speak, Elspeth was asking him what one earth Nick had done, and was threatening him with all kinds of punishments. Jeff groaned as he put the trail of information together; of course, Mike would call Tina! How could he and Nick have been so naive? She must have seen Flora, and she had told her mom…and then Dylan had told Dalton. He noticed that there was silence on the other end of the phone, as Elspeth awaited a response. He said all that he could think of, though it was woefully inadequate. "April Fool…?" he muttered. He was then compelled to hold the phone well away from his ear as in Vermont, his mother exploded in rightful anger at all the pain and agony that they had caused…

Meanwhile, Artie's little lunch meeting with Kitty had morphed into a full blown council of war, drawing up a battle plan to restore their Niff to happiness. The two had been joined first by the NYADA contingent, then by Mike and Sam. In the end, they all agreed that they needed to force the two of them to talk whatever it was out in their company. To that end, Brittany was deputised to send a text to Jeff, begging him to meet her for lunch at the diner, so they could talk, as he had to be so sad, as she was. Mike in turn had sent a text to Nick, asking him to come and see him as he had heard everything and knew he would need to talk. Both of them stressed that it would be a one on one meeting. This was a blatant lie, naturally. As well as those that were already gathered in the diner. Seth had been called, and he had promised he would bring Luke and Duncan to the diner, if the former could stop crying his eyes out for long enough. A message had been sent to Sebastian, who was still tied up with Madame Tibideaux by Santana, telling him to get himself to the diner the moment he got the message - and the reason why. Those at the diner could divide themselves up into teams, and beg, cajole or even force the two young men to sort out their differences through a rational, refereed conversation. Flint and Ethan were primed to be available on the phone to add their voices; Beats was now unobtainable though, and no-one could reach Trent or Rory. It didn't matter; Operation Save Our Niff was going to succeed, come hell or high water. There was no way that those two would be allowed to split.

Having made long and profuse apologies to his mother, who, much to Jeff's relief had decided to call him and see what was going on before she informed his mom and dad in Ohio all about their split (well, Jeff hoped that no-one had told them anyway, but the way the grapevine worked, he couldn't be sure), he was finally able to answer the text from Nick that had arrived about halfway through her screaming how stupid he was down the phone. He agreed with his plan of immediately heading to the diner. Both of them had been asked to go there for lunch, to meet up with different people, and both of them immediately knew that there was an intervention being planned. The big plan they guessed was to force the two of them together and make them talk out their differences in a rational way with a group of witnesses. Said group of witnesses would no doubt be every single one of their friends that was able to attend…

They met up outside the subway station near Colombia, and only had to take one quick glance at the other's face to know that they had both arrived at the same conclusion; namely, that they had underestimated how seriously their little prank would be taken, and that they had, in the course of carrying out their plan, badly affected not just the two initial targets, but everyone else around them. "We've screwed up here, big style, Jeffie," said Nick quietly. "If none of them feel able to forgive us for this, then I wouldn't blame them at all. It is going to take us a huge amount of apologising and grovelling to get back in people's good books…"

"I know - Elspeth wants you to call her and apologise, in person, by the end of the day. I have already had my lecture, and my ears still hurt."

"How on earth did she…?"

"That was what I thought initially, but then it suddenly dawned on me who studies at Brown, and it was obvious; a distraught Mike upset and troubled by our apparent break up…"

"Would immediately seek solace and comfort from Tina," said Nick with a groan. "I hope that we haven't completely destroyed our relationship with him in all of this. He is probably our closest friend these days, and if he is unable to accept our apologies…"

"He will, because that is the kind of guy that he is, luckily for you two idiots!" Nick and Jeff paled, and spun round, to see Wes standing there, his arms folded across his chest, and disapproval written large across his face. "Whilst the concept of the prank was good in the main, your planning was off. You failed to take into account what Mike would do in his distress, and thus missed all the implications of what might occur if the whole sorry tale leaked out to a much wider audience. The one saving grace is that it proves one thing; the two of you are very much loved by everyone - or you were, up until today… Right, so, as you guessed, half of the city is waiting for you at the Spotlight. I would suggest that you show nothing but contrition, and keep saying that you are sorry, and that it will never, ever, ever happen again. Concentrate on Mike and Sam, because if they can forgive, the others will follow - probably. I can't make any guarantees. Now, promise me that this sort of idiocy will never happen again…"

"We promise Wes. Sorry…" said both young men in unison, heads bowed.

"Good. As far as I am concerned, that's an end to it. Now, I have to go and pay a visit to a certain Mr Thompson. His text message to you was highly inappropriate, given the circumstances. And all I can add is, good luck…" With those words, Wes vanished to admonish David, and Nick and Jeff headed to catch the train downtown, mentally preparing themselves for the inquisition that no doubt awaited them.

For Sebastian, the morning had been quite stressful. A large percentage of his grades for his second year a NYADA depended on how well he was perceived to have performed that day. To ensure that he was in the right headspace, he had isolated himself from the rest of the world to an extent, leaving home early, and switching off his phone, before he had begun to run through his pieces one final time in an unused practice room. His song choices had been varied, as he knew would be expected, but he had in the main taken the opportunity to perform a number of songs from a show that he had seen several times now, and greatly enjoyed. He wished that it had been brought to Broadway earlier, as it contained a number of pieces that would have been ideal for the Warblers to have performed at competition level. So he had sung _I Believe_ from _The Book of Mormon,_ conscious that for the first time at the school he was not just being watched by Carmen Tibideaux and her panel, but was being filmed too so his performance could be referenced later. He had given it, like all of the other things he had performed, all that he had, and from the looks of approval on their faces when he finished, he was pretty sure that he had done more than enough to get himself a good mark. He had then been allowed to take a seat opposite the panel, and had then proceeded to answer fully all the questions that he was posed, giving not just his best answers, but dividing his attention equally amongst those gathered there.

It was just after 11.15 when he was finally dismissed from the room with a smile from Carmen, and he was finally able to relax and take a much needed breath. He decided to head for a coffee, and as he walked in the direction of NYADA's small café, he switched his phone back on. The moment that he did so it started to buzz in his hand like crazy, and he knew at once that whilst he had been ensconced with the judging panel, something big had gone on. He opened his messages, and began to scan through them, finding that the vast majority of them had come from Santana, each one being a little more threatening than the last. It was what each one of them claimed had happened that gave him the most cause for concern for a moment - but only for the briefest of moments. A memory of jellied coffee and over sprung toasters two years ago filled his head completely. "You idiots! This is going much too far!" he said under his breath, his mind immediately thinking of Niff. "But then again, the rest of you surely know their reputation and not one of you managed to put two and two together and question it!" he exclaimed.

That was when he was relieved to see one voice of sanity amongst all the despair; a message from Trent, telling him to give Nick and Jeff a good slap from him. At least he was aware of the truth, thank God! With a sigh, Sebastian realised that he would have to wait for his coffee, and having checked all the texts, he knew he had to head instead to the Spotlight. Someone had to go there, hopefully arriving before they grilled Nick and Jeff, and set them all straight…

Fortunately he was not too far from the Spotlight, being at NYADA, and so he was able to arrive there long before the two young men who had been the cause of all of that day's drama. He paused outside to take a quick look in the window, and saw that the place was full with mutual friends, all of them huddled together in a group. He saw no anger in any of their faces, just concern and sadness at what they all believed had taken place. Mike in particular looked as if his entire world had come crashing down around his ears; he had obviously been crying for a long time, and that struck a chord in Sebastian's heart. The poor guy had to care more about those two than he ever could have imagined, and what had been intended as a harmless prank had left him shattered in body and soul. Sebastian realised that it was going to be vitally important that Mike, Nick and Jeff had time alone together, without any interruption, in the aftermath of today, so that they could restore their relationship to an even keel. All that though was for later; firstly, he had to go in there and set the record straight.

He strode up to the door and opened it; as no-one noticed him immediately, he walked calmly over to where everyone was sitting, deep in discussion. He stood and listened to them in silence, scoffing at some of the outrageous suggestions of ways to fix them, and waited for someone to notice him. Eventually, he was…

"So the meerkat had finally deigned to make an appearance! We are in the midst of the biggest crisis we have faced in years, in case it slipped your attention, Sebastian! I know that you were occupied elsewhere, but as I can see that you still have all the digits on your hands, what prevented you from responding to my messages the instant that you turned your phone back on?"

"Ah, my dear Satan, I did receive all of your many, many, many messages; as to why I did not drop everything to reply at once, it might well have been because of the thinly veiled threats of actual bodily harm that they contained, or it might have been the fact that contrary to popular opinion, there is no crisis, at least not one that I, Trent or as of two minutes ago, Thad can see…"

There was a stony silence, and from the way that they were all now glowering at him, Sebastian had a very real fear for his own safety at that precise moment. "No crisis! Two of your best friends, your fellow musketeers, are about to split up, but you, the other musketeer and the Head Warbler don't see an issue. Can you not be bothered, is that it? Is that what you are telling us - that you just don't give a hoot!?" exclaimed Kitty, as Santana just shook her head sadly, and Mike looked for all the world as if he was about to burst into tears once more.

"Not at all, my dear Miss Wilde. Trust me when I say that the three of us, and David for that matter, are very bothered by what we have heard. It is just the fact that we all know those two a little better than you; have known them a little bit longer; and have remembered the one key thing in this whole debate - the date…"

"And what the heck does that have to do with anything?" said Mike in exasperation, not able to believe that Sebastian did not seem to give a damn.

He was about to continue when Elliott suddenly let out a groan, shook his head, and spoke. "I get it - but boy, I am not sure that I approve of this one; it seems very, very wrong…"

As the others stared at him, Sebastian knelt down in front of Mike, who was slumped down in a seat, his eyes red raw. He took his hands in his, and spoke right to him. "Mike, when you saw Nick leave with his case, did you perchance check the contents of his wardrobe? Go and see what he had taken?"

Mike shook his head. "No, although it was Sam that saw him leave with the case. I just heard the arguing…"

"Well, I really wish that between the two of you, someone had made a point of checking, because I am pretty sure that if you had, all of this panic could have been avoided. I would put money on every item of Nick's clothing, and all of his other stuff still being back in the loft. You would have realised that he hadn't packed his case at all. Today, after all, as Elliott has realised, is the 1st of April, better known as April Fool's Day. A day for jokes and pranks. Mike, you live with the self proclaimed 'Princes' of Pranks'. At Dalton, they never missed an opportunity to pull of a practical joke, even when they were somewhat cruel. Cruel like the one they played on you and Sam this morning…"

At first there was silence, and then, one by one, it hit them. None of it was real. It had been intended as a joke on Mike and Sam. It had then all spiralled completely out of control.

Sebastian watched as faces which moments before had been sad morphed into expressions of thinly veiled anger. He knew he had to act now, try to calm the crowd before they began to bay for blood. He did not want Nick and Jeff to walk in and find themselves ripped to pieces in seconds. "Now, I know that at this precise moment, the majority of you are feeling anger, and quite rightly, that those two idiots could do something so cruel and nasty to Mike and Sam. I have to admit that I feel the same way, because they are two of the nicest guys I have the pleasure to know. But before you attack them for all of this, ask this one question of yourselves; given that those of you that were here last night saw the two of them acting in their usual, slightly nauseating way; so happy to be here, to be with each other; behaving in their usual loved up way - in other words, as normal, why did you even consider that they would be rushing blindly to the divorce courts this morning? It is so implausible. I mean, if you hate each other with the amount of venom that I believe they expressed, surely there would have been a spate of arguments long before the marriage explodes and they split apart? Now, Mike, as their roommate, you would have been witness to them? Did you hear any?"

"I didn't hear any arguments, no. You're right, of course you are. If they had been fighting, I would have overheard them, no matter how much they tried to keep the noise down. Why didn't I realise that?" Mike said with a groan.

"Ah, but if one of them had been cheating on the other, and that was finally revealed, then a split up would be immediate!" said Artie. At his side, Kitty nodded in agreement.

"Artie," said Sebastian with a sigh. "Nick and Jeff are about as likely to cheat one and other as I am to sleep with a woman. Face it guys, you are clutching at straws, but you know that I am right, and so are Trent and Thad. It was a prank - not a well thought out one, maybe, but nonetheless, that is what it was. It had each and every one of you convinced of the truth though. Writing obituaries for their relationship. So I am begging you not to rip them to shreds the moment that they get here. Let them apologise for the harm they have done, and please don't take the fact that you fell for it hook, line and sinker out on them. Make them grovel, yes, but please don't hold it against them. I have a feeling that they are devastated by how this has escalated. Don't forget why you all came here; because you love those two, and didn't want to see them fall apart. Remember that, before you all act as judge, jury and executioner, because if you don't, then you might do and say things that you will come to regret in the future, just as those two surely regret all of this now."


	12. April Fool's Day 2016: Part III

_So here we go, another chapter in less than a week. Posting early as I will be heading home soon after checking out a few things in New York first hand. I also got the chance to see a Warbler in action on a Broadway stage; I think they'd all be proud of Wes..._

 _Anyway, as ever thanks for reading, and let me know what you think..._

 **April Fool's Day 2016: Part III**

At that moment in the street outside, Nick and Jeff were hastening along in the direction of the Spotlight, hoping that the reaction of those that they believed had gathered there would not be too severe. When they had stepped out of the subway, they had both received the same text from Principal Carmichael, expressing in no uncertain terms his and Principal Lefevre's opinion on the chaos that they had managed to unleash on Dalton that day. They had left the Warblers devastated at even the suggestion of their separation, and that had disrupted the classes of the entire school in the end. He ended by stating that never before had April Fool's Day been so chaotic through the actions of former pupils, and he never wished to see that happen again. They had paused in horror, and had between them composed an extremely contrite and apologetic message, which they sent from Nick's phone, and now they could only await a reply. Both of them now walked along in silence, both of them cowed by the knowledge that this time they really had taken things too far. If the message to Brittany had been sent it might have halted the process, but given that the word had hit Dalton long before that hour had passed, it might well have been too little, too late. If they had been informed of the growing rumour mill then they could have sent out a group text, and admitted it was a joke, and then apologised to Mike and Sam. Even that would probably not have avoided them coming to this. Tina and Rachel had done their worst in spreading gossip, and they would still have ended up with a great big mess.

Suddenly, as their destination came into view, Jeff's steps slowed and then stopped, and a moment later, the footsteps of his husband halted too. "This is all such a mess, Nicky. If I was them, I would hate us for what we have done, so if they all do, then I won't blame them. If it is bad, then we concentrate on trying to salvage our relationship with Mike, because otherwise home life will be impossible. I just wish that we could go back, and…."

"We can't Jeff, I'm afraid. Just as we cannot postpone the inevitable confrontation any longer than we have. We have to face the music, however nasty the tune might turn out to be. I suggest that we go in, say sorry, and no matter how hard they treat us, no matter how nasty the things they say to us, we just accept it. We have royally screwed up, and that's all there is to it." Jeff nodded, and held out his hand. Nick took it, and with a neutral expression firmly fixed on both their faces, they walked the last few steps to a place where they had until now had only happy times; now they walked in to confront their fate.

Inside, Sebastian was unsure how well his pleas for mercy on his two friends had gone down. Faces were still red with anger, although he had noticed some softening slightly since he had stated the case for his fellow Warblers' defence. He realised that the whole thing really centred on the way that Mike and Sam acted when the two idiots arrived, as they had been the victims of the original prank. Worse still, time was marching on. It was nearly noon, and everyone knew that for a joke to count as an April Fool, it had to be over with by midday. He looked up, and spotted two familiar figures in the street. He sighed, and pulled out his phone; he quickly typed out a message to Trent and Thad - _'It's high noon at the Spotlight. I've done my best to save them, but now it's up to them to make or break the situation. Will update as soon as the tensions drop…'_

Then the door opened, and they were there; not greeted by the usual cheerful calls of recognition from their friends, but by a stony silence. As they walked towards the group, Sebastian could clearly see that Jeff's heart was breaking, and the pain that the silence was causing was written in Nick's eyes. He considered walking over to stand with them, to put his own neck on the line, but he stopped when he saw where they were heading; straight to the table where Mike sat with Sam, Santana and Brittany right beside them. 'Like the Christians going to the lions,' he thought. Nick's eyes suddenly met his for a moment, and he allowed a brief smile to flicker over his face; just a hint to show that no matter how bad it got today, he would still be their friend. If the worse came to the worst, he suddenly realised, he might be the only person that they had left in the city…

"Mike, Sam," started Nick, "we made a stupid and ill-thought out decision this morning to play a despicable prank on two of our closest friends. We decided to make the two of you think that you were witnessing the end of Niff. It seemed like a fun idea at the time, but in hindsight, our actions were wrong; they were cruel to the man that we value not just as a roommate, but as a close friend and confidant. They were mean to our talented neighbour across the landing. We should have brought closure to the whole scenario so much earlier, but what can I say. We were fools, and we relished the initial reaction that we had achieved. We decided to prolong the joke just a little longer, and then we made an omission. We had set a time to send a message to someone to say it was just a joke, and could they let everyone know. That message was not sent in error. That is unforgivable. All that we can now say to you, and to every single other person in this room that we have been privileged to call our friend up until now is that we are truly sorry for all of the pain and distress that we have caused by our actions. Mike, if you want to move out because you can't bear to live with us any longer after all of this, then we will understand. It would break our hearts, but we would not stand in your way. We will take whatever punishment you guys think that we deserve, because, as I have already said, we are both just so very sorry for it all." His words done, Nick bowed his head. At his side, Jeff's eyes had not left the floor since he had arrived there. Although they could not be certain, it was clear from the way his shoulder's were shaking that he was in a degree of distress, and his grip on Nick's hand was probably all that was holding him together. As he observed them from the sidelines, Sebastian's heart ached for them. All he could hope for now was that his friends survived this…

Mike looked around the room, taking in the expressions on the face's of all the other people gathered there. The others who had only ten minutes or so ago been gathered there in their singular mission of reuniting the warring fractured Niff, and getting everything back to normal. They were all there, he realised, because of the actions that he and Sam had taken in spreading the news of the argument, rather than doing what Nick and Jeff had anticipated; sitting on the news, and trying to fix it themselves before they had brought everyone else into the equation. That fact was prominent in his mind in no little part as a result of the words spoken by Sebastian before his two roommates had arrived. It was ironic, he guessed, that he was the one trying to restore calm and order, to bring back the peaceful equilibrium they had all enjoyed, when back in the day his arrival had usually indicated that chaos was about to enfold them. He turned his eye onto Sam now, and saw that he too was fully aware that every eye in the room was upon them - well, apart from the two pairs that were firmly directed to the floor. He had never felt so uncomfortable in his life as he did now. He and Sam had been placed in the position of judge, jury and executioner. His words could destroy the world around him; ruin their successful partnership at the diner, not to mention completely trash his home life. Heck, he loved living with those two guys, not to mention their judgemental cat! What made matters worse was the fact that from the way Sam was staring at him, he was waiting for him to speak. 'Wes, what on earth do I do?' he thought. 'I'm hurt, and upset, but at the same time, I know that I have to shoulder some of the blame for how today has unfolded. What do I do?' There was, however, no answer to his question. There was no draught from the wings of an intervening angel as they arrived. Nonetheless, he could hear a little voice in his head, telling him to go with his instincts. He looked at Sam again, and saw that he was looking at him, and that his eyes were shining with unshed tears. He glanced away, to Brittany, and the moment he saw her face, he knew exactly what road he had to take…

"I really am at a loss as to what to say here… I get that all of this was intended to be a joke, and if I had stopped to consider it for long enough, I would have realised at once that what I was hearing was not possible; that there was no way that the strongest relationship that I know could have fallen apart without any warning. A love like Niff, it doesn't evaporate overnight…. Hearing the two of you arguing, however, just hurt something inside me so much, and left me so upset, and so I turned to my usual source of comfort in that kind of situation. Let us just say that as a result, what should have been a molehill turned into Mount Everest. I think that if you two halfwits had thought harder before you embarked on your ill-advised prank, you would have realised that is exactly what I would have done. To cap it all, you decided to prank Sam too; did you forget that he is, like me, with one of the biggest gossips known to humanity?" Mike paused, as someone sniggered. "Of course, events outside your control elsewhere also played a part. If Sebastian had been in his normal classes, then he could have poured cold water over the whole idea the moment that Santana was told, and washed away all of our theories there and then. The thing is, we can't go back to the start of today, and just pretend that none of this happened. A lot of mistakes were made by the two of you, but also by the rest of us. We are all to blame here. Now as I look around I see one thing; something important. I see that every single one of your friends that was able to get here, has come here, with a couple of exceptions. Others are on their way I believe. And we all came here because we were desperate to see the two of you reunited and at peace. We came here because we all love you guys, in the main. I'm sure that some people only came in the hope of witnessing a fight; I know that is true, and so do they… Right, so, the words you are all waiting for. I can't forget what has happened today - and given that you have a propensity for pranks, apparently, it might be best that I don't. However, I can forgive. So, I do - and what about a nice brotherly hug to cement that apology from both sides?"

He had barely uttered the last words before he was nearly knocked over by a blond whirlwind. Jeff wrapped his arms tightly around him, his face pressed into his shoulder. The whole room could hear him whisper "Thank you, thank you, thank you," to Mike, who just pulled his friend every bit as close. Nick walked over in a more sedate manner, but headed instead to Sam, and held out his hand. Sam promptly shook his head, a gesture which made all the assembled company's hearts fall, and elicited a gasp from more than one. Sam looked at them, smiled, and then pulled Nick into a bear hug, a handshake not being the right thing at all at that point.

On seeing that, Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief, and took the chance to send a quick group text to all the Warblers, stating that the panic was over; Niff was ok, and World War III had not just broken out at the Spotlight. As he pressed send, he became aware that Santana had walked across to stand behind him, and was leaning towards his ear. "April 1st 2017," she whispered. "We prank those two in a fashion that they will never forget. You in?"

"Such an act of revenge would be small minded and petty!" Sebastian whispered back. "What are you intending on doing? And just how big are we going to go?" he gave her his trademark smirk, and she smiled right back. Over his shoulder, Santana could see that Kitty had overheard, and she knew that she would be in with them. They had a whole year to plan, so they could no doubt come up with something that would knock Niff's socks off…

In the mean time, Nick and Jeff had been receiving more hugs, and more words of reproof, ranging from Michelle's "Wes would have killed the two of you." to Brittany's "I'm so glad that it isn't true, because Caleb would have ended up a delinquent if he had found himself in a broken home." They would also have to find time to reply to the numerous texts that they had received; messages from Flint, Trent, Ethan and Rory, all glad that it wasn't true, but angry that they had been lead to believe it was. There was nothing from Beats, which seemed strange; but more of a concern was the fact that there was nothing from Luke. If Jeff's cousin Flora had spread the story to her mother, aunt and elder brother, then surely she would have told her younger sibling. His lack of reaction had Jeff very worried…

* * *

Across town, Beats had received the text from Sebastian and had smiled as he read it, though inwardly he cursed that he hadn't realised himself. He was about to reply when he heard his name being called by one of the doctors. He had been at the Beth Sinai Hospital for what seemed like days, and had been subjected to every eye test known to man, in his opinion. He had sat in silence through most of them, but a couple of them had made him feel very uncomfortable. When that had been the case, he had just grasped the angelic hand that was holding onto his just a little bit tighter. Wes had been waiting at the hospital for him, just as he had promised, and although he had not wished for company in the beginning, Beats was exceptionally glad for his calming presence as the day had worn on. They could not really converse, of course, except for the handful of brief moments when they had been left alone; just knowing he was there was the biggest help of all.

Admittedly, when all the texts about Niff had started to appear that morning, Wes had begun to groan as he pictured the scenes of chaos that were unfolding, but he did not feel the need to rush off to help resolve the crisis. This had confused Beats at first, but now he knew why Wes had stayed relatively calm; he had known what was going on long before anyone else twigged. Beats had been about to reply to Sebastian with a smug comment about how he had guessed it was all a joke long ago, but he didn't, mainly because Wes would instantly contradict him; he had seen how the news had made his friend sad. In any case, all that was trivial at the moment. Other people's lives did not matter, not when your own was throwing up something more concerning.

As Beats settled in his seat across from the senior doctor, he felt as if he had been transported back to Dalton. It was as if he waiting to be spoken to by the Principal for some alleged misdemeanour - not that he had ever caused that much trouble… Wes had come in with him, and sat with care in the second chair at Beats' side, trying not to bring attention to himself.

"I'm sorry that we have kept you waiting for so long after the final test, Mr Harper, but I wished to consult with the senior ophthalmic resident on what I believed that I was seeing from the results of the tests. She was in agreement with me, and we have come to a joint conclusion on where we need to go now. So, firstly, just to confirm once more; the problems that you suffered with your eyes after the head trauma on Valentine's Day - I would be correct in stating that the worst of them were quite short lived, and that the blurring of vision that you suffer from now has markedly decreased?"

"Yes, that is the case."

"I would also be correct in saying that prior to the incident in February, you believed that your were suffering from eyestrain. You felt tired, and your eyes were particularly painful after reading or writing for a long period of time under artificial lights?"

"Well, yes, but as I said at the time, it was due to pressure of work, nothing else."

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but that assumption is wrong. What you were suffering from then was the initial symptoms of what is now manifesting itself more strongly. As you are aware, we took a number of images of your eyes, and carried out a series of pressure tests on them. All of them have together lead my colleagues and I to the same conclusion. It would appear that you are in the initial stages of a condition known as early onset glaucoma. That is the reason for the pain in your eyes, which you believed to be a mere eyestrain. Normally, it is all too easy to miss these signs, as you are much younger than the normal sufferer of glaucoma; but it was easy to identify it as a suspected cause from the routine eye tests that were performed when you were admitted after the incident. Normally, most people would say that ending up in hospital after a fight is a bad thing; in your case, the man that hit you and landed you in the ER did you a very big favour."

Beats took a deep breath, and decided that he had to ask. "So, how bad is it? Will I go blind in the end? Is there anything that can be done to prevent that?" he asked quietly, feeling Wes tighten his grip as he did so.

"If we had not caught it at this very early stage; if you had continued to dismiss it as just an eyestrain, then yes, there would have been a very real possibility that by the time the severe symptoms manifested themselves, the inherent complications from that could have left you more or less blind. However, we have caught it at a stage when it is still eminently treatable, and although I cannot give you any absolute guarantee, it is my opinion that you will not lose your sight totally. As for treatment, that is an issue that we will need to sit down and discuss in depth in the future; for now, we will be giving you eye drops, which I'm afraid you will need to put in on a daily basis - and that will be long term, quite probably for the rest of your life. Also, to help your eyes, and help to cut the pain, you will have to wear spectacles, mainly for reading and writing. It is unavoidable, I am afraid, if we are going to safeguard your eye health in the long term. We have taken the necessary measurements so as to be able to prepare a pair for you right away, as the earlier you begin to use them, then the quicker we will sort out the problems. All that you have to do is select a pair of frames; my colleagues in ophthalmology have been briefed, and are awaiting your arrival."

Beats nodded as the doctor began to give him directions to the department, not actually taking any of it in, although fortunately Wes was. He knew after all exactly what was going through Beats' head at that moment. A pair of glasses would be an immediate and obvious sign of eye problems; the moment he saw them, Elliott would become distressed, and assume that he was entirely to blame for the whole thing. That guilt from the man that he loved would be much harder to handle than the whole issue with his sight…

Beats was shown out of the doctor's office with a letter to the ophthalmic staff to tell them who he was and all that was required. He could hear himself thanking the doctor as he left, but his head was still a complete mess, the reality of the situation still not completely sinking in. Wes could see this immediately, and he leant an arm to his friend to direct him to the correct department. However, the moment that he came across a deserted bench in an otherwise empty corridor, he sat Beats down, and took a seat right at his side. "Ok, tell me what is going on in that head of yours. Don't say that there is nothing going on in there, because trust me, I will not believe you for one single second."

"I knew that there was something wrong with my eyes long before the battle with Elliott's dad, but I was stupid and just dismissed all of the warning signs, Wes. I just carried on, struggled with the issues… If Mr Gilbert hadn't decided to pay his son a visit that day, if I hadn't been there, then I would have continued to ignore it. I would have carried on saying the sarcastic 'Ok, Mom!' to Flint when he pressed me to go and get them checked out… He is going to be unbearable, isn't he? All 'I told you so!' when he finds out… My mom and dad will lecture me as well. As for Ell, he will put it all on himself, which is madness, but rational thought doesn't always come in to the equation when it comes down to it. I will tell him the truth today; I have to, because he needs it to be made plain; it is not his fault. I'm not sure that I am ready for the glasses either, or the whole eye drop regime - in fact, did the doctor even give me a script for them? I don't remember, and I am assuming that it will be a specific kind of drops that I need, not just one that I can select from the pharmacy shelf at random."

"Relax. It is all written in the letter you have shoved in your jacket pocket. You might have lost all concentration in there, but I didn't. Ok, so you aren't all that keen on the glasses. Firstly, you don't have to wear them all the time, just for reading and writing; and secondly, the right pair will make you look hot in any case. All of this will make your eyes better, and you will lose all of the pain in them, which is no bad thing by any means, is it? You'll find doing your school work easier, not that you have much of that left now; but it will make studying for your finals, and completing them, much easier. Yes, the others will all react to them at first, and that will be difficult; but when you start work, you will be wearing them from day one, so as far as your future colleagues are concerned, it will be the norm for you, and they will not bat an eyelid."

"To be honest, my biggest worry is Ell; he is my main concern. All the rest of them I can handle, but I don't want to see him hurting. That would destroy me entirely…"

"Right. I will arrange for us to have reinforcements on hand when you tell him. I will get Kurt to join us, because we both know that Elliott will listen to him."

"That's not a bad idea; maybe Dani too if we can. She has an uncanny ability to soothe Ell when he is at his worst… Right, let's do this - although I have to admit that I have no idea where we are going…"

"Just as well that I paid attention then, wasn't it," said Wes. "Follow me…"

They did not have to wait long to be seen in the optometrists office. They took advantage of the time that they had to spend waiting browsing the available frames at the urging of the receptionist. Beats proceeded to try on what seemed like half the store to him at Wes' urging. Some of the styles just made him cringe if he was honest, others made him laugh out loud when he saw them on his face in the mirror. A pair of half glasses made both him and Wes think of Principal Carmichael, especially when he put them down to the very end of his nose and stared over them. Beats almost managed to persuade Wes to try them, but agreed that as the receptionist, if they glanced over, would then see the pair of frames floating unsupported in midair, that it probably wasn't the best of ideas.

In the end, it came down to a choice of two - a round pair of metal frames, which made Wes think of Harry Potter, or John Lennon; and a pair with tortoiseshell frames, which Beats described as being very hipster. Wes shuddered at even the use of that term, but he refrained from saying any more. They did suit him after all, and he had a pretty shrewd idea that they were the ones that Elliott would also like the most. By the time that the ophthalmologist was ready for him, Beats had made his final decision, and held out the 'hipster' frames. As everything was in stock, he was told that he could come back in half an hour and pick up the two pairs that had been requested on the letter. The speed was a pleasant surprise, as that meant their visit to Elliott could be less rushed. Wes suggested that they head to the hospital cafeteria for a spot of lunch, return for the glasses, and then head down to the diner. Beats agreed - he had not felt hungry up until that moment, but now he felt ravenous. A full stomach would also fortify him for a difficult afternoon; first, heading to the diner to speak to Elliott, and see what was going on with Nick and Jeff; but then the harder task - heading back to Princeton to show his new glasses to Flint…


	13. April Fool's Day 2016: Part IV

**April Fool's Day 2016: Part IV**

Across town at the diner, what had originally been intended as a desperate mission to save a marriage had become instead a small scale celebration of the relationship in question. With both Mike and Sam willing to forgive, if not forget, at least for now, the others had all come round, although some of them had needed a bit of help to do so. They could not stay angry at them, although Kitty had called them something very rude, which had made Marley go bright red, but had then qualified it by saying that they were her favourite ******, much to the amusement of most people. However, there was still one more moment of drama to come, just before the clocks finally ticked over past noon and away from pranking time. It left most of them shocked at the time, and none of them would ever quite get it out of their minds…

It was not long after Kitty had made half the room roar with laughter that the door to the diner had been flung open, to reveal a grim faced Seth, a red-eyed Duncan, and between them, seemingly only standing with their aid, a broken and sobbing Luke. The latter, on seeing Nick and Jeff, had broken free, and run across the room to fall to his knees in front of them, before grabbing their hands and starting to plead. "Please, please, please, don't do this! Don't split up! You have to sort this out or I will die! You need each other; we all need you together, and so you have to fix this! Please, I am begging you, make it up with each other, because my heart is breaking at the thought of the two of you no longer being together…" With that, his face crumpled, and he began to sob, his whole body shaking as he did so. Across the room, Duncan was also crying, being held in the arms of Seth.

It was his turn to speak next. "Guys, you have to sort this our, for all our sakes. These two are just inconsolable at the prospect of their being no more Niff, and I have to agree with them; the world would be a lot sadder if the two of you weren't together." The place fell silent, as Luke continued to sob hard, Duncan cried in silence, and at his side, Seth too began to swipe at the moisture in his eyes. All eyes swung to the two young men at the centre of this new chaos, and they knew they had to tell them the truth. This time, it was Jeff that spoke.

"Look, it's ok. We aren't going to split up, we promise. To be honest, we never actually were. It was all an April Fool's prank that got badly out of control. We're sorry if we hurt you, but we aren't getting a divorce."

In the blink of an eye, the sobs stopped, and Luke dropped the hands of the two young men in front of him, before rising slowly to his feet, his face bright red. As he moved to stand by Duncan's side, as Seth staggered away to slump in a seat, Santana turned to Sebastian and whispered, "I don't know what you are thinking right now, but if you're thinking like me, it is probably this isn't going to be good." Sebastian couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"A PRANK! All of this was supposed to be some kind of JOKE! How could you do this! Do you have any idea, any notion, of the complete and utter living hell you have left us to suffer in since I got that call from my sobbing sister?" yelled Luke. "It was as if everything in the world that we knew to be sure and certain had just been snatched away!"

"It was a prank does not suffice for the damage you have done to us today" screamed Duncan. "Have you any concept of what receiving this 'news' from Flora did to Luke. He collapsed in a heap on the floor, then started screaming. I had to take the phone off him and be told by her too, because I was getting no sense from him! He fell apart, and that broke my heart."

Luke turned his back on Nick and Jeff, turning to face the others, and addressed them. "Well, after this there is only one thing I can say. We will be ok, me and Duncan. We will be ok because as far as I am concerned, these two will not be in our lives anymore. They will not exist. I no longer have a cousin in this city. They can stay away from the two of us, because we will be staying well away from them!"

"No, please, don't do that!" said Jeff, his face drained of all colour. "Please just let us explain and try to make some sort of amends. We will do whatever you want us to do to get it back to the way it was, the way it should be, and that's a promise from both me and Nicky. Please, I'm begging you, Luke, don't do this, because if I lost you now in this way, it would destroy me. Please, can we try?"

"Whatever it takes? In my opinion, it would have to be something really rather special," said Duncan quietly.

"No. No, it would be no use. I can't even bear to look at the two of them now. It's over. We are still family, but that's all. You don't have to like or be friends with family after all, especially not when they have just done something so cruel that it has shattered your heart into a million tiny fragments. Right now, as far as I am concerned, if I never see the two of you again, I will be so very happy…" With that, Luke shook his head, and with Duncan at his side, began to head slowly to the door.

Those words were all it took to start Jeff crying, and now, as Luke walked away, he began to sob, as Nick cried at his side. Half of those in the room were every bit as stunned at the new twist in the tale, and were frozen in place. The other half knew that they now had a new relationship to attempt and save. Seth was left in the worst position of all, torn between his roommates, and his two fellow Warblers. He just shrugged, bowed his head, and sat quietly in his seat.

It was Santana that dashed to the door to bar the exit of the two younger boys as Jeff began to wail as Nick held him in his arms, his heart broken as he realised that he was responsible for driving a wedge between himself and his cousin. Mike was as white as a sheet, knowing that eventually people would conclude that he was responsible just as much; after all, he had phoned Tina, and started the whole thing. Sebastian went to take a seat by Seth, who now had his head in his hands. He sat down by him and raised his head to face him. He did so just as Santana stood in front of Luke and Duncan. In those faces, they saw the same thing. What they saw made them shake their heads in disbelief.

"This is not cool," whispered Sebastian to Seth. "Just wait until Thad and Wes find out. Have you ever been hit by Mr Bangy…?"

"Ok, so even by my standards, this is cruel and twisted. It is worse than the original and I am ashamed to say I know you right now," said Santana in a low voice. "This ends right now, or I will go all Lima Heights on you. I can guarantee that some of the other people in here will feel the same way. I mean, do I need to call your mothers and tell them about this?" With that, she frog-marched the two young men back over to where Niff stood, wrapped up in each other's arms, in floods of tears. The rest of the room watched in bemusement, apart from Seth, who looked on in woe, and Sebastian, who looked as if he was about to kick off. Once she had them right in front of the other couple, she turned to them, arms folded, and as Sebastian walked across to stand by Nick, she said loudly, "Well, go on then! You have about one minute left!"

And then Luke uttered the words. "It's not very nice when something horrible like that happens, is it? But hey, guess what? April Fool!"

There was a sharp intake of breath from every corner of the room as they all realised what Santana and Sebastian had, and suddenly saw what was taking place. Luke, with assistance from Duncan, and probably, to a very small extent, from Seth, had just turned the tables, and played almost exactly the same kind of prank on Jeff and Nick. He had let them believe that their actions had caused a massive rift between them, and that a strong family bond was about to be torn asunder. This time, however, there had been an audience of their peers to witness first hand what was going on, and the devastating consequences.

In an instant, they could all see the reaction to Luke's words in Nick's face. His sadness and grief had changed to outrage and fury as if someone had flicked a switch inside him. All that Nick could see was that his husband had been reduced to a sobbing mess in his arms, broken by well chosen, well aimed words, and as was always the case when someone hurt him, Nick immediately hated the person that had done it to him. Sebastian had anticipated this, and that was why he had left Seth to stand by Nick's side; to be ready to grab his irate friend before he pounced on Luke and attacked him. That was a real possibility, and as a result, the tension in the room was palpable. The room fell totally silent, as even Jeff's wails of anguish had come to a sudden, abrupt halt.

Luke was staring at Nick, as the latter stared back at him with a snarl on his face. All the bravado that Luke had had moments earlier when he had snapped out those words had vanished. He could see the fire burning in Nick's eyes, and it frightened him. He almost wished now that he had not done it; had not convinced Duncan and an extremely reluctant Seth to go along with him. The fact was that as he and his two companions had been about to walk into the subway in Bushwick to head to the diner, his mom had called. She told him that what he had heard from Flora was wrong; that Jeff had just called her sister, and told her that it was all a joke gone wrong. He had hung up, and promptly let out a yell of total rage, frightening Duncan and Seth. He had spent the morning feeling hurt, bewildered and distraught because of a prank. He had almost turned there and then to go home, but Seth had convinced him that they should carry on with the plan to head to the diner, so that he could confront them and get the apology that he deserved, rather than letting the whole thing fester for days. It was once they were on the 'L' Train that the idea had come to him, had grown, and had become the plan. It seemed though that his plan had been every bit as ill-conceived as his older cousins. In fact, his might actually have been ten times worse. He felt tears starting to form in his eyes again, as Duncan took his arm, his own face crumpled and sad. Across the room, Seth was staring blankly into space, looking lost. Luke had a feeling that he had just lost a man that was not just his cousin, but a good and loyal friend…

And then they all heard it. A faint noise at first, but then growing more distinct.

Jeff had started to laugh.

'Oh, Lord!' thought Sebastian. 'He's had another breakdown, and this is the hysterical laughter coming!' Nick also looked worried, and a bit tired, understandable as his mind had just been through the entire gamut of human emotions in the space of a couple of minutes.

Then Jeff lifted his head, revealing his usual smile. "Oh, boy. At least now we know which side of the family all of my pranking genes come from. That was a pretty nasty trick to play, but maybe we deserved it after what we did. You really had me convinced that I had lost you, Luke."

"It was too cruel. Is shouldn't have done it! I was just so angry after I had been left so upset, and all of it for nothing. Duncan and Seth just went along with me, by the way. They're innocent in all of this."

"Not entirely," said Duncan.

"And I could have done something to try and stop you," added Seth.

"Just as Nicky and I could have said something sooner, and stopped this whole sad affair right in its tracks so much earlier," said Jeff. He turned to his husband, and placed a hand on his arm. "Now, Nicky, you need to calm down before you burst a blood vessel. I was hurt, distraught and in bits, but then, so was Luke. I'm ok now, and so is he, I hope. I mean, there is just one thing we have to do from now on, and that is watch these two closely, as I think they are after our place as the Princes' of Pranks…"

"It isn't just the fact that they hurt you that has me mad, Jeffie," said Nick. "I'm annoyed by the fact that they got one over on us!"

Jeff burst out laughing again at that admission - and in a moment both Luke and Nick had joined in. Alongside, Duncan looked just the tiniest bit baffled by the whole thing, whereas Sebastian just shook his head, and wondered quite how Wes had endured all those years of playing the peacemaker amongst these guys without cracking up.

"So, is that everything back to the way that it should be then?" Brittany whispered to Santana.

"I think so. I hope so," came her answer. Santana paused as she watched Jeff pull his cousin into a hug, and smiled. "We all just need to remember, this time next year, not to believe a word that any of those guys say, because if this happened again, I might be serious when I say that I am going to kill them."

Lunch that day at the diner was not the awful affair that they had all imagined it would be. People tried to forget the events of that morning that had brought them there, and instead focused on the friendships that they all cherished so much. Nick and Jeff did still have to deal with some phone calls though. The first came from Tina, who told them off loudly for doing something so stupid and irresponsible; then Mike took the phone from Nick, and told her off in no uncertain terms for spreading what he had told her in confidence to Flora in the first place. He was tempted to tell her that it had caused Luke and Jeff to have a massive fight, but in the end he kept that to himself. Thad called too, of course, and used his call to reiterate his disapproval, and to inform them that he had found out what David had said to them, and once Wes had finished talking to him, he had weighed in with a stern admonishment of his own. That news got a laugh from around the room, as they pictured the poor young man sitting there, whilst two men with gavels shouted at him. Even Sebastian laughed, although he fully empathised with Thad's position.

It was nearly one o'clock when the door opened, to reveal Grace, standing there in her smart office attire, and with a facial expression which let them all know that she had come to voice her own opinion. The others all pretended not to listen as she took her brother and his husband to a quiet corner, where they could have at least a modicum of privacy, and then gave them a long speech about the dangers of immaturity and irresponsibility. The married couple said nothing as her tirade continued, then once her speech was finished, she said "Of course, I knew it was all garbage from the start!" then took her leave, collecting a sandwich and a coffee to go to consume on her way back to work. After that, people started to drift away, back to the tasks and chores that needed to be done; back to the plans they had made before what was now being dubbed 'Niffmegedon' had been predicted. Mike had been promised a special dinner that night, and he accepted, before he headed off to put in a few hours at the dance studio - after all, his finals were not that far away.

Just as Niff were about to head out the door, Nick's phone started to ring again. This time it was Flint, with a very vocal Ethan in the background. Flint announced that they were still waiting for a personal apology from the two young men, for the fact that they had broken their hearts that morning with the worst prank ever in all of world history. As the call was on speakerphone, everyone could hear, and Jeff took umbrage. "I would strongly disagree with that assertion! I think that label applies to the one where a person, or persons decided that even after the disaster we had with the council table collapse prank, that it would be hysterically funny to glue Wes to his chair at the table a few weeks later."

"Ok, but in mine and Drew's defence," Ethan began, "we had no idea that Mrs Carmichael would come in, and that Wes, being his usual dapper self, would offer his seat to her before he had a chance to sit in it…"

"I always wondered which idiot had done that," said Flint. "Ethan, I am ashamed of you!"

Jeff laughed at the note of disapproval from Flint, but carried on. "Yes, you couldn't have known, anymore than we could have predicted that Mike and Sam would be silly enough to share the news with the two biggest gossips in the western world!"

"Ok, I can agree with that. Shall we just say that what you two did today ranks at the same level in the lexicon of Warbler pranks as the glue on the chair?" said Ethan.

"We can agree to that," said Nick.

"And we can all agree that the continuation of our beloved Niff is the best thing ever," said Flint. On that statement, none of them had any cause for disagreement or dispute.

Once the two young men went on their way, life at the Spotlight returned to normal, but would only do so that day for a short while. The door opened, and Beats walked in, trying his best to look casual. Elliott spotted him, and his face lit up at the unexpected visit from the man he loved. He failed to notice that Wes was at his side. By the time that Elliott had made his way over to hug Beats tightly, Wes had left his side and had headed across to Michelle, who was also happy to see him. "Hey, Birdy, to what do we owe this unexpected pleasure? If you have come to tell off this two idiot pranksters, then you are too late, as they have headed for home, suitably chastised by their colleagues and friends, I should add."

"No, cuz, it's not those two that are the reason behind my visit today. I have been keeping Beats company. He had to go back to the hospital, and now he has been given some news that he really needs to share with Elliott in private."

"By the look on your face, the news isn't exactly good…"

"It's not all that bad either though. To be honest, it is all a bit of a mess. If you could spare Elliott and your office for a few minutes, I would be grateful."

"Consider it done."

"I would also like to borrow Dani for a few minutes, as a bit of moral support for Elliott. What he is about to hear will knock him sideways, and she had always been a calm and rational voice for him. Kurt will also be joining us."

"Ok, now you actually have me worried," said Michelle, glancing across at the two young men that were still hugging. "I take it that it is related to the actions of a certain Mr Gilbert, and you think that Elliott is going to blame himself for the consequences?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I am predicting. Although, in all honesty, what he is about to be told shows that his father's actions produced something that is the opposite of a bad result… It's complicated, and you will find out what is going on soon enough, but just now…"

"Elliott is the person that needs to know first," said Michelle. All she hoped was that when he was told, the young man would be ok in the aftermath.

The moment that Beats told Elliott that he needed to talk to him in private, he was worried. There relationship had been going so well, and the incident with his father had only served to make them stronger as a couple, or so he thought. They had been less physical with each other since that day, that much was true, but he had attributed that to the fact that whilst his ribs were healing, Beats did not want to risk causing him any more pain in an accidental touch. Beats had also come to sit quietly in a corner of the courtroom as his father was committed for trial, although there was a large part of him that felt that such an event would not be a good idea. It would only serve to increase further the animosity between sons and their parents and sister. He had not broached the subject yet with his boyfriend, but he was certain that when he did, Beats would know exactly where he was coming from, and agreed to a deal that would offer them all protection in the long term.

So why was he now scared that everything was about to fall apart at the seams? Was it a reaction to what he had seen that day with Nick and Jeff? Or was it the deadly serious look on Nate's face as he had said those words? He could not bear to lose him, not now… As he followed him into the back office, Elliott prepared all of his arguments in his head, all the thing he would say to keep his true love at his side. It was only once they were in the office that he realised that Dani had come with them, just as he noticed that Wes and Kurt were sitting at the desk. The presence of these three additional people did little to quell his deep rooted fear that he was about to lose the best thing that had ever happened to him. He took a seat as Beats motioned him towards it, Dani perching on the arm of the chair at his side. Elliott involuntarily held his breath, as he waited to hear the worst…

Beats was not unaware of the fear that was written large on Elliott's face, and he knew that he had to act quickly, and just get it over with to save him pain. "Ell, I asked you in here because there is something that I have to tell you, and you aren't going to be pleased by it."

"Look, whatever…" began Elliott, but he stopped as he saw Kurt shaking his head at him and placing a finger to his lips.

"Ok, my love, there is no easy way to say this, so instead I will just show you…" Beats pulled his new glasses out of his pocket, and put them on.

At once Elliott started to cry; to wail; to just plain lose it. "Oh, God, no! This is all my fault. I am so sorry, it's all my fault, and if you can't forgive me, I get it. I just want you to know that I am so, so sorry, and that I still love you, and always will," he blurted out, tears running down his cheeks as Dani placed an arm around him.

Beats sighed, then said, "I love you too, and always will, Ell. Now stop those tears, and more importantly, stop taking the blame for something that you did not do! It was your father that attacked me, and that was only because I chose to intervene when he was hurting the man that I want to spend the whole of my life with! It is true that the blows that I took to my head that day did affect my vision, but that cleared up, and it is not the reason why I have had to get glasses now. In fact, much as it pains me to admit it, I'd have to say that I actually have to thank your dad, because without him, things could have ended up so much worse." Beats stopped, as he had to laugh at the incredulous look on Elliott's face at that statement. "Before that day, I had always been a martyr to tired eyes, to pain if I read for too long. Flint had been nagging me to go and see someone about it for weeks prior to it. I just thought that it was eyestrain. If your dad had not hit me; if I hadn't ended up in the hospital, I would still have been ignoring the issue, and still have been putting off a trip to the doctor. I would still be unaware that what I was suffering was not an eyestrain, but the earliest symptoms of glaucoma."

"But that's awful!" gasped Elliott. "How bad is it?"

"Because it is still in the early stages, nowhere near as bad as it could have been if I had kept on ignoring Flint and not even mentioned it to you. I'll need to put in eye drops every day, and the glasses will be a permanent fixture on my face when I need to read. It will get worse, I'm afraid, over time. That much is true, but there are things that they can do now they know about it that will slow down its progress, and reverse some of it. It was a huge shock to me, and I am so grateful that Wes insisted on coming to the hospital with me, after I had stupidly resolved to say nothing to you and Flint about my appointment today. Then again, he probably knew what was going on… The thing is, it is not the end of the world, and it is not going to leave me blind in the space of weeks. There are only two things that I hate about it; firstly, that I have to be grateful to your dad; and secondly, that Flint is never going to let me hear the end of this…"

Elliott looked at Beats and his serious face as he made his last statement; a face that he actually had to admit actually suited the pair of tortoiseshell glasses that sat on his nose. "I think that is terrible; having to be grateful to that man for anything is not at the top of my list of fun things, if I am honest… I am glad though that you found out what was going on, and that you will be able to live with it. I have to admit that I actually really like your glasses; they are very on trend, and unlike so many of those hipster types that come into the diner, you actually have to wear them."

"Not for everything," said Beats. "There are some things that I will be taking them off for…"

"Erm, you do realise we are all still in the room?" said Dani, with a laugh.

"I meant for a shower, or when I am at work tonight, actually!" said Beats in a mock scandalised tone. "I have no idea what else you could be inferring, young lady!"

At that, Elliott started to laugh, and was joined within moments by everyone else present. The potential crisis having been averted, Wes and Kurt took their leave; the former had a pile of paperwork to sort through, and Kurt wanted to head to see his dad. As they left, they both wished Beats luck with Flint later. "I have a horrible feeling I might need it," he replied with a sigh. "He will go on about this, absolutely non-stop, for hours on end."

"He will, and he should!" replied Elliott. "If I'd known that you were having those kind of issues with your sight, I would have dragged you howling and screaming to an optometrist myself! Promise me, here and now, in front of a witness, that you will tell me from now on if you are feeling ill, so I can help. I will do the same myself, naturally."

"If that means that Elliott stops telling me all the time, then I am in complete agreement with those sentiments, Beats," said Dani. "Ok, I am going to get back to work. I will tell Michelle that the two of you just need a few more minutes to sort things out. Just behave, ok!"

"As if we would do anything else!" came Elliott's response as she walked out and closed the office door behind her.

Alone, Beats turned to his boyfriend, and took his hand. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you what was going on, Ell. I just thought that you had enough worries of your own without my troubles - and I never imagined it would be anything too serious. It turns out that I was wrong, and I have to admit that if Wes hadn't been around to nag me…"

"It's ok - I am sure that you did what you did with the best of intentions, but from now on, if it worries you, it concerns me. I still feel so guilty that you got dragged into all of this."

"Well you shouldn't, because I got myself into it, and I would do exactly the same again if I had the chance to do it over. I love you, Elliott Gilbert, and nothing can or will alter that fact. Your battles are my battles now, and that applies to Josh too."

"I love you too, Nate. It's just…" Elliott stopped as he saw Beats frown. "Ok, so we are doing secrets? Well, I have been keeping one too, from you and Josh. I don't want the case against my dad to go to a trial. It will drag me, Josh and you into the press spotlight, and there are some people out there who would use us to make their case; would abuse us for it. It won't solve anything in any case, just make them worse. If my dad goes to jail, and he probably would, then it would enrage my mother, and the consequences of that might make everything that has happened so far seem like a Disney film."

"You want to cut a deal, don't you? Fine by me, trust me; but it has to be watertight, and it can't be all for his benefit. It can't disrupt your life, nor those of Josh and Scott for that matter. He has to pay for what he did in some way. He might have had a hand in getting me to get my eyes checked out, but he also put the pair of us in hospital, and he traumatised Josh. As long as he is punished, and as long as Josh agrees with it, then I will go along with a deal. I have seen more than enough of courtrooms what with Hunter's trial and all…. I still can't believe it was all over two years ago. So much has changed since then…"

"Yeah, an eventful two years… Three Warbler weddings, engagements, you becoming partially my boss, and of course, poor Wes…"

"I suppose I am your boss. I've never really given it much thought before, but yes, I am. So, as your boss, I should encourage you to stop slacking and get back to work. As your partner, I want a kiss first. Then I will have to go and face the music with Flint, and let school know where I have been and why. Then, if you aren't working on Sunday…"

"I won't be; I'll make sure of it," said Elliott, before he leaned forward, and his lips met Beats', the two of them sharing a deep kiss, filled with joy, hope and love.


	14. April Fool's Day 2016: Part V

**April Fool's Day 2016: Part V**

As Beats and Elliott made the most of their few moments of privacy in the office at the Spotlight, Sebastian was finally settling down with a coffee and his books in his little apartment in Murray Hill. He might have completed his practical exams for his second year at NYADA, but he still had to prepare for his written assessments on such delights as music theory and stagecraft. Dave was not home, as he was also being kept busy, running a coaching session out in Queens; his performance there was also being assessed, and he would not be home until much later. He probably was blissfully unaware of all of the day's events, as he stored his phone in a locker whilst he was working.

Naturally, the peace that Sebastian was finally able to enjoy after his busy and stressful day lasted no longer than it took him to read a couple of pages of his first book. That was when he heard the knock at the front door, and with a sigh, he went to answer it, knowing that where he was sitting was in full view through the window, so he could not just ignore it. His annoyance did not last however, once he saw who was standing on the threshold. He flung the door open and invited Julian in. Since his brother had moved to New Jersey a few weeks ago, Julian had become a fairly regular visitor, and Sebastian and Dave had been over to his place in Maplewood a few times too. His brother's new house was every bit as attractive as his previous one in Las Vegas. There was a part of Sebastian that had to admit that he would love to live in something similar in the suburbs one day, but for now he craved the bustle of the city, where there was always something going on, and his friends were close by. In a decade or so, he could picture himself, Dave and their kids in the 'burbs, but not right now.

He made a fresh pot of coffee, then settled down with his brother, his books set to one side, for a fraternal catch up. "So this is an unexpected pleasure on a Friday afternoon Jules. Are you playing truant from the office?"

"I was owed a day's leave, so I took it, actually. Plus, I do have a dinner date with Isabelle, so I decided to head over earlier and catch up with my little brother. At least that was my original plan…" replied Julian.

"Ok, so that sounds ominous. What's going on Jules? I hope that it is nothing too drastic, as I have already had to contend with hours of practicals, fixing everything after a Niff joke went badly wrong, and dealing with a number of stressed out Warblers on the phone."

"A Niff joke gone wrong… So Nick will have had a trying day as well. That's not a good thing, given the news I have to tell you, as it does impact on him as well, probably even more than it does on you." Sebastian cocked an eyebrow and wondered what on earth had happened that could concern both him and Nick. "Ok, so I was talking to my mom, who said to say hello by the way, and she broke the news to me last night. You know how dad retired at our insistence as State Attorney?"

"At the prompting of his two sons that had had enough of his lying, and had more than enough blackmail material to sink him forever…"

"Well, it seems that he has found himself a new role. He is getting involved in party politics in a big way. He has positioned himself right behind the presidential bid of Donald Trump."

"Now that is no shock at all. He and father would probably get along famously. Wait, please tell me that he isn't actually…"

"Oh, no, he isn't running for election to Congress. He knows full well that if he even tried that, that the two of us would sling so much dirt about him to the media that he would be lucky to make it out alive. No, he is running the electoral campaign for the 12th District, the one that contains Westerville, for a man that is also a strong supporter of Trump. A man that has his own ideas about how America can be made great again, starting with a complete ban on gay marriage, and forced annulments of all those marriages that have already taken place; he wants to axe all funding for the arts and colleges like NYADA; and he also wants to see anti-bullying policies in schools made illegal."

"Ok, so I will stop you there. If I didn't know better, I would say that Gordon Clarington is alive and well and the candidate. The policies that this nut job is proposing certainly sound like the idiotic ideas that he would foster. He and father dear certainly sound like a match made in heaven. Can I ask how our father met this nut? Was it at the gun club by any chance?"

"He first met him at a meeting that was held after the steroid scandal engulfed Dalton Academy…" said Julian.

With those words, it dawned on Sebastian who the candidate was. It had to be, given all that Jules had said. "It's Nick's dad, isn't it? He is the ultra right wing nut that is supporting the Donald, isn't he?"

"Yup, it is. He was in New York in January, apparently, and from what mom told me, he went to pay a visit to Nick…"

"And from what I heard, a naked Jeff gave him a flea in his ear and sent him packing."

"That was the day that he wandered into a pro-Trump rally in an old church in Bushwick; a rally that was being addressed by the man himself. That was how it all happened. The two of them talked, and Duval was sent back to Ohio with a list of contacts, and before you know it, he was put up as their preferred candidate for Congress. At the Republican selection meeting, he brought up how close he was to Mr Trump, and that was it; he was selected. He fully expects to be in Congress in December…"

Sebastian looked at his brother for a moment, then let out a sigh that came from the depths of his soul. "I take it that Mr Duval has policies that concern things other than the persecution on the gay community, and allowing kids to be beaten up just for fun? I'm guessing that even in parts of Ohio, that would not be enough to get you elected to the federal government."

"He's doing all of the Trump stuff about bringing back jobs, and making America great again, so the less liberal minded will love him and accept all of his other policies. Plus it helps that the district that he wishes to be elected to has a Democrat candidate that is unpopular even within his own party, let alone amongst the undecided electorate. That is why he has chosen to try and get elected in that district of Ohio; even our father was astute enough to realise that his original plan to stand against Burt Hummel in Lima was doomed to failure. After all, Burt is popular with all the groups within his district, and he will be re-elected with no problem whatsoever; would be even if The Donald himself was standing against him. My mom seems convinced that Mr Duval will win, unless someone comes along that can split the Republican vote, or some big scandal emerges that will make him unpopular amongst his key constituency."

"It would have to be a hell of a scandal to turn off the white, uneducated, illiterate redneck slobs though," mused Sebastian, making Julian smile. "Given that, we need to find a strategy to keep him out of Congress, that is both legal and above board. We could encourage a 'write in' campaign so that another person dilutes his share of the vote, I guess…"

"True; that might work, but it would be finding such a candidate. They have to be alive to start with, and human. After all, even the worst idiots wouldn't vote for, say, a dead gorilla." Sebastian laughed at Julian's new suggestion, but part of him wasn't entirely convinced that what his brother had surmised was true.

It was then that he realised something else. "So, your mom knows, because someone that knows dad told her. Mr Duval has had a few meetings with Trump supporting Republicans, and they have selected him. But it hasn't been announced to the public at large yet, has at, because otherwise, Nick and Grace would know…"

"I guess that is true, although they have probably had to register him as a candidate with the electoral board by now."

"So, I guess I am going to have to be the one to break the news to Nick. After all, if his mom or her parents knew anything about this, they would have passed the news on to him and Grace. They have a right to know what is going on, so that they can begin to deal with this in their own way. Nick needs to be warned before he and Jeff are dragged in, as they inevitably will be, to the mud slinging of an election campaign. As for Grace, she might be able to find some legal loophole that can stand in the way of her dad ever getting to Washington DC."

"I don't think that even she would be able to stop his candidacy, Bazzy. He's an American citizen; he has the weight of a political party behind him, and he is a slick operator, all the more so with out father behind him. All we can really do is hope that the good people of the district have more common sense than to elect him. Now, let's set the bad news aside for a moment and get back to us as brothers. How did your practicals go?" Sebastian smiled, and for a while they ignored the situation in Ohio, and just caught up on events in their own lives, laughing and joking as brothers should do.

Once Julian left for his date with Isabelle, however, Sebastian had to return to the matter in hand. He grabbed for his phone, and sent a text to Nick, telling him that he had to speak to him as a matter of urgency, and if he could Skype with him, he would be eternally grateful. In less than two minutes, Nick's face was on the screen of his laptop, although he looked more than a little flustered. "Ok, Sebastian, this had better be important. I'm sorry to be so abrupt, but I am in the middle of making an apology dinner for Mike, and I can't leave Jeff unattended in the kitchen for too long, so what is going on?"

"Julian came to see me, and he brought with him some frankly disturbing news from Ohio, which I think that you ought to know, but I wish that the task of telling you had fallen to someone other than me… So, anyway, your dad is standing for Congress, and he is backing Trump. My dad is apparently his campaign manager, and that connection is how Jules found out."

"My dad is standing for…" Nick stopped and shook his head. "You do realise Sebastian that pranks have to stop at noon today, or they don't count for the whole April Fool's Day concessions?"

"I am aware of that, but I'm afraid that this isn't a joke. I have gone online, and his name is there; his registration documentation is all in order. Your father is standing as a Republican candidate for the 12th District of Ohio."

Sebastian looked up and saw that Nick had gone white as a sheet. "I don't know what to say at this point Seb… I never in a billion years imagined that my father would go into politics. I.. I need to speak to Grace. She needs to know. Will you thank Julian on our behalf? If he had not passed this information on to you, I doubt that we would ever have found out until it was all too late."

After he had ended the Skype call, Nick sat in silence at the computer, staring at the blank screen, mulling over what he had just been told. The very idea of his father being in any sort of position to wield any kind of influence, no matter how small, over the future of the country filled him with horror and fear. He knew that in Ohio there were probably more than enough people who shared at least some of his principles that would happily vote him into office, particularly in that district; as he recalled it, the Democrat candidate had done badly the last time in terms of votes. He knew that he should be doing what he had told Sebastian he would do, and should be on the phone to Grace, to share the 'joy' with his big sister, but just now he felt completely numb and full of despair. He had to do something to prevent his father getting into Congress, but what?

He was still sitting there, deep in thought, some ten minutes later, when Jeff hurried into the room in search for him. He might no longer be a total disaster area in the kitchen, thanks to a lot of patient tuition from Nick, but he had no idea what needed to be done next for the meal they were cooking. Jeff took one look at him, and knew something was wrong. "Nicky, what is it? What has happened now?"

"It's my father, Jeffie," said Nick quietly. "He has done something that I never could have predicted. He is trying to get himself elected to Congress, as a Republican, naturally, and he is 100% behind Trump."

Jeff stared at him for a moment, then slumped down on the couch, his head in his hands. "That is the worst thing I have ever heard, potentially… Ok, there is nothing we can do right this minute. So, first things first, we have a dinner to prepare for Mike. We owe him for all of the stuff we put him through this morning, and so I need the chef back in the kitchen ASAP, as things were starting to smoulder. You come and tell me what to do, and then I am guessing you will need to call Grace; you can talk to her whilst you supervise me in the tasks you delegate. Then after dinner, we can sit down and decide what we are going to do to prevent this travesty from taking place, because as far as I am concerned, that man takes a seat in Congress over our dead bodies, Nicky!" Nick nodded, and followed his husband back into the kitchen. He was right; there was nothing they could do right now, so he had to carry on as best as he could.

His call to his sister ended up being short, and her reaction was much as he could have expected; anger that something like this could actually be happening, given all that they knew about his history. It was safe to say that the party did not know about the violence he had used and threatened to use on his son in the past, Grace thought, or more likely they just did not care, given his policy statements… After Nick had rung off, Grace went on to her office computer and performed the same search that Sebastian had done. Seeing the evidence there in black and white for herself made the whole thing no easier to deal with. She feared the worst already; the policies and statements of Mr Trump had been proving very popular amongst certain sections of society, and there were a heck of a lot of people like that in the 12th District. The notion of that man being in Washington made her blood run cold, and she could only imagine how it would make Burt Hummel feel, given what he knew about the man's history. Like Nick, she had to resign herself to dealing with it later, and thus returned to her final preparation work on the case that she would be arguing in just a few weeks; a case that would also impact on her brother in some way, but a case he still knew nothing about.

Mike returned home that evening to be greeted by the sight of a contrite and apologetic Niff in the hallway. His coat was taken from him and hung up; his bag stowed in the closet, and then, after he had freshened up a little, he was escorted to the fully laid dining table. He sat down to enjoy the meal that had been prepared for him as an apology, although if truth be told, Mike had already forgiven his two roommates before they had even appeared at the diner, once he had been told the truth by Sebastian. He also knew that at least some of the blame for that day's debacle lay firmly at his and Sam's door, but he did like being waited on hand and foot for a change, and if it made them feel better, he was not going to stop them.

It wasn't until after dinner that he finally discovered the reason that Nick had seemed distracted and quiet all evening. The news upset Mike too, as he had witnessed the man in action at the start of the year. Like the man that he was throwing everything behind, Mr Duval was not squeaky clean, polished material in any sense of the word.

"He has to be stopped from reaching Washington DC!" said Nick, passion evident in his voice. "Maybe I could press assault charges for what he did when I came out…"

"I'm not a lawyer," said Mike, "but even I know that it was a long time ago. Plus there is the fact that you didn't go to hospital for treatment of the injuries you sustained, so there is no official record. I doubt the case would stand up."

"You're right, I know, but… We just need something to spoil it for him; something that will ensure that he has no hope of winning."

"But what that might be, I do not know," replied Jeff. "I'm sure that things will sort themselves out in the end, Nicky. We could always call on Wes for advice."

The three of them sat in silence for a moment, continuing to eat and think. Then, suddenly Mike shouted out. "A rival! We need to find an alternative candidate for those Republican voters that detest Trump and all that he stands for. I've seen the news reports, and there are a lot of them. We need to find somebody that is right wing, but not a borderline fascist."

"That might work," Nick conceded. "Problem is, how do we find someone in Ohio who would be prepared to stand for election to Congress, and who we could trust not to turn on us in a heartbeat if it suited them?"

"I might already have someone in mind, actually…" said Mike, a grin on his face. Nick and Jeff looked at each other, then back to Mike in anticipation. "She stood for election to Congress once before, but that decision and her attitude then prompted a far better man to join the race to ensure that she did not succeed. She isn't a friend, per se, but she does like the two of you, and she abhors a bully. I think that she would agree to do it just to see that your father suffered for all that he did to you, Nick. Plus, she did see him in action at your wedding. If you haven't already guessed, I am suggesting that we run the idea by Sue Sylvester. She might well agree to do it, if for no other reason than the fact that she craves the kind of influence that a place in Washington DC could give her. I admit that I do not know her opinion of Mr Trump, but I have a hunch that she will not be a big fan of his, given his forthright views on women."

Nick was left sitting in open mouthed silence as he looked straight at Mike. He actually had a very good point, and he had the feeling that the presence of another Republican candidate might well dilute the vote enough to ensure that his father could not win.

"I think that I might be in agreement with Mike on this one, Nicky," said Jeff. "She does like us, and if she does end up in Congress - well, should the unthinkable happen and that man actually wins, then hers will be one vote that no house leader could ever control. I would suggest that we need to have a chat with Burt, check out the rules on nominations and stuff. We might even ask Kurt to go and sound her out, as we all know how much she loved her sweet Porcelain. If he asks her, she would be even more likely to agree."

"I admit that it is the best suggestion that we have, although the idea of Sue in Congress does not fill me with undiluted pleasure. It's getting late now, so I think we should leave calling Burt until tomorrow, and see how the land lies. After all, there may be some rule that we are unaware of that says that we cannot have her register as an alternative Republican… I do hope not though. All that remains for me to say is a hearty thanks to you Mike, for being brilliant enough to suggest this."

As the three young men drank a toast, they did not notice that Kurt was standing in the corner. He had heard his name being mentioned and had arrived just in time to hear the tale end of the conversation. He had worked out what was going on, and he had a few reservations. He was not sure for starters how pleased his dad would be at the prospect of Sue sitting in the opposite side of the house, although he was certain he would see her as a better choice than the obnoxious Mr Duval. He was sure that Sue would probably relish the chance to beat a man like him into the ground, but only if she was approached properly - and that would have to be by someone on earth, not just him.

All things considered, it had been an eventful day, Kurt mused. From what Wes had told him, the three young men in the room in front of him had had quite an eventful time of it before the latest bombshell had been dropped. What had come as a surprise to him and Blaine had been the identity of the mature person that had managed, almost single-handedly to defuse the situation that had blown up from the whole prank affair, and had then proceeded to deliver the bad news about Nick's father in a calm and sensitive manner. They had been the last person that Kurt had ever anticipated being the voice of sanity. Wes had always had faith in Sebastian, and it seemed that he had been right. He would never have the wisdom of Kurt's fellow angel, and he would never have made a good Head Warbler, but he had all of the attributes now of a mature man, not a teenage boy. That made him unlike the two married men in front of him, at least when it came down to jokes. He knew that the two of them felt suitably chastened by all that had happened that day, but he also knew that if the opportunity presented itself, they would still take it and try to get a laugh.

Shaking his head at the foibles of young men, he suddenly realised that he was being watched intently. He knelt down and held his hand out to Caleb, who came up and nuzzled his head into it lovingly. "Your humans do get themselves into fixes, don't they? I think that they have a big fight on their hands now, and that isn't necessarily a bad ting. If nothing else, it will distract them from ill-thought out jokes." Caleb looked up and stared at him. He knew that the angel was right - and he only hoped that in all of the fighting, they would remember to feed him…

As the three roommates in Bushwick debated the issue of how to defeat Nick's father, Beats and Flint were preparing for another Friday evening at the bar in Princeton. It was true that their journey here that evening had been different, in that they had not been as talkative as usual. As Beats had imagined, his arrival back to the apartment they shared in Princeton had been interesting. He had just had a discussion with his tutor, and he had been extremely sympathetic to his issues; he had contacted several other members of staff at once to make them aware, and almost all of them had agreed to allow Beats to redo some of his work, or had given extensions on the due date on the papers he still had to complete. It was a great relief to both Beats, and his tutor, who had been wondering why his marks had been declining, and had been about to schedule a one on one session to investigate potential issues. All in all, that meeting had gone well.

The meeting at home had gone almost exactly as he had expected, although it had been tempered slightly by the intervention of Ethan. He had been the only one home when Beats arrived; he had noticed the fact that his friend was now wearing glasses immediately, and had listened patiently as the reason why was explained. "It must be a relief to have found out what was wrong," Ethan had sympathised, "but I am guessing that you are dreading the moment that our other roommate finds out…" As if on cue, they heard the front door being opened, and Flint calling out a greeting to them. "Ok, so I will stay here, and I want you to know that I will have your back, and intervene if he gets on his high horse with you." Beats nodded, as he heard the footfalls of his best friend coming down the hallway, then took a deep breath.

"Ok, so where were you today, Beats?" came his voice before he had even stepped into the room. "A couple of people asked me if you were ok, as you hadn't been in class, and I didn't know what to tell them. I hope you had a good excuse…" Flint's voice stopped as he stepped into the room, and was confronted by the sight of Beats sitting there with a pair of glasses on. His face betrayed his emotions in the silence; a mixture of concern, curiosity and disbelief.

"I was at the hospital," Beats replied. "I've spoken to my tutor, and he has let all the teaching staff know why I was absent. It turns out that you were right; it wasn't just an eyestrain that I had, but the start of something far more serious. The good news is that they have caught it in time to be able to do something constructive to prevent the worst case scenario, which was me going blind. The bad news is that these glasses will now be a permanent fixture on my face. Now, before you say it, yes, you told me so, and yes I should have gone to get myself checked out sooner. If it hadn't been for Mr Gilbert, I'd still probably be ignoring you, and sticking my head in the sand. So, yeah, I should have listened to you - and next time, I will."

"Yeah, maybe you should. I know that I nag, but it's only because I care… Ok, I sound just like my mother there, so I'm going to leave it at that! I bet you were expecting me to raise the subject time and time again from now on, but the fact is, you got it checked out, and they know what is wrong, so that's all good. I wish that nothing had been wrong though. So, are you keeping the glasses on tonight? I mean, some of the audience might like them, but I'd be worried they might fly off at some point in the routine…."

Ethan started to laugh. "Ok, so this is surreal. Flint is more concerned about your glasses falling off as you two strip off, than anything else. This is not a conversation I ever imagined hearing two of my former classmates having, ever…"

"That's true, but it's more fun this way," said Beats with a grin. "In answer to your question, I won't be wearing them later. I think that is taking the preppy geek chic a little too far. And for the record, you don't sound anything like your mother - you didn't mention marriage or religion casually in the sentence; and you only nag because you care, and I love the fact that you do."

"Anyway, I am going to go and freshen up, and maybe someone could make a start on dinner whilst I am. I have to admit that I have built up an appetite, and I need to keep my strength up for the physical jerks later on. Incidentally, we have had a few more applicants for the job - maybe we could go through the them before the show?"

"Ok, cool," said Beats, as he got up to go and start on preparing a meal. Without warning, Flint walked over and hugged him, then vanished towards his room. "Well that went a lot more easily than I imagined," he whispered to Ethan. "Maybe Flint is getting more mellow in his old age…"

Now in the dressing room, the two of them waited for the moment they had to go on stage. They were quiet as they had been shocked by the applications they had received for the job of being the new Preppy Boys. Shocked by the graphic photos in some; by the lewd suggestions in another; and horrified by the fact that two had asked how much they should charge for extras, even though they had explicitly stated that they did not do that, nor would they allow their replacements to do so. With only two months to go, it was beginning to look as if they would never find anyone to replace them…


	15. April Fool's Day 2016: Part VI

**April Fool's Day 2016: Part VI**

When the news of Nick's father's candidacy for the forthcoming congressional election emerged, it was a surprise to all of them, and the fact that he was standing not only as a Republican but with backing for Trump had just made it all the more revolting to come to terms with. The news had leaked out gradually, and all of them had every bit of sympathy for Nick; all were equally glad that it wasn't Sebastian's father that was standing. It had also healed all and any resentment that had still been felt over the prank, which had been consigned to history, never to be mentioned again. Luke was still wary of his cousin, and no longer believed every word that he said without question, but he also realised that there was fault with his sister, who should not have listened to Tina and accepted every word that she said as gospel truth. He had been invited for dinner at the loft, and he and Duncan had attended, insisting that they bring Seth too. There had been apologies all round for a few moments, and then they had eased their way back into the old ways, as if none of the madness of April Fool's Day had ever occurred. As Jeff put it, good family were more important than anything else, and now that there was a threat to be overcome, they had to stick together. That Sunday lunch saw all the problems caused at the start of the month set behind them.

Then on the Monday morning a fresh set of issues arose, and this time it directly impacted on Luke, Duncan and Seth. They had grown quite contented living together in their little apartment in Bushwick, and even the threat of the demise of the L Train had not put them off renewing their lease when the time came. That they did not have to do until the summer, and they had all anticipated it being a mere formality. So it was a shock when the knock on the door came first thing that Monday morning, and Duncan opened it to reveal their landlord's mother. She was immediately invited in, all of them glad that they always kept on top of the housework, so that the place was presentable. Seth insisted on making her a cup of tea, and she felt unable to decline. It was once she had it in her hands that she told them the bad news. Her son had been offered another promotion up in Albany, and this time the new position was a permanent one, that would keep him upstate for many years to come. His wife was also expecting another child, and so a larger house would be needed there. In consequence, they had decided that they no longer needed to hang on to the apartment in Bushwick as an alternative home for the future, and given that property prices might actually fall when the subway closed down, they had decided to sell up. They had an old friend that had always coveted their apartment, and they were more than interested in buying it. They wanted vacant possession. She was apologetic, but she had called that day to give them notice that they would need to move out in three months' time.

After she left, the three young men convened a council of war in the sitting room. They could not blame the owners for wanting to capitalise on their investment, and for wanting to settle down now that they knew their move was permanent. It was a nasty shock nonetheless, and it meant that they would have a very busy few weeks as they desperately sought out somewhere new to live in the city. Seth was already on the lookout for a place for his three cohorts from Dalton that would be heading to the city after the summer, and that made it his role to break some very bad news to his roommates. "This is not going to be an easy ask in such a short space of time. As you know, I have been trying to find somewhere for the guys since before Christmas, and everywhere that I have found that is within their budget is either miles from transport, or in an area that you just wouldn't chose to live in. We are going to have the same issue, I'm afraid. I know that Nick and Jeff have been looking too, and are struggling to find somewhere that suits all of their wishes."

"Do you think that more options would open up to us if we combined forces with the Dalton guys and looked for somewhere for the six of us to live in?" queried Luke. "I know that Duncan and I like our alone time, but we could manage if that was just in the bedroom, I guess. The fact is it might help us save money, as we would only need three bedrooms for the six of us, rather than trying to find two two bedroom places."

"It would, there is no doubt about that, but we are still going to face an issue in where we are actually going to be living. With this area out of the question due to the subway closure, we are probably looking at the southern end of Brooklyn, the Bronx, or the dreaded option…"

"Jersey City," said Duncan quietly. "I have heard that it is not that bad, and you can get over on the PATH Train pretty quickly to NYU. I know that it isn't New York, per se, but if it means we are more comfortable, then I guess we have to do it." He turned to Luke, who nodded in agreement, a sad look on his face.

"Right. I will take a look at what is available in Jersey City, and I will speak to the guys, not that I anticipate them having any problem with living with the two of you."

"No, nor do we. In fact, it will be nice to be the second of two couples in the place, given that Colin and Edward will be together too. Then again, that fact might drive you and Skylar crazy…" said Luke. Seth said nothing, but silently thought that he might have to spend a lot more time at work to avoid the lovefest that would be their new apartment.

Luke broke the news to Jeff later that day, feeling that his cousin, who had found the apartment for him, deserved to find out before he walked into the store and she apologised to him for throwing his cousin out. Jeff was sympathetic, and also worried. True, they had a plan to save themselves a bit of money on rent, but Jersey City was very much up and coming, and the prices there might already have raced upwards with the knowledge that Bushwick was about to became a lot less desirable. He was also concerned that if they moved there, and he and Nick moved to Pelham, he would no longer be close by to assist if there was a crisis for the younger guys.

Although there was no easy solution in sight for the growing accommodation crisis amongst them, they had a plan to deal with the other big issue. The only question was who would approach the lady in question, and would she even go along with it. True, Kurt could be sent in, as they all knew just how much she had loved her sweet Porcelain, but they all agreed that the initial approach had to come from someone that was still here on earth. Nick considered making the journey to Ohio himself, but that would not be easy, between the increased workload as the school year came to an end, and his commitments at both the Law Library and the Spotlight. A partial solution did come to light quite by chance. Jeff had called Trent to discuss a totally different subject, but the talk soon came round to the major issues that were afflicting those in New York, and to the thorny subject of Mr Duval. Trent could sympathise, knowing that even Burt was struggling to keep hold of the voters in his own District, as those that had once been amongst the most loyal were swayed by the political rhetoric from the businessman. To that end, he was planning on holding a number of meetings in the Lima area the following weekend, and had asked Trent and Rory to go with him. As he was well ahead with his coursework, Trent was able to spare the time, and had agreed to help set up a rally at McKinley. The moment he said those words, Jeff knew what the solution to the problem of Sue was…

When Nick eventually found time to ask Trent, the initial reaction was not exactly favourable to say the least. Although Sue had mellowed a lot since she had first appeared on the radar of the Warblers, she was still quite an intimidating figure to Trent, and he had never had the misfortune to actually be in the same school as the lady in question. Yes, he had told Nick that he would do anything that he could to assist him with the issue of his father's candidacy, but there were limits on that friendship. Rory had walked in halfway through the conversation, and he had blanched at the prospect of having to talk to Sue one on one again; it had been bad enough on the handful of occasions when their paths had crossed in his year at McKinley…

"Look, guys, I know that it is a big ask, and if there was any practical way for me to get up to Lima this weekend, I would go myself and face her. The fact is that we need to get her candidacy registered by the end of this month, and even that will be late in the day. If I have to go myself, then it will be the graduation weekend at Dalton, when we will all be busy with a wedding too, and by then I think the deadline for registrations will have passed," said Nick, pleading with his friends. "I think we can get Kurt to be in the room with you, and he can back you up. We all know that Sue has a soft spot for him."

"I like the idea better that we are the back up for Kurt…" said Trent. He sighed, and continued, "Ok, I will do it. We will probably run into her as we are setting up anyway and if we can tempt her with the chance of power, then she will lay off us as we set up for the rival party. I mean, she might like Burt as a person, but she still hates his political leanings. Just so you know though, you and Jeff will owe us a favour, ok."

"That's ok by me, though Jeff might not see it that way! Anyway, I will write you a letter to take to her, and I will send it to Burt's place in Lima, because I am guessing that is where you will be staying. A handwritten plea from me, Jeff and Grace will carry a little extra weight. Just make sure to tell her everything that happened at Jeff's place that Saturday afternoon, and the fact that I had been injured by him the night before. Sue might be a right winger, but she doesn't approve of anyone being injured because of their sexuality."

Nick wrote his letter that night, a mixture of pleading for her assistance for his own benefit, the fact that she was the only possible candidate for the job in question, and the fact that she would quite probably win, given that she was a well known figure in the media, and a strong woman, which would appeal to the female electorate that was increasingly resentful of some of the things that Mr Trump was coming out with. In fact, he sang her praises so strongly that both Jeff and Mike asked him if he was feeling ok when they read it for him. He signed it, then handed it to Jeff to do the same. To his shock, Mike insisted on signing it too, reckoning that the more signatures they garnered on the letter, the bigger the boost to Sue's ego. Given that theme, the letter was duly taken across the landing, where even Rachel agreed to sign it. Santana suggested taking it to the diner, and by the end of the following day, when Nick posted it for urgent delivery at the Post Office, Artie, Kitty, Marley, Ryder and Mason had all added their names, barely leaving space for Grace and Cooper. All Nick could do now was hope that this overwhelming display of support would be enough to sway the lady into agreeing to stand on their behalf.

It was still with trepidation that Trent and Rory entered the corridors of McKinley on the Saturday morning, not knowing quiet what sort of reception they would receive. Sue they knew would be around, as she had a big Cheerios practice scheduled; she had tried to argue with Principal Figgins that the rally should not be allowed as it would disturb her cheerleaders, but had been defeated. Therefore it was on virtual tiptoe that the two young men approached her office and knocked on the door. There was a brief moment of silence before a voice from inside shouted, "Well come in, let's get the grovelling over with!" They opened the door to see Sue sitting there, leaning back in her chair, and fixing a glare on the pair of them. They also saw the figure of Kurt standing to one side, which gave them both cause to breathe a sigh of relief. "Ah, the Leprechaun and the Informer. Porcelain here told me what I was going to be asked, but he didn't tell me which of you was coming, and I must admit that on such an important errand, it is a disappointment that the Klaine Alternative couldn't come themselves. Still, I guess I can understand why; I must be an intimidating figure to young men used to being in the company of their own gender at all times. All that testosterone…"

Trent just nodded, conscious of the fact that Rory was cowering behind him. "As I am sure Kurt told you, ma'am, Nick would have come here himself if he had not made other commitments that he could not break. He has sent us as emissaries, and has asked us to pass on this letter from him, and indeed his sister, in which he tells you his reasons for requesting that you consider standing against his father."

Trent took the envelope from his pocket and handed it to Sue, who nodded, and put on her glasses. As she read down the letter, they all saw how her expression darkened as she read about what he had done to Nick on that fateful day, and about the little things that he had continued to do to Nick ever since. She had witnessed his behaviour at the wedding first hand, but until that moment, she had not been aware that he had tried to send Nick away to a conversion camp. That was the factor that triggered her sympathies for him; if there was one thing that she detested more than wishy washy liberals, it was the fundamental Christians that tried to change people. In the end, all they succeeded in doing, if the statistics she had seen were to be believed, was making people suicidal.

"So, what you have be sent here to ask me is to split the Republican vote to such an extent that his sorry excuse of a father has absolutely no chance of making it to Congress. Much as I would like to ensure that he does not make it to the House, I see a flaw in your plan, namely this. If I split the vote, then by default, the Democrat might well win, and that is also unacceptable to me. Don't get me wrong, I think that it is high time that we had a woman President, but not the particular woman in question as far as I am concerned. On that basis, I must say no, although I am very flattered that he thought of me as the ideal candidate to oppose the idiot they have chosen."

Trent nodded sadly, and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, at least we can say that we tried to prevent Mr Duval from getting to Washington. I guess that we need to start looking for another candidate, although given that the person that Burt Hummel feels is without doubt the best possible person for the job has just turned us down, it will not be easy."

"Wait, I'm sorry, did you just say that Burt…"

Kurt, who up until that point had been silent, now spoke up. "Yes, my dad did say that if he had to face another Republican in Congress, then he could think of no better person than you, Coach. He knows only too well that had he not stood against you, then you would have been elected here in Lima back in my Senior year. After all, you are a strong woman that will not let herself be pushed around by anyone; a woman that would vote with her own conscience, rather than toe a party line that she does not give credence to. A woman that would stand with him to fight for the best for our kids, for our schools, for Ohio. A woman that would support his attempts to get more done for those in our country that are less able, for whatever reason, to defend themselves against those that say the state should do less."

Kurt paused, to let his words sink in. As he did so, Rory dug into his bag, and pulled out the document that he and Burt had been working on for several months; the basis of a bill that would guarantee the rights of those with disabilities of all kinds to equal treatment in all areas of public life, at all times, and make it an offence to show any sort of discrimination against them. Burt had support from both sides of the house, but the balance was close, and any extra voice that would be there to back him up would be helpful. It was a bill that would appeal to Sue naturally, given her experiences with both he sister and Becky, but it was a coincidence that he had been planning it, and Rory could prove it. "Now, before you say anything about it being a lousy trick, just check the dates on the bottom of this first draught, and on the letters of support from across the house. Burt, Trent and I have been working on getting this right for about six months now. We need more assenting voices in Congress to make it law. Your voice would be helpful - and I should also point out something here. In recent polls in the 12th District, 4 out of 5 voters said they would vote Republican, but some of them expressed concern about the policies of Mr Trump, particularly women. Based on that, if you split the vote and won, you would still beat the Democrats. Much as it pains me to say it, the Democrats don't have a hope in the 12th; all we need is a decent human with morals and decency to be selected. We had kind of hoped it might be you. If you aren't willing, then we just need to start searching for someone else…"

Sue looked up from the pile of documents that Rory had given her, all of them indeed dated for months earlier. Before she could speak, Trent handed her another sheet of paper, the article on which started with the words "The poll results…" She looked at them, and saw that they had been telling the truth. The Democrats really didn't have a hope in the 12th, and the idea that such an odious man could be elected; a man that supported all the divisive and frankly idiotic policies of that reality TV star…

"Well, what can I say? Porcelain, your father is a man that I have political differences with, but he has done good things. Between you, the Leprechaun and the Informer, you have presented a compelling argument. It would be unwise of me to give you an answer right now, but I will give it my thought tonight, and I will let young Mr Sterling-Duval know my thoughts in the morning. However, at this moment, all I can say is that my earlier reply to the suggestion was too early and ill-judged. If this state and this nation need me, then it would be remiss of me to stay here in my comfort zone…"

"That is all that we can ask ma'am," said Trent. "Thank you for your time, and I would like to add that if you do chose to run, although myself and Rory cannot be seen publicly to assist you as members of Burt's staff, there are ways that we can do so through an intermediary." With that, the two young men left to go an prepare for the rally, leaving Sue alone with Kurt.

"I think that you already know what your answer is… I think that you could be a very good member of Congress. Not many people get a second chance at it, and if it also means that you get to defeat a nasty piece of work in the process, then so much the better surely? Of course, as a journalist, you could legitimately call Mr Duval up at his work and ask him a few questions about his intentions, promising of course not to report on it until his candidacy is officially announced. It probably isn't strictly above board in the circumstances, but when has that ever stopped you?" He smiled at her, then took his leave. Sue shook her head, and then picked up the phone. She needed to find the number of the Duval law firm…

The following morning, Nick was just about to start on his breakfast when his phone began to ring with an unknown number. His initial thought was that he should not answer it, not knowing who it was, but then a little voice said he better had. He answered, but before he could speak, he heard a voice. "I will do it. I spoke to your father last night, and he is by far the most arrogant, bigoted, small minded halfwit I have come across in years, and that is saying something when you come from Lima, Ohio. The man had the audacity to speak down to me, and I think that was the thing that persuaded me. He seems to have the same attitude to woman as the man he seems to worship. It is time that he found out that this woman will not only stand up to him, but will beat him so badly in Ohio that he will never be able to hold his head up in public again. He might think that with Smythe as his campaign manager he can't lose, but trust me, I know some things about that creep too. So, you have a candidate. You and that sweet husband of yours owe me for the remainder of your lives, but we can discuss that later. I'm meeting your mother today by the way, although she seemed rather startled when I invited myself over. From what Kurt tells me, she was quite a successful woman herself back in Illinois, and she resents your father forcing her to give all of that up. I'm going to ask her to run my campaign. That would be a nice touch, don't you agree? Anyway, I have work to do. We will talk later."

Nick was still sitting at the table two minutes later, unmoving, when Jeff walked in. He saw the look of horror on his husband's face, and sat down next to him. "Nicky, what is it? What's happened?"

"Sue has agreed to be the alternative candidate, which is good. The thing is, I feel that I might just have done a deal with the devil… But, needs must. My father can't be allowed access to the power that Congress brings; he would just abuse it for his own ends and undo everything that is good. Sue might well abuse her authority, but it won't be for vindictive reasons, nor will she do anything extreme like banning show choirs in schools - at least, I hope not."

"I'm sure that she won't do that Nicky. She might try, but I can't see that gaining much support even with the most radical rednecks. There are far more important things that they will want to concentrate on. The one thing that we can be certain of is that the campaign is going to involve a heck of a lot of mud-slinging, and some of that mud might end up heading our way. Like it or not, we are going to be brought up, and you in particular. We might not live in Ohio anymore, but that won't stop the media coming in search of us - and Sebastian for that matter. After all, his dad is also going to be in the spotlight, as he is always going to be close to your father's side in the hustings and such like. We'll weather the storm though, as we have each other and we have our friends." Jeff pulled Nick into a hug, and the latter relaxed gratefully into it. He knew that his husband was right - for the next seven months, normality might be suspended at any moment when a camera crew appeared. The worst thing about that would be if anyone put two and two together and realised the role they had played on television at New Years; they had avoided the media scrum then, but it might not be so easy this time round.


	16. The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part I

**The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part I**

The thirteenth day of any month is supposed to be unlucky, particularly when it also happens to fall on a Friday, but it did not seem that way in May of 2016. It marked the end of semester at Columbia, and so for Nick and Jeff at least, there was a sigh of relief as they finished a second year at college. They would no longer have to cross the city on the subway every morning, and that was a blessed relief for a start. The weather had been warming up for a while, and the trains seemed to get more and more crowded, cramped and sweaty every day. The last two weeks had been non-stop for both of them; a combination of work, study and examinations, both written and practical. They had seen very little of each other - in fact, they had often only seen the other fast asleep in bed for a whole day, and it was the same with Mike. Caleb was still being fed - probably overfed as he was a very good manipulator. A series of notes had replaced conversation as the key means of communication between the three of them.

The two young men were both reasonably confident of success in their respective examinations; Nick already knew that he had aced his practical mock case. Jeff was still waiting, however, to find out his grading for _The Judging Angel,_ which he had only submitted in the last hour possible on his deadline day. It had been a challenge to move it from the small room in which it had been created to the hall in which it would be assessed; it was only due to the assistance of a disparate group of custodians, who all knew Jeff from his regular nocturnal sessions, that he had managed to get it there at all. He would ever be grateful to them for volunteering. As class ended that Friday, the two young husbands did not head straight home, nor did they head for a bar like many of their contemporaries. They instead headed downtown in the direction of Julliard, as they had made a promise which they now had to fulfil. As they headed in the direction of the subway, Nick noticed a headline on the board of a newspaper stand which made him pause to pick up a copy of the _Times_. They had all been so caught up in their work in New York that none of them had even realised what had been taking place that week in Boston…

It wasn't that surprising that they were unaware, as Michelle had only told the partners that she was going to visit her parents, and Wes had not enlightened any of them to what was happening either. They had both known at the start of April that the trials of the three members of Wes' family were to take place starting in the first weeks of May, starting with the trial of his grandfather, Randall Montgomery Senior. The older man had entered a guilty plea, and thus his trial had been very short. There had been no need for witness after witness to produce evidence on the stand, just the prosecutor giving all of the necessary information to the judge, under the watchful eye of the defence lawyer. The judge had not taken long either to decide on an appropriate sentence for the once prominent business mogul, a man now discredited and reviled. He would spend a few years in prison, and was banned from ever being a director of a financial services organisation ever again. For his part, Randall Montgomery made a profuse and heartfelt apology to all those that had been caught up in the fraud, and announced that he had also instigated divorce proceedings against his second wife, whose influence had been at least partially responsible for the situation developing. He also went on to publicly condemn the actions of his eldest son and more or less disowned him, saying that his actions had been reprehensible, unlike those of his two others sons, Albert and Wes.

The latter had of course been there to witness events in person. He had felt no anger towards the man in the dock, having forgiven him for being cold and distant towards him, given what he now knew. He had cried openly when the man he now knew to be his grandfather had stood up and told the world how good and special he was. That trial had ended on the 5th of May; that of his mother began on the 9th. Wes had spent his weekend catching up with those that he knew in Boston. Mitch and Gabriel had been only too pleased to have him around, with the latter insisting that Mitch tell him exactly what he was wearing to satisfy his curiosity. All the time, Gabriel was hoping and praying that the day that he would be able to see Wes for himself would come sooner rather than later.

The trial of Wes' mother had been very different from that of his grandfather. She had refused to admit any part in the actions that she was accused of, which was not a sensible plan, given that there was evidence, in her own handwriting, of everything that she had done in connection with the restaurant fire for starters. She continued to protest her innocence at all times, which only served to incite hatred from the jury when they had clear evidence of her guilt in front of them. Whilst her husband had eulogised Wes and her younger stepson, she attacked them both with such bile and venom that had even the smallest amount of sympathy existed for her beforehand, it had quickly evaporated. Wes had managed to remain coolheaded throughout the entire trial, resisting hard the temptation to send troublesome draughts in her direction from his wings every time she was particularly vile. The final nail in her coffin had been on the Thursday, when she finally noticed Michelle sitting up in the public gallery. She began to scream up at her in such shocking tone and word that the judge had been compelled to add additional charges to her rap sheet. It had therefore come as no surprise to anyone but the lady herself that she was found guilty by the jury that afternoon, in less than five minutes, on all the charges that had been laid against her. The judge had also been swift to pass sentence, and sent her down for a minimum of 20 years, which was the sum total of all the sentences for the crimes she had committed, as they were to be served consecutively.

It was after that sentence had been handed out that she began the rant which had made her headline news in both Boston and New York. It was that which had earned her the headline in the _New York Times_ that had attracted Nick's eye. Her outburst was printed verbatim, it having been recorded carefully by every journalist present in the courtroom. Nick scanned it once as he walked, then stopped Jeff and pulled him over to the side of the sidewalk so that he could read it out to him…

" _After the honourable Judge Gordon had delivered what most believe was a highly appropriate sentence, he asked the defendant if she had anything that she wished to say. He did so not expecting to hear what he and the rest of those assembled in the court did. With fire blazing in her eyes, Mrs Montgomery proceeded to inform the judge that he and the rest of the legal system in the state of Massachusetts had no idea what true justice was. She continued 'All that I ever did was try to love and protect those two boys that had lost their mother at such an early age. Randy was the troubled one, and he needed all the love and comfort that I could give…'"_

"Well, she certainly gave him that!" exclaimed Jeff, who then went quiet again after a look from Nick, who continued to read.

"' _All I am guilty of is loving them and trying to protect them as their mother would have done had she lived. If the owner of that restaurant had just served Randy, which is his job after all, then he would never have done what he is accused of…'_ \- Oh, well done! She has just more or less said that he did do it before his trial. - _'I only made the decisions that lead to the financial irregularities at the Montgomery business because I was trying to give those boys, my stepsons, all that they demanded from life. I have subsequently been repaid by being stabbed in the back; I have been accused of the unthinkable by Randy, and thrown to the sharks by the evil, calculating Albert, who should be here now, on trial, for the crimes he has committed.'_ I notice she doesn't state what those crimes are… _'I wish now that I had left that household and that family far behind in the aftermath of my patient's death, as then my life would not have been destroyed by my husband, who has deserted me in my hour of need in favour of his two ungrateful children. He, Randy and Albert have used and abused me, and now have dumped me here to pay the price for their own failings and misfortune…'"_

Nick's voice trailed off as he read the next line. His heart ached for his friend and mentor, who he knew would have been there, at the back of that courtroom, and would have witnessed all of this firsthand. "It's about Wes, isn't it Nicky? What she says next… Words cannot hurt him, because all that she says about him will be a wicked, nasty lie. We know the truth because we know him! I want you to go ahead and read out her lies so that I can scoff at them."

Nick smiled, and carried on. "Ok, if you are sure, Jeffie, then here goes… _'But the worst thing that happened to me in that whole period of time was the birth of my own son. From the moment that he was born, that boy looked at me with disdain. He had his father's preppy outlook and attitude, and saw me as an object below his contempt. Wesley was nothing but a source of friction, and I wish now that I had had him aborted at the time. If he was still alive, then he and Albert would no doubt be in cahoots; he would be revelling in all of this, and would see it as poetic justice for all of the perceived slights he felt he had been shown during his life. He was nothing but a snob - and whilst the world eulogised him when he was killed, I was glad to see the back of him. Dalton Academy is welcome to his ashes. That school and the friends he made there are just as much of a waste of space as he was…'_ " Nick stopped reading as he heard a sniff, and instinctively he wrapped his arms round his husband as he burst into tears. As he blinked away the moisture in his own eyes, he flung the newspaper in the direction of the nearest trash can, unable to read anymore. In doing so, he thus missed the smaller article lower down on the front page, with the headline _Judge to rule on Clarington Legacy case._

Michelle and Wes, standing there in the court, had been left speechless by the attack on him by his own mother. Worse still, they had not been alone in the court that day. They had been joined that morning by Mitch and Gabriel, who sat in shock next to them in the public gallery. When Mrs Montgomery had finished, the other people around them began to react, with some cries of "Shame!" being audible above the general booing. The judge had taken a few moments to bang his gavel, and call the court back to order, as he too longed to attack the woman before him for her attitude, but in his position he could not.

As Michelle began to cry, Mitch had moved over to take her hand, as he had seen that Wes, his initial shock over, had moved down to the floor. He stood in front of the stand where his mother still stood, her face suffused with rage, then turned his back on her. He then proceeded to give his wings an almighty flap. His mother screamed as she was blown backward to the floor, caught off guard by the sudden blast of air right at her. Everyone else in the court just assumed that she had stumbled backward herself, the rush of air not having impacted on anyone else. Mitch and Michelle had seen exactly what had happened, and had to struggle against the urge to either laugh or cheer. Sensing their change in attitude, Gabriel turned to them, and whispered "Did Wes just push her over?"

"No, he would get into trouble upstairs if he did that," said Mitch. "Let us just say that a blast from Wes' wings can be very strong…."

"Now that I would have love to have seen," sighed Gabriel, and then he made a silent plea to anyone that was listening that he might be given the ability to see his friend once more, and not just hear him, sooner rather than later.

Immediately after he had blown his mother over, not particularly caring if it got him into trouble with the heavenly authorities or not, Wes considered just leaving the scene; heading off to visit his beloved Thad, or even willing himself off to Italy to see Albert at home in his new surroundings. Even just heading back to the office seemed like a very good option. Then he glanced over at Michelle, and knew that he had to stay where he was for her sake; plus there was no doubt that Mitch and Gabriel would want to speak to him too. So it was that as the court staff went to assist his mother to her feet, he made his way back up to the gallery, passing people who were trying their best not to laugh at the sight of the woman that was now flailing about in the hands of the police. He did not turn round to glance back at her as the judge ordered that she be taken away, sent to whatever prison would be her home for the next two decades. He knew that she was still his mother; the person that connected him to Michelle, but at this precise moment, he never wished to see her ever again. Then he recalled that his mother had a hatred of orange clothing, and well, he had to try hard not to grin out of delight. After all, he had his reputation to protect…

"Well Birdy," said Michelle quietly as he drew close, "that was quite a spectacular move on your part. She will tell anyone that will listen that she was felled by a mighty gust of wind - and they will probably have her sent straight off for psychiatric assessment when she does…"

"Oh dear," said Wes in reply. "She hates the whole concept of psychiatry almost as much as she detests jumpsuits and the colour orange…" His deadpan tone was enough to make Michelle giggle - and start off Mitch and Gabriel too.

"I have to admit that I liked that little wisecrack there, Wes. The fact that you are restraining yourself from laughter reflects on what we all knew - that you were a thoroughly decent human being," said Gabriel. "If my mother had just done something like that, I would have been entirely consumed with anger - but not you. All you did was accidentally blow her over. That is why you are an angel, but then, you always were compared to the rest of us. You were kind, tolerant, thinking solely of the needs of other people… I bet that even now your only thought is how your boys are going to react when they read about the events of today. You know how they will react as well as I do; with a mixture of sadness, indignation, and an outpouring of love towards you that the rest of us could only dream about. I was a Head Warbler, but you were **the** Head Warbler. You don't need her; she can't touch you, not really. She is the fool, because she rejected you. I am so lucky that I had the privilege to know you during your life, and even more fortunate to still be able to hear you now. And if that is all that I can ever do, then I will be more than satisfied…."

Gabriel stopped as he realised that both Michelle and Mitch were now staring at him. "Well, that was a speech from the heart," said Mitch. "Every single word of it was true though, we would both have to agree. She is nothing - and she is paying the price now for all that she has done to other people through abusing her position."

"My father has disowned her already. She tried to get him to pay for some grand, fancy lawyer, and he might still have done so, as family is so important to him, if it wasn't for what she did to their business at Christmas. I hope that they give her the brightest orange jumpsuits that they can find," added Michelle.

"I don't actually hate her; if anything, I actually feel a little sorry for her, and a bit guilty that she is going to end up in prison," said Wes. "I often wonder if she would have ended up in this situation if…."

"We will never know, Wes, but I do know that if you had never lived, the Warblers would have been a lot worse off, and as for Michelle and her family…" said Gabriel.

"He's right," said Mitch. "If you hadn't been around, then I might have been in line for the Head Warbler job! Can you imagine that? I have, and it wasn't pretty!"

Wes laughed at that, then turned to look at Michelle. "If you weren't born, then I would still be here, working for my parents and my mad aunt. I would never have been in New York to meet Ollie, would never have ended up at the helm of one of Manhattan's finest diners, and I would be so bored! You Birdy are the one good thing that ever emerged from all the Montgomery mess…"

"Hear, hear! Thankfully, you are also still around, ready to appear to assist your family, particularly your Dalton one, whenever you are needed, guided here on those magnificent white wings, tipped with Dalton colours…." Gabriel stopped speaking then as his eyes went wide, as both Mitch and Michelle turned to stare at him. "Oh, my! You are even still wearing your Dalton tie," Gabriel continued, his voice growing smaller, until it was choked off with a sob of delight.

Mitch and Michelle had both known what had happened at once, as had Wes, who now for the first time that day was grinning from ear to ear. "Welcome to a very special club, Gabe my old friend! A speech from the heart was all it took to tip the balance…"

Gabriel nodded, and then turned to Mitch, who took the older man into his arms, and let him weep for joy that he could now see Dalton's very own guardian angel.

* * *

Back in New York that Friday afternoon, Nick and Jeff were not aware that another person had now been given the opportunity to see their angelic friends yet. Even if they had been aware, their minds would not have been on that good news having read that newspaper article. As they had travelled on the subway, they had discussed what to do with the information, and they had both agreed by the time that they arrived at the designated meeting point that they would not say a word about what they had just read in the paper until after they had done what they had promised to do to help and support their roommate, and best non-Warbler friend. They were not the only people that were involved that afternoon by any means; when they arrived it was to find that Santana, Brittany, Marley, Kitty, Mason and Sam standing waiting.

Santana looked at them, then at her watch. "Cutting it a bit fine boys…"

"Sorry, we were held up on the way out of school, and then the subway seemed to crawl along after it took forever to come," said Nick.

"Well, you are here, which means that we are only waiting for the meerkat now," said Santana, looking pointedly in the direction of Sam as she spoke.

"Don't look at me! I'm not to blame. We were making our way out of NYADA when he was called back and asked to go and see Carmen immediately. He knows what time he needed to be here for, and if he can get away from Madam Tibideaux, he will make every effort to get here. And for heavens sake, there is no point in sending him yet another text!" Sam exclaimed as he saw Santana pull out her phone. "If he is on his way, he will be on the subway, with no signal. The last thing we want is his cellphone blowing up with a series of angry texts from you the minute he gets here!"

"I'm guessing that might be why my cellphone started to buzz like a demented bee the moment that we stepped out of the station," mused Nick.

Before anyone could speak, Sebastian appeared on the run down the narrow corridor that they were all standing in, sliding to a halt next to them. He opened his mouth to apologise, but he didn't have the opportunity to speak before a door was quietly opened right in front of them to reveal Tina, who beckoned them with one hand, the finger of the other on her lips. After all, what they were about to do wasn't strictly in line with the established rules…

Mike had received the date for his final practical assessment in the middle of April. The official E-mail had popped into his inbox one morning as he was enjoying a quiet breakfast with his roommates. In one way, it was good; it was on the last day of his last term, in the early afternoon, and he thus had more time than some of his fellow students to prepare himself and his performance. The problem was that there was a note attached to the letter; he was to perform three pieces, two of which should be in his main discipline, ballet; but the third had to be one in which he exhibited his ability in other styles of dance. This was not a big issue really, as Mike had trained in the other forms back at Joffrey. The real problem was that he was not just going to be observed by the college's appointed assessors, but by the head of recruitment for the City Ballet, who would make the final offer of a position within the company based on what he saw that afternoon. That was a massive ramping up of the pressure upon him. His whole future would now effectively be decided on the basis of that one half hour in a room in Julliard one afternoon in May…

He had asked of course if he could invite anyone to come and watch, and was informed that whilst the auditorium was open to members of the public, he had to restrict the number he invited to two. Mike knew that he had to make Tina one of them, and whoever he chose to join her had to be capable of dealing with her. So in the end he had decided to ask Artie, and had told him to ensure that he brought his camera with him so that the event could be recorded for posterity. If he passed, then it was a record of his achievements; if he failed, he would be able to analyse it and see where his performance had gone wrong. Naturally, only Mike saw himself as failing and from that day on, all of his friends had done their best to give him the support that he needed. It had been Tina who had hit on the scheme for today, completely behind Mike's back, and once she had seen his chosen music, she knew what they could do. Furthermore, as she had been to Julliard so often, and knew her way around behind the scenes, she knew the location of a neglected and rarely used access to the backstage area of that auditorium…

Artie had remained in place in his spot at the front, his camera hidden in his bag on his lap, just in case the filming of performances was against the rules. Tina was known to the assessors, and she had told them that whilst Artie would sit at the front, she would sit elsewhere, so as to avoid distracting Mike. That had left her sitting in a dark spot from which she could easily creep down into the wings to allow her friends to enter in secret. She had prepared them all roughly beforehand, so the boys knew where to go and stand when she pointed, and the girls knew to follow her to a spot from which Mike would not see them and react to their presence. They had just to wait for the moment when the music began.

They stood in silence as Mike made his way to the centre of the stage and introduced himself, before he answered a few questions. Then he made a subtle nod to the side of the stage, thus indicating that he wished his music to be cued. He had chosen to began with his modern dance piece; as the intro for _Land of a Thousand Dances_ began, Mike started to move in his usual free and effortless style; as each dance style in the song was named, Mike danced a few steps of it. Then when the lyrics of the song asked for someone to help him sing it one time, Mike managed to hide his shock as suddenly he was aware of voices erupting from the side of the stage. He recognised some of them, and he smiled inwardly to himself. He knew at once what had happened, and who must have done it, and he could not feel any happier with the level of support that he was receiving.

If the assessors had noticed that the backing track seemed to have developed a live element, they showed no sign of it as Artie watched them carefully from his seat at the front. Their eyes were fixed entirely on Mike, as he move effortlessly across the stage, almost appearing to glide above the surface as he did so. There was no way in the time that he had been allotted that he could dance anything like the thousand dances that the song title spoke of, but he appeared to be giving it a good try; that much was obvious to everyone. Artie sat and watched his friends fluid movement with pride and just a touch of jealousy, as he wished, not for the first time in his life, that he was able to be up there with him, shadowing him on every move. He clung to the hope that one day science might allow him to do so; yes, there were devices that would permit him to walk, albeit jerkily, but there was nothing yet that would allow him to dance in the free way that Mike could. Those devices that did exist were expensive, but not outwith his reach; maybe he could hire one for his wedding day, so that he could at least walk down the aisle with Kitty, and maybe move slowly around the dance floor just once… He realised suddenly that he had been so caught up in his thoughts that he had missed the end of that first song; the music had stopped as Mike took a brief break and then answered some more questions from the panel of judges about his performance. Artie was glad of two things at that point; firstly, that his own train of thought had distracted him enough that he had missed the end of the first dance, and had not therefore start to applaud, which he guessed might be frowned upon; and secondly, that no-one was asking Mike where the extra voices on his backing track had come from…

For those behind the scenes, there was great joy that all seemed to have gone well. Tina had offered all of them a thumbs up, before she had left them in silence to make her way back to her spot in the dark auditorium. As for the others, they knew that they should make their way back to the corridor, but then the second piece of music had begun, and once more Mike was moving about the stage, but this time with a poise and grace that had not been quite as evident in his first dance. Santana knew a little about ballet from her childhood; those long ago classes had remained in her memory, and now all she could do was watched in awed silence as Mike gave it his all. His movements seemed to be fluid and free; he did not need to think about what he was doing, his body just performed them. He leapt across the stage, each landing perfect. His poise was perfect, each move aligned perfectly with the rhythm of the music. His face conveyed the emotion of the piece too, and Santana suddenly felt proud and grateful that she was here to witness the culmination of all of his efforts. She was glad that Mr Chang had been persuaded to allow his son to follow his own course, and study what he loved; that he had not forced another career upon him, which would only have led to resentment. Sure, Mike would have made a good doctor, there was no doubt about that, but he would have been left with an inner sadness which could never be taken away; would have been reduced to dancing in those few brief spare moments of his life. That would have been a tragic waste of his obvious talent.

She could see the happiness on the faces of the three young woman at her side, and as she glanced across the stage, she could make out the dimly lit faces of the young men that had joined them that day. Sam and Mason seemed enthralled as they watched their friend do what he did best. Nick had an arm around Jeff, and the two of them were glowing with something akin to pride at the performance that their friend was giving at that moment; though, she realised, those two saw Mike less as a roommate and more as a brother these days. Then she realised something; there was no sign of Sebastian in that little group. He had arrived late, and now he had left early, and that led her to only one conclusion; his meeting with Carmen had to have been important. She was suddenly desperate to find out what had happened….


	17. The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part II

_Yes, it's not a Sunday, but I've decided to give my loyal readers a treat with an extra chapter this week. Hopefully you'll enjoy. Next part on Sunday as usual..._

 **The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part II**

Out in the corridor once again, his duty to Mike over, Sebastian was just finishing up the very quick call he had wished to make to Dave. He had first of all had to delete the missed calls and messages that had arrived en masse from Santana. Sebastian had big news, and he knew that in just a few moments, he would be grilled by everyone as the walked back out. He had decided that the first person that he wanted to share it with was his husband, as it should be, and so he had reluctantly crept away from the others as they watched the exceptional talents of Mike Chang. He had been spotted by Sam as he went, but he was more than happy to accept a nod and a gesture of a phone as a valid excuse. Thus he had left unseen by the others, retracing his steps and stepping back into the light of the quiet corridor. He had dialled the number, hoping that Dave would be available to answer. He took his time, but eventually his husband answered, sounding slightly breathless as he did so. He had been allowed to say no more than hello before Sebastian had just blurted his news out in an almost incoherent rush, which had just made Dave laugh, then ask him to repeat what he had just said a lot slower. Sebastian had laughed too, and had then done what his husband had asked…

Now Sebastian stood there as he slipped his phone away, his face glowing with pleasure as he repeated the words that his husband had said to him, and anticipated the promises that he had made for that evening. He contemplated calling Jules, but in the end he realised that his brother would be hard at work at this time on a Friday, and would not be too pleased at the interruption. He would just have to call him as soon after five as he could. He knew that his brother would be happy for him; heck, every one of his friends would be pleased for him. It was a sequence of happy coincidences that had brought him to this point; that had turned what had been a big disappointment a few days ago into the best thing in the world. He wanted to shout his news out from the rooftops, for the whole universe to hear. He wanted to see their faces as he spoke. Now, as he waited for the others to emerge, he was restless. He wanted to spread the news and now. Heck, he even felt like dialling the most special number stored on his cellphone, and telling every single thing to his good friend Bette… His finger was still hovering over her name on his phone when the door to the backstage area swung open, and he found himself once more in the company of the others. All of them seemed pleased with what they had just witnessed, and Sebastian had to agree that Mike had been spectacular in the one dance that he had seen.

"So, meerkat, why did you sneak away whilst the rest of us lingered to watch Mike perform what might have been the dance of his life just now? I mean, we all managed to stay and support him, so why couldn't you?" asked Santana.

"I had a call that I needed to make to my husband, oh mighty Satan, and seeing as I did not have time to call him on my way here as I promised as (a) I was late and (b) my phone was full of a plethora of spam messages from someone that made it impossible to call! Honestly, if they had sent me one more message, then I swear I would have been forced to call Dalton and cancel something…"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Just you try me! Though I have to admit, the thought of how devastated the lovely Brittany would be is an important factor in my decision so far not to do so." Sebastian turned and smiled at the blonde girl, who smiled right back.

"So, what was so important that you had to say to Dave? Was it anything to do with what Carmen wanted to see you about?" Santana continued.

"Well, firstly it was to make firm our plans for this evening, but yes, what Carmen said to me did end up dominating the conversation. I know you are desperate to find out what that was, but you will just have to wait until Mike is ready to come to the diner with us, and then I might just tell all of you exactly what is going on. Unless, of course, someone keeps bugging me, in which case I just might not bother saying anything at all."

"That's fair, I guess," said Nick, intervening before Santana could reply. "I am assuming that Mike will be finished very soon. Maybe he will know his fate one way or the other by then, and then our trip to the Spotlight tonight can be either a celebration or a commiseration session. Until then, we leave Sebastian in peace. All agreed?" There were nods of agreement all round to Nick's statement, even from Santana, though hers did appear to be half-hearted, much to everyone's amusement. As for Sebastian, he smiled and decided to send a text to his brother - and if he copied in a few other important people, then so be it.

In the auditorium by that point, Mike had finished up his third piece, and now stood silently centre stage, in the spot that he had been asked to wait in by the assessors. Tina had come down to join Artie at the front, her face exhibiting the nerves that she felt for her boyfriend. Artie saw this at once and grasped her hand, as all three of them waited for someone to speak and release them from their suspense. It seemed that the silence lasted forever, but eventually, the head assessor spoke.

"Mr Chang, what we have just witnessed from you today is not what we have come to expect to see from the young men and woman on this stage in the last few weeks, and for that we are extremely grateful. Your performance in all three of your pieces can only be fairly summed up as magnificent. Your body appeared at times to be possessed entirely by the music and your dance; your muse had obviously taken total control and you blew us all away, if I am being honest. The fact that in your first piece you managed to accurately exhibit every single one of the dance styles referred to in the lyrics was quite an achievement in itself. Then we came to your two ballet pieces; one traditional, one modern. I can say now without fear of dissent from any of my fellow assessors that your performance today was the best of any student in the graduating class, which is why we must burden you with the valedictorian speech at the graduation ceremony. My heartfelt congratulation, Mike. I look forward to seeing great things from you in the future, and also to meeting your parents, so that I can tell them what a special and talented young man they have raised."

As he sat down, leaving Mike standing there shell-shocked, the recruiter from the City Ballet stood up, and added his viewpoint. "I could not agree more with what has just been said. The official papers will follow in due course, but here and now, Mike, I would like to welcome you officially to the corps; I suggest just now that you relax, take a break, and then we will have you join us full-time. Many congratulations, and well done!"

Mike manages to find his voice long enough to thank all the people on the panel for their kind words and praise, and to tell them it had been an honour to perform for them. Then he was dismissed - the moment that he stepped off the stage he was immediately engulfed in a hug by an overjoyed Tina, then with Artie taking a hand to steady him, he was guided out of the auditorium by the main door. As they walked, Tina found time to send a text to Nick, asking him and the others to come and meet them. As soon as he was out of the door, though, Mike suddenly felt an entire wave of emotions engulf him, and he collapsed onto one of the benches by the door, just as the small group of friends that were present appeared. Nick and Jeff broke away from the others and ran over, each of them kneeling in front of their roommate, grasping his hands, before they looked up at him in expectation. "Top of the class of 2016 apparently," Mike whispered, and that statement found himself enveloped in two more sets of arms. In time, they were replaced by Brittany, Marley and Kitty. Santana extended a hand, but Mike pulled her in for a hug too, and she relaxed into it. There were fist bumps from Mason and Sebastian, but Sam demanded a hug too, and he got it.

Then he knew exactly what he had to do. He asked Tina to go into his bag and find his phone; she handed it to him and he dialled a number. He got through at first to a switchboard, then waited as his call was transferred. When the person he wanted to speak to answered, he said "Hey, dad, it's me. I just wanted you to know straight away how I got on today… I've just been told that I am top of my class, and I will be the valedictorian at graduation. Oh, and I've got the job at the City Ballet too… I just wanted to say thank you for listening to Tina, and letting me pursue my dream, and because I don't say this enough, I love you…"

There was a moment's pause, then he spoke again. "Don't cry dad, or I will start, and that will set Tina off, and probably Jeff, and we all know that that will not be pretty! I know that you love me, and I love you too, so very much… Yes, ok, I will call mom right now and tell her. I love you…" Mike hung up, and quickly swiped at the few treacherous tears that were running down his face. "He said that he was so proud of me; that I needed to tell my mom quickly, as he is itching to tell all the doubters in my extended family that I have made it… So, I'd best call my mom…" As Mike dialled another number, Tina went to sit at his side, taking his free hand once he had typed in the number and was waiting for his call to be answered. Nick pulled Jeff to his feet again, and put an arm round him. As the others looked at each other, wondering what to do, they heard Mike say "Hey, mom…" and instinctively, they all knew what to do. They moved away, to let him talk to his mother in peace.

"It's nice, isn't it?" said Artie. "To see someone achieve their dreams. To get to a point where there talents have been officially recognised. And actually, now that I think about it, he is the first of the original New Directions to actually graduate from college. Rachel and Mercedes both quit school as they pursued their dream. Puck didn't go, and both Kurt and Finn died before they could even complete a little bit of college…"

"Brittany and I both started later, and as for Quinn, she has another year to go, and the same goes for you and Tina, Wheels," said Santana, making Artie smile at the use of his old nickname. "So, this calls for a celebration. I am going to go and call Elliott, and see what he can rustle up for us before we get there."

"Somebody really ought to call Mr Schue too," added Marley. "He saw all of us as his kids, and he will be every bit as proud of Mike as his father is." The other New Directions nodded, and Artie pulled out his phone to make the call.

As they watched, Nick turned to Jeff, and whispered, "I think that there might be more than one cause for celebration tonight though. Watching Sebastian and the way he is acting, I think that our fellow musketeer has had a bit of good news too…"

By the time that Mike had finished his conversation with his mother, and had then taken a call from an overjoyed Mr Schuester back in Lima, he was feeling physically drained, and all of his emotions were on edge. He was happy though, and all the tears that he had cried that day were from joy. He made his excuses to the others, and went to change back into his street clothes, but not before he had asked Artie to put his good news into the ether. Nick quietly did the same amongst the Warblers, sharing the good news about their honorary member. By the time that he came back to join them, having decided to take a quick shower as well, he found that he had messages on his phone from so many people. He had warm congratulations from Puck, Quinn, Mercedes and Jake, and similar sentiments from Thad, David, Trent, Beats and Flint. He had a message from Matt, demanding that he call him as soon as possible, so that he could tell him just how proud he felt of his friend's achievements, as words were not enough to express his delight.

Then a text arrived that made him laugh out loud. _'Top of the class. The tights suit you, Dancing Asian.'_ He knew who had sent that without even looking, though it was only as he, Tina and Artie headed out that he realised that somehow, Sue Sylvester had his cell number. At that moment, he did not care. He called up Matt as the three of them sat in the back of the cab they had called to take them to the Spotlight, the others all having gone ahead by subway, and Artie and Tina had laughed when they heard loud cheering down the phone the moment that Matt picked up at the other end. That was nothing compared with what happened when he walked into the diner; the whole place erupted in cheers and applause, and when he looked up and saw the _Congratulations, Mike!_ banner that Elliott had somehow produced to hang over the stage, he nearly burst into tears again. He did manage not to, and was all smiles as he was escorted onto the stage and made to take a bow in front of all of his friends.

As Mike was taking his bow, Sebastian suddenly found himself being cornered by Santana. "Ok, meerkat, we have waited long enough! What is going on with you? What is your big secret?"

"Yes, we have all been patient, but now it is time to spill!" came a voice from behind him, and Sebastian turned round to see Nick and Jeff standing behind him, trying and failing to look intimidating.

"Well, I had actually decided that I would be a gentleman, and let the spotlight shine solely on Mike today, but if you all insist…"

"We do!" said Sam, walking up on his right.

"Plus I could actually do with a break from the limelight," said Mike, as he, Tina and Artie approached from the left. "Tina tells me you have news too…."

Sebastian sighed, the with fake resignation in his voice, began. "If I must… Well, it all began in March. You might not recall what happened to me that month. That was when I was told by the directors of the Shakespeare in the Park festival that their solemn promise last fall of a part in this year's production meant nothing…"

"…as they had chosen to go with an all female cast in both of this year's plays!" came a chorus of voices. All of them remembered only too well the rant that Sebastian had had in that very room that day, and how it had been necessary to hold back Santana from escalating their verbal war into a physical one.

Sebastian laughed, then continued. "It is nice to know that despite all the sullen expressions and the bored looks that I got at the time, you did all choose to listen to me with care and consideration. I apologise for going on about it, but it was grossly unfair - and I did tell them that much at the time. I asked them if they were proposing to use an all male cast in 2017, and they said no, that would be out of the question. Which, like it or not, Satan, is blatant sexism. Anyway, before we restart World War III, I continue… My arguments must have made some kind of impression on them, as one of the team recalled me…"

"Fascinating as all of this is, Sebastian, we have all heard it before, and not just once either, but every five minutes from the moment you were told to the moment I threatened to kill you. So can we just skip straight to the good part rather than rehashing the same old moans?" said Santana testily.

"Ok, Satan, calm down. I was just about to move on when you interrupted! Cut to that day at the start of April when Niff tried to crack a joke, and instead nearly broke the world as we know it. Whilst you were all falling apart, I was doing my practical exams for Carmen, and as well as her usual carefully selected judging panel, there was this guy there that I had never seen before - just observing, she said as she introduced them all. Anyway, I did the usual mix of pieces in different styles and genres, just to illustrate to all of them my range, but that day I finished with something new; I did _I Believe_ from _Book of Mormon_. I gave it my all, really working on all of my facial expressions as hard as I had on the lyrics. I had even asked the piano player to feed me the other parts. Carmen seemed very impressed at the time, and as anyone that has ever been to NYADA will tell you, that is not something that is easy to achieve. At the time, she and the judges were my priority, not the observer, so I paid him very little attention. As it happens, he should have been the person that I watched. So, moving on to what took place today…"

"Finally!" said Santana, raising her eyebrows.

"I don't have to tell you at all, and maybe I won't - but that would be unfair on the better behaved amongst you, so moving on. Now, I admit that when I was called to see the Dean on the last day of term, I broke out in a cold sweat. I really though that I had failed somewhere along the line. So I approached her office in a state of fear, my head bowed as an act of contrition. I knocked, and she called me straight in. To my great relief, she was smiling at me as I walked through the door, so I could breathe a sigh of relief as it appeared my initial fears were groundless. Then I saw that she was not alone; the observer from that day in April was with her, and he too had a broad smile on his face. Carmen made all the necessary introductions; it turns out that he is a casting director, and he was looking for someone versatile who could join the ensemble cast of a show as a swing performer. He had heard about me from the producers of _Shakespeare in the Park_. He had been coming to NYADA off and on for a few weeks, checking out people that Carmen felt could fit the bill for the show. Now, the part in question is only for the summer, but that was just another reason why it might have been made for me…"

"So," snapped Santana, "we have all been standing here as the ice caps melt and the earth moves towards its end, for you to basically announce, once we cut out all the unnecessary stuff, that you have a summer job! That is all that this boils down to in the end!"

"Yes, I do. It was my last song at my practicals that swung it. I took it at once, naturally. It does mean that I will have to wear a shirt and tie up to eight times a week all summer though…"

Suddenly, Nick gasped, his face lighting up. "Oh my God! Seb! Do you mean…?"

"I knew someone would realise what I was hinting at. Yes, Nick, I do. I will be joining the ensemble cast of _Book of Mormon_ for the summer holidays. I have been officially cast, albeit in a very minor part, in my first Broadway show!" As he finished speaking, Jeff let out a squeal of delight, and threw himself at Sebastian, Nick right behind him as they enveloped their friend in a hug. Sam grinned, and walked over to pat Sebastian on the back.

Brittany was smiling too, whilst Santana - well she smiled too, but maybe not quite so broadly as the others. "Well," she said sadly, "I guess that congrats are in order. You've just got your big break…."

Sebastian broke free from Jeff, and walked over to put an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, it will be yours too, soon enough. The difference is that your big break will be in a named part. I mean, it's Broadway, but it's ensemble. Name in small print in the playbill. No guarantee of actually ever reaching the stage. It's not like I'm an understudy; heck, I'm not even an understudy's understudy! It's a start though. I am going to be walking into a Broadway theatre, night after night. Don't worry about one thing though; I told him that I needed to be off the weekend of the wedding of the year at Dalton, and he said that was no problem."

"Well, that's ok then. I guess I am kind of pleased for you, meerkat…" Santana replied, before she pulled him into a hug to everyone's surprise.

It was whilst they were still in that hug, unaware that Nick had taken a picture for future use, that they heard a familiar voice on the P.A. and they both knew what was about to happen. "If I could have everyone's attention again for just a moment please," said Brittany, and the place fell silent once more. "Now today is not supposed to be a good day, what with the date, but for two people in this room, two of the partners that own this place, it really is!"

At the counter, Dani and Elliott, who had been discussing rotas, fell silent, and only a handful of people seemed to be uninterested in what she was about to say. "Firstly, we had the good news about Mr Mike Chang, who has been told that he will be the valedictorian in his graduating class at Julliard, and that he has also secured a place in the corps of the City Ballet!" There was a new outburst of applause as Mike turned bright red, and smiled sheepishly from where he was standing at Tina's side.

"Secondly, we have just found out that Mr Sebastian Smythe is going to be a Mormon!" That news was greeted with a stunned silence; Dani and Elliott gave each other a double take look, before staring open mouthed at Sebastian, wondering when he had become religious. Artie smiled at Brittany, as around the room, people began to wonder why that was news. "Sorry, he is going to be a Mormon on Broadway. He's just got an ensemble part in the show!" The shock in the room quickly turned into delight, with applause and cheers from every corner. Sebastian found himself being propelled towards the stage, and before he knew it, he was up there, flanked by Mike, the two of them smiling as everyone expressed their joy at the achievement of the two young men.


	18. The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part III

**The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part III**

In the midst of all the cheering and general celebration, the door to the diner swung open once more to admit Cooper. He had stopped by on his way from Grace's office in Lower Manhattan to the theatre, in the hope that he would find some of the people that he valued the most gathered in the Spotlight as usual. He knew that his all but brother-in-law Nick was there for sure, as Grace had told him that was where he had been heading once they had witnessed Mike's performance. He also had high hopes that his tenant, Sebastian, might be there, and most importantly of all, his 'little brother', Sam. He wanted them all in one place so that he did not have to repeat his speech over and over again. He was slightly taken aback by the fact that he appeared to have walked in on a celebration of some sort. For half a moment he wondered if the news that he was about to impart had already leaked out somehow, despite of all the reassurances that he had been given by the new production's media people. After all, the only other people that he knew that had any knowledge of what was happening at the moment were Grace - and he trusted her as a lawyer to have said nothing; his mom, who wasn't even in contact with any of the others as far as he knew, and now that she wasn't drinking, could keep a secret; and of course, Blaine. He had wondered how he was expected to keep a secret from Kurt, but he had promised that he would try, as long as he didn't have to for too long.

He was disrupted from his train in thought by the arrival of Elliott at his side. "Hey Cooper! How are you? We don't normally see you this far downtown at this time of day…"

"No, I had a meeting with Grace, and I decided to take a walk back uptown; I was passing and I just felt I should pop in and see how you guys were doing. So, what's going on here? Are we celebrating anything in particular, or is it just youthful exuberance?"

"Yeah, we are celebrating. Mike has come top of his graduating class, as we could all have told him he would; and Sebastian has managed to land himself a very minor part on Broadway this summer. As Brittany put it, he is going to be a Mormon!"

Cooper looked puzzled for a moment, then realised what she had meant and smiled. He was also very pleased, as it meant that his own secret had not been disclosed - yet. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "Two fantastic bits of news on the one day! The thing is though, Elliott, they always say that things happen in threes, don't they…" With that, Cooper strolled off in the direction of the stage, leaving a curious Elliott staring at him.

Cooper made his way up on stage, and strolled over to the spot where the friends were all gathered round Sebastian and Mike, congratulating them still. "So, I hear that we have a new star in the world of ballet, and that someone has managed to find religion and end up on Broadway," he said, and was at once greeted warmly by everyone. "So for today at least, we all seem to have dodged the misfortune that often dogs us. I am also pretty sure that very soon we will feel the familiar draught of angelic wings, as I am sure that they too will want to congratulate the three of us…"

"Three? So who is the third person that has had a good day and needs our congratulations?" asked Brittany.

"I think that it might be Cooper, my sweet," said Santana, with a smile. "So go on then, Broadway star, tell us all why you have had a very good day too…"

"Well, it is kind of a secret at the moment, so I need to ask all of you to come somewhere a little more private for a moment. Once we get to Monday, it will all be out in the open, but until then it has just to be a selected few of us in the know…" He pointed to a quiet corner of the diner, and beckoned them all to follow. Intrigued, they all dutifully did; after all, gossip was gossip.

Once they had all assembled, Cooper knelt down next to Artie, as the other surrounded them. He stood up for a moment, to check that they were not being observed.

"Ok, so you are going to be working as a spy, and the message that you are about to tell us all will self-destruct in a few seconds," said Kitty. They all turned to look at her for a moment, before they turned their attention back to a smiling Cooper.

"Ok, so a couple of month's ago," he whispered, "I was asked to go for a meeting with a producer from London…"

"London!" exclaimed Tina. "Have you been offered the chance to go and star in the West End?"

"No, but that is not to say that it will not happen one day…No, there is a show coming here from London next year, and the producer was looking to start recruiting the cast for the Broadway production. He had already seen me in action in _Kinky Boots_ , and I might also have been suggested to him by a certain Carmen Tibideaux…"

"And it was thanks to her that I got my part!" interjected Sebastian. "She's the best!"

"Yeah… Anyway, to cut a long story short, he proposed something to me and I decided that I should take a chance and accept his offer. The news will be in the ether on Monday, but I wanted you guys to know first… My new role, as of next spring, will be the adult lead in the Broadway production of _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_. You are looking at Broadway's Willy Wonka."

There was silence for a moment, and then very quietly, there was a wave of congratulations being expressed. "You know what this means, don't you," said Santana once all the other voices had died down. "You will be originating a show and a character on Broadway. It will make you eligible for the most coveted of all awards. You could be nominated for a Tony…" As the others gasped in delight, Cooper nodded and hoped that the fear did not show on his face. The fact that he could get a Tony scared him…

They all agreed that they would not reveal Cooper's secret to anyone - well, with the exception of Thad, David and Mercedes in L.A.; Flint, Beats and Ethan in Princeton; Trent and Rory in Washington; and Rachel, naturally. Admittedly when Sam said that everyone had stared at him, and Santana might have mumbled something about just putting it on a billboard instead, as it would be quicker. Cooper himself told Elliott, who promised that he would not even tell Josh - but that was mainly because Cooper could tell him himself as they lived in the same house. Cooper had laughed at that statement, and had agreed.

It was still a source of pain for Elliott that he could not have his little brother living with him now the danger from their father had passed. His search for a bigger place that was convenient for work and school, and within his price range had so far proved fruitless. He was trapped between those two needs; if Josh came to live with him, then no doubt Scott would too, and that meant he needed ease of access to NYU. He also liked his own short journey to work, and the thought of having to sit on the subway for hours every day filled him with dread. Someone had suggested to him that he consider moving to the other side of the Hudson, but both he and Josh had dismissed the idea of moving back to their home state, as their family was still there. Elliott had even considered Staten Island, but it was too far, and they would be reliant on the ferry. The fact remained that short of selling himself for medical experimentation, Elliott could not afford to rent a two bed place in his current neighbourhood, and worse, thanks to his father, he was looking at a big rent increase on his current place. The landlord had not been impressed by the damage caused to the plaster by a low flying Beats. It was going to take a miracle to get what he wanted, and those were few and far between. He would have to compromise in the end; maybe he could stand the long journey to work if it meant that he had his kid brother close again.

After telling Elliott, Cooper glimpsed at his watch, and on seeing the time, knew that he would have to hurry to get to the theatre in time for another performance as Charlie Price. He took his leave, and started his journey north. As he walked, he knew that tonight he would also have to tell the cast that he was leaving them, and the reason why. They would be pleased for him, of course, and he was certain that his understudy would be chosen to step into his knee length shiny red boots and take the part. He couldn't help but feel a little trepidation about the future; it was unchartered territory after all. He would be opening the show on Broadway, and he could bend the role slightly to suit himself. He knew that as before, Blaine and Kurt would support him as best as they could, but this time his performance would be planned out in rehearsal rooms, and not by him watching those that were already performing his role. And then there was that scary prospect that this time, this role could actually garner him one of the most glittering and coveted awards in the theatre world. 'A Tony! Me with a Tony!' he thought as he hurried north. Although it frightened him half to death, he already knew who he would thank in his acceptance speech if by some stretch of the imagination he did manage to claim it. He would dedicate it to the memory of the two young men who had inspired him onto the Great White Way - Kurt and Blaine.

Back at the Spotlight, Sebastian was now sitting patiently, awaiting an arrival of his own. He had received at text from his brother to say that he was on his way into town, and could spare him some time for a catch up before he headed out to dinner with Isabelle. He had responded with his location, and all he could do now was sit and wait. As he did in a quiet spot, he felt a draught, and he waited to see which one of them it was. He was not shocked at all to see that it was Wes, although the fact that he had Blaine at his side was a surprise at first; then he glanced over to see that Kurt and Finn were congratulating Mike on his own big news, and he understood.

"So, you've done it. You are going to be in a Broadway show," said Wes, "albeit in a very minor capacity. Still, I always knew that this day would come; the day when one of my flock would grace the most illustrious of stages, although…"

"…you never imagined that it would be me?" finished Sebastian. "If it hadn't been for he that shall not be named, then it probably wouldn't be. It would be the angel at your side, or Kurt. I mean, the part of Elder McKinley would kind of be perfect for Kurt, in my opinion."

"I could see my husband in that part, yes," said Blaine. "You as a Mormon was a much more difficult image for all of us, at least at first."

Wes laughed, then smiled. "It was, but then, when I started to really consider it, I realised that had the show come along earlier, it would have been perfect for the Warblers to perform selections from. After all, it would have been up to date; had roles for everyone; and might even have got the Warblers through to Nationals. Yes, I would have used it at some stage…"

Sebastian could suddenly picture the whole thing in his mind's eye, although there were a few notable absentees in his vision of the opening number - Wes and David for a start, relegated to the wings to press the various doorbells, although David did provide the voice of the senior Mormon that scolded Elder Cunningham, who was played in his vision by Blaine; he himself was, naturally, Elder Price. He could almost immediately envision Nick and Jeff as Elders Grant and Young; Thad as Elder Smith; Flint as Elder Greene…and yeah, it might just have worked out for them. If nothing else, it would have been a lot of fun to perform, and all the costume that they would have required would have been their uniform, minus the blazer…

"Of course, there are a few songs in it that we never could have sung in public," said Wes, bringing Sebastian back to the real world, "but I am pretty certain it would have worked."

Wes then moved off with a smile, leaving Sebastian alone with Blaine. "So who would have dared to have imagined this back at Dalton? Who would have thought that you would be the first of us to grace a Broadway stage?"

"I might not ever even end up on the stage in this role, to be honest. The role is essentially back up for the back up. Someone to step in if there is a gap."

"You'll probably have to learn more than anyone else then; all of the script, the songs, the choreography, just in case, as you say, something happens. I mean, if something really major did happen, you could still end up playing a named character," said Blaine with a grin.

"I guess," said Sebastian, as he suddenly realised that there was a heck of a lot of truth in what his angelic friend was saying. It might well be a good idea for him to learn everything that he could, just to be on the safe side, as it would also increase his chances of getting up there in front of the audience.

By the time that the door finally opened to admit Julian, Sebastian had also received the warm congratulations of Kurt and Finn. Despite the differences that they had had with each other in the past, they were both pleased for him, and the well wishes that they gave were as warm as Wes and Blaine, Kurt even going so far as to help him out when he needed to learn lines and lyrics, for which he was glad. Kurt had also been told about Wes' sudden vision of what the Warblers could have done, and he had been forced to agree that it would have been a good fit for that group of boys, and that he could have put a great comedic slant on the role of the Mormon leader in Uganda. He and Sebastian were almost at the point of bursting into a quick chorus of _Turn it off_ when Julian walked through the door, and Kurt quickly took his leave.

"Hey Bazzy! So, what is it that you needed to talk to me about so badly. Is something wrong with Dave? Has dad been up to his old tricks? Or have you just seen Elvis somewhere?"

"None of the above, thanks - and I can do things other than see the King! I still haven't completely forgiven you for the naming of those kittens, by the way. I can forgive the kittens, as they are sweet; I can forgive Isabelle, as she is blameless here. You on the other hand - let's just say I will get my own back one day…"

"Ok, little bro, I consider myself duly warned. So if it is none of that…?"

"Well, basically, I have just scored myself a very, very small part in a musical this summer, one that even you might have heard of. I am joining the cast of the _Book of Mormon_."

Julian sat very still for a moment as he digested the statement, but then jumped up and with a whoop of delight, pulled his bemused but happy little brother up and into a hug. "This is… You are going to be on Broadway! My little bro is going to… You've made it, and you are still in school. Please, though, don't quit NYADA! Please tell me that you aren't, because that would be an error of monumental proportions…"

"Calm down Jules. I am not going to quit school, given that I am only joining the cast for three months as holiday cover. I am not getting a big part; I am just there so that the people that normally stand by can get some time off. It isn't as if my name will be up in lights on the marquee; I will be very lucky if I even get a mention in the playbill, if we are being honest."

"It's still Broadway, little bro! Can I tell Isabelle? Please? Please?"

"You can tell her," said Sebastian with a chuckle, shaking his head at his brother's antics. "I mean, I have told my mom already, and she might have cried, but she didn't have a complete overreaction, unlike some people! There is no point whatsoever in telling daddy dearest, as he wouldn't care, even if he wasn't spending his every waking moment sucking up to The Donald…"

"Don't remind me!" Julian groaned. "I take it though that the spoiler campaign you guys have instigated against Mr Duval is taking shape nicely?"

"Oh yes! Sue Sylvester is a formidable lady once she gets started. It looks like being a Battle Royale, and the poor unsuspecting Democrat may actually win by default once the blood is cleared up. That would be an even bigger upset in that part of Ohio than Sue actually winning the election."

"I bet," said Julian smiling. "Oh, I am just so proud of you right now, Bazzy! You are actually starting to live your dreams, and I could not be any more pleased for you! Just promise me that if one day you do happen to get a bigger part, you will let me know, and get me a ticket, because there is nothing in the world that would make me miss the first time my brother appears on a Broadway stage." Sebastian could only nod happily in reply.

It had been a busy day for everyone, and eventually, people began to think about making their way back home. For those that lived in Bushwick, this meant fighting their way on to an overcrowded 'L' Train, which then proceeded to move slowly along, stopping in the tunnel a few times just to add to the pleasure of the experience. Nick, Jeff, Mike and Tina found themselves pressed tightly into a corner as the temperature on the train rose and it began to become more and more stuffy. They knew though that there really wasn't any practical alternative to the long and torturous journey, at least not one that could get them home relatively quickly. The knowledge that the weather forecasters were predicting an exceptionally hot summer, and a heat wave by the end of the month filled them with a sense of impending dread.

As the train finally lurched to a halt at the station before their own, and the crush lessened just enough for them to spread out a little, Tina remarked "This is why all the wealthy people head to Long Island or the Catskills for the weekend at this time of year; to escape the heat and the crush."

"It would be nice," remarked Jeff. "To be able to just sit on the beach as the sea lapped in with a cooling breeze sounds like my idea of bliss right now."

"Well, I'm afraid that we can't currently afford that sort of luxury, my love," said Nick sadly. "We have to watch every cent if we want to be able to afford to leave Bushwick before the train stops. I think that a day out to Coney Island or the Rockaways might be our lot this year. And I do mean one day out."

"The same is true for me," said Mike. "I'll be busy with my new job anyway; Tina has to do practical work for a couple of months this summer, and I will be saving money too, to visit her and to make a contribution to our move to Pelham. They do have nice parks up that way; we could go apartment hunting and then go and relax in one of them afterwards."

Jeff nodded sadly, still thinking about relaxing on a sandy beach, or even by a pool. Nick could see the sadness in this eyes, and wrapped his arms around him as the train lurched to a start again. At least he knew that Mike was on board with the move to the Bronx; what the fourth of their little family, Caleb, would make of it remained to be seen.

As they walked up the stairs to the loft, Jeff already thinking about the tub of ice cream in the freezer that had his name on it (quite literally; it was a tub of the special cookie ice cream that Nick had prepared for him at the Spotlight.), the quiet was disturbed by the buzzing of Nick's phone. He stopped where he was, and allowed the others to go ahead as he picked it up and greeted his sister, first congratulating her on being engaged to the lead actor of a new musical on Broadway. She laughed for a moment, then admitted that she was very pleased for Cooper, although she was concerned that he would eventually start to act like an overexcited child as the time for the opening night grew closer. Then she told Nick the reason for her call - she needed to speak to him, and particularly Jeff about an issue that had arisen. It was nothing to worry about, she reassured her brother, just something that she did not feel she should discuss with them over the phone. Of course, such a statement made Nick worried and curious at once, but he did not push for more information; he knew when his sister was being totally serious, and this was one of those times. She suggested that he and Jeff come over to Murray Hill on Sunday morning, and she could explain it all to them then.

Nick agreed for himself, but he would need to check if his husband was prepared to come. "Nick, darling, he has to come. Look, I will say this; what I have to say is pretty big, and will change a lot, just not in what I think is a bad way. Please, just get him here. Tell him that I have invited you for brunch, and that I have promised to make all of his favourites. That isn't a lie, as I will feed you first."

"Ok, we'll come. Look, if it is bad, can you warn me, so I can prepare myself to deal with the fallout?"

"As I said, I don't think it is bad, more awkward. Or interesting, to put it another way. Jeff might not like what I have to tell him, and he may get defensive, but I have no choice; he has to be told, I'm afraid."

"Ok, so I'm now even more concerned than I was before, Grace! We'll come over for around 11, ok?"

"That's fine. Look, it isn't devastating, trust me. More bizarre. You don't have to worry."

"That is something that I will have to be the judge of myself," Nick replied. The two siblings shared a few more words before they hung up. He then began to walk up the stairs again, coming on to their landing to find the front door open, and Mike standing there waiting.

"Trouble?" said Mike, as he saw the furrowed brows of his roommate.

Nick looked around, and seeing no sign of Jeff or Tina said "I'm not sure yet. Grace wants to see me and Jeff on Sunday. Something had apparently come up which will be of special concern to him, Mike, and that is worrying. A lawyer wants to see my husband, which in my mind can only mean one thing…"

"Something to do with his father. I don't know, Nick; Gordon is dead, so how can he harm Jeff now?"

"There is one way; if I am right about Gordon Clarington, he will have left a will, and who knows what kind of craziness he has written in that? I would love to have just protected Jeff, and told Grace no, we aren't coming, but that would only put off the inevitable… No, we go, but I am saying nothing about the real reason for our visit yet. After all, though he won't admit it, Jeff is really stressed out about the end of year art show tomorrow…"


	19. The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part IV

_As I'm having a good chance to write at the moment, I thought you might like an extra update. I will have to revert back to weekly after this though, so that I don't run out of updates and leave you all disappointed. Thanks for reading!_

 **The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part IV**

Nick was right to worry about his husband; although he did not say anything that night as they celebrated the good news that had come for their friends, all Jeff could think about was what was happening the next day, when the results of the practical project part of his examinations would be announced at the annual Columbia Art Show. It would open its doors at 10am for students and their invited guests; it would open to the general public an hour later. Jeff still did not know quite what to expect. He had taken his piece of work to the judging halls, where the exhibition was taking place, and placed it in the spot that he had been designated. Once it was on display, with an anonymous ID number being the only identifier as to who had completed the work, he had left the room, and had not been permitted to return since. Now as the moment of judgement loomed large, he could feel a coldness in his veins as he imagined that the worst of results had happened. Certainly he had not been able to pick up any hints or insights from watching those members of staff that he knew had been involved in the assessment process, and Wes had as always refused to divulge anything that he knew already.

The spectre of failure was one that always haunted Jeff, no matter how many times Nick and his other friends told him that everything would be ok; that he was talented and that when it came down to it, it was his opinions that mattered, not everyone else's. That night found the young blond unable to sleep, not that his husband was aware of that, as he had fallen asleep almost at the very moment that his head had touched the pillow. That was not altogether a bad thing in Jeff's eyes that night, as it meant he could get up, and take a seat in the quiet of the living room, with a glass of milk and a cookie or three, just to try and help him sleep, obviously. As he sat there he heard a soft noise, and a moment later Caleb jumped up to sit at his side on the sofa. He was content that night just to snuggle in at his side, as Jeff lovingly stroked him gently…

Jeff was still there the following morning when Mike woke up. He smiled at first at the way he was slumped on the sofa, with cookie crumbs in his lap, but then realised that there had to be a reason why he was there and not in bed with Nick. He walked towards him as quietly as he could, but he still managed to make enough noise to wake Caleb up, and his indignant miaow at the disturbance was all that it took to rouse Jeff from his sleep. Once he realised where he was, and that Mike was standing in front of him, he started, and blushed.

"Hey, it's ok, I get it," said Mike, as he sat on the arm of the sofa next to Jeff. "I was sat out here half the night last night, because I was so worried about how my finals would go - just ask Caleb. Whatever the judges say, we will all know that you have done your best, and you know, sometimes judges are not as impartial as they should be. I mean, that was how the Warblers lost out at Regionals in your sophomore year, wasn't it? Look, if Wes likes it, the nothing else really matters, does it?"

"I know, it's just that so much is riding on the results of today. If I don't get a good enough mark, then they might make me repeat this year, which is a lot of expense. With all this talk of us having to move, another lot of bills for that is something that we could do without… It just can't happen."

"If it does, then it does. You know that Nick would not care one jot about the money if you had to repeat the year. He would only be upset because it would upset you so much. However, you are not going to fail this one. If you drew it, then it has to be magnificent. I will be there, at the front of the line with Tina, waiting to get in at the stroke of 11am, just to say I am one of the first people to see your creation. Every one of your closest friends is desperate to see it. Thad wants someone to take a photo of it as soon as possible so he doesn't miss it; you know that he would be here in person right now if he could be. We all of us care about you, and admire your talent so very much. So, as far as Nick is concerned, you just got up a few minutes ago, after me. Caleb and I won't say anything about you sleeping half the night out here. Let's go and make some breakfast for Nick, and surprise him…" Jeff nodded, and struggled to his feet. Once he was up, he pulled Mike into a bro hug, which he reciprocated. Mike was keenly aware that Jeff needed all of the reassurance that his friends could give him.

Nick was pleasantly surprised to be woken up by and told that breakfast was ready. He came through and said nothing about the fact that it was painfully obvious that Jeff had been up half the night. He knew in any case that he had fallen asleep on the couch. He had woken up three hours earlier, and finding Jeff's side of the bed empty had crept through to the living room and saw him there, sound asleep. Caleb had seen Nick there, but had not made a sound. He would keep the secrets of anyone that fed him. Time ran away with them a bit, and there was a little bit of a scramble to get dressed, as Mike announced he would clean up. In good time Nick and Jeff were once more on the subway heading back into Manhattan. Nick discretely held Jeff's hand, and could feel that it was damp with a nervous sweat. "It will all be ok," he whispered, "and whatever the outcome, I will still love you and what you do. In the end, that is all that really matters, when you stop and think about it."

"I know, Nicky - and I love you so very much too…" came his reply.

Before Jeff knew it, it was 10am, the doors to the exhibition hall were opened, and he was stepping inside, Nick at his side, trying to smile. It was all going to be ok…

"Ah, Mr Sterling-Duval!" came a voice, and both Jeff and Nick turned to see the stern faced Dean standing there. "If you could come with me, there is something that we need to talk to you about in private…"

Jeff's face fell the moment that he heard those words; at his side, Nick suddenly felt a wave of coldness and nausea passing through his body. To both of them those words, that phrase, could mean only one thing at that time. A problem. Jeff nodded at the Dean, keeping his eyes downcast, and reached instinctively for Nick's hand so that he could draw strength through it from his husband. 'If it is the worst,' he thought, 'then I can just go and work at the Spotlight, and give up on school. It would be ok doing that. It's fun…' He sniffed loudly as his brain admitted his true opinion on those thoughts, and he felt Nick tighten his grip on his hand.

It was only on hearing that sniff that the Dean noticed the effect that his words had had on the two young men; they had looked alright as they walked in, but now they both looked as if their entire world was coming to an end… "Oh, my! I hope that you aren't assuming… Jeff, you do not seriously believe that the magnificent piece of work that you submitted to us was deemed inadequate by the assessing panel? If that was what you were assuming that I wished to speak to you about, then you could not have been more mistaken."

Jeff looked up, his eyes wide, as Nick just broke into a smile at his side, before he leant in towards his husband and whispered "What do I keep telling you? You are a talent!"

"I will not disagree with that statement, Nick. When we first set eyes upon your piece, Jeff, we were all left totally mesmerised by it. The eyes seemed to be following us around the room; the way it is shaded makes it so realistic, as does the attention to detail in the wings and the muscle tone… If I didn't know better, I would have to say that you had an actual angel pose for you!"

"So I didn't fail then?" said Jeff quietly.

"Fail!? You came top of the year! We could find no flaw to fail you on; nothing at all to mark you down for. It was the best piece of work submitted by any student, in any year, to the school this year in our opinion. That is what I need to talk to you about. The decision has been taken, on a unanimous basis, that your work should take the central spot at the show this year - and as such, we would like you to unveil it officially at 11.30am, once the majority of the public have assembled."

Jeff could only stare at the man, and stutter "I…this is…"

"No surprise at all to any of us that have seen you at work. Yours will be a name that people will recall both now, and for many years to come. I just feel so privileged that you are here, and not at some other school. Now, I will leave you to collect yourself for a moment, before I escort you both through to the other room to be formally introduced to the invited guests; you could perhaps talk to them about your inspiration for the piece before we let the world at large see your work in all of its glory. Once again, my heartfelt congratulations. As for your grades, let us just say that if you were a senior this year, you would be graduating top."

Left alone for a moment, Jeff looked at Nick, at how his face was suffused with pleasure as he beamed a smile for him, and found that his own lips were turning up into a smile too. "In years to come, Jeffie, we will be the star guests at parties, and I will say to people that my husband is a famous artist; me, I'm just a lawyer. You were always going to be the one of us that ruled the world…"

"Never just my husband that draws, eh?" said Jeff, recalling the speech he made as his pre-wedding jitters hit.

"Exactly, my love. Now, you need to ensure that you enjoy every single minute of today; keep that smile firmly in place, and be happy! I might have to go and fetch people into the room; leave you with the experts whilst I show off just how wonderful you are…"

"I love you, Nicky!"

"I love you too! Now, are you ready to show off?"

Jeff laughed, and linking Nick's arm in his, they made their way in the direction of the door where the Dean had now reappeared, ready to bring them into the little room where _The Judging Angel_ hung in splendid isolation. On the threshold, Jeff stopped and made Nick close his eyes whilst they walked in, which raised a little ripple of laughter amongst the assembled lecturers and invited guests.

"You didn't even let your husband see it until today, did you?" said the Dean. Jeff nodded before whispering to Nick that he could open his eyes. He did, and his first impression was instantly written across his face as his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. Jeff left his husband to stand and stare in awe as the Dean motioned him to come over and meet the special guests.

"It is quite impressive, isn't it? Even more so in this setting," came Wes' voice at Nick's side. "I never imagined in a million years that a picture of me would be the star attraction at an art show, but if it has made Jeff the star he rightfully deserves to be, then I am so glad that I agreed to pose for it."

"I always knew that he was good, but this - this needs to be in a grand gallery somewhere," replied Nick in a hushed reverential voice. "It's like a photo, not a drawing at all. He is going to be a household name one day soon…"

"With you standing proudly at his side," said Wes, who then allowed Nick to just stand and stare at the picture before him in silence, as behind him, Kurt and Blaine also stood, wreathed in smiled.

Jeff was still occupied with the invited guests when the clock hit 11am, and the door to the main hall behind him were opened to the awaiting public. He was glowing as one after another heaped their own praise upon him, and it was the more impressive to him as they included a number of gallery owners and contemporary artists amongst their ranks. Nick had been introduced to them all, and if there had been one or two raised eyebrows when Jeff had used the word husband, it had been because of their youth. Nick was welcomed every bit as warmly as Jeff. Now Nick knew that he had to be somewhere else; he had to go back into the main room to greet all of the friends that would be arriving. He took his leave of them all, and parted from Jeff with a kiss to his cheek, and a promise that he would return soon. He was not in the least worried about leaving him, as he was in his element, plus he had three angels keeping an eye upon him; as Kurt had said, if there was anything that happened that needed Nick to return, then one of them would come and fetch him.

The main hall was by now filling up with people, all of them carrying the printed guide that told them where certain exhibits could be found. It didn't take Nick very long to find Mike, with Tina at his side, the latter scanning the sheet in front of her with an increasing amount of agitation. "Nick!" Tina said as she spotted him.

Mike looked up, and on seeing him, he felt relieved. "We can't find his name on the sheet, Nick! I checked the whole sophomore list twice, and nothing! I thought that maybe they'd got his year wrong, or something, but still… His work isn't here, is it? Is it the worst case scenario, and if it is, how is he?"

"It's complicated. You are right in that his work isn't on display in this room, but at the same time, the reason for that is the exact polar opposite of what you are imagining. Jeff is actually currently on Cloud Nine, and he is still in a little bit of shock, as am I, to be honest…" replied Nick, smiling.

"Ok, so if he isn't here, then why not?" said Tina in exasperation.

"He's not…." said Mike in a whisper. "He is, isn't he! His picture is in the inner room, the one that is reserved for the crème de la crème! I always knew that he was talented!"

"Very talented, Mike. In fact, between the three of us, he is the most talented of all. His picture has been voted best submission from the entire school; and, like you, he is also at the top of his class overall."

"He's what!?" came a familiar voice from behind Nick, and he spun round to confirm it was who he thought.

"Trent! What are you doing here! When Jeff was dropping hints, you told him that you would be too busy with studying for your own exams, and wouldn't be able to make it!" said Nick, as he pulled his old friend into a hug.

"I convinced him that he could read every bit as easily on the train here as he could back home, and that he had to stop and take a break sometime, so why not do it here at the exhibition," said Rory, who had appeared next to him and was now being hugged by Tina.

"So, our Jeff is the top marked artist in the entire school this year; not a shock, if I am honest. We all knew that he had the ability; the only person that ever doubted that was Jeff himself. Then again, that is one of the reasons why we all like him; he is humble," said Trent.

"Where is he, by the way?" asked Rory.

"In the inner room, talking to the great and the good of the art world. If nothing else, Dalton trained all of us in the art of making social conversation. He will be so happy to see you though, Trent. You were always, as he puts it, the best friend that he wasn't in love with…"

Trent laughed, and replied, "That's true. Still it won't be quite the same if…"

"…the fourth musketeer isn't here?" said Sebastian as he walked up, with Dave at his side. "Though, admittedly, it does appear that our little band is currently incomplete. Have you mislaid your husband, Nick?"

"He is otherwise engaged at the moment, dealing with the fact that he is now the toast of the whole of the Columbia Art School…" came his reply, and then they all explained to Sebastian and Dave why Jeff wasn't around right now.

By the time that 11.30 came, the small party had grown to include Brittany, Santana, Sam, Grace and three surprise guests that no-one had expected to make it. They had been the last of them to arrive; they had been spotted by the eagle eye of Sebastian, who had then turned and stage whispered to Nick "Best behaviour, Nicholas! I do believe that all of your in-laws are here!"

Nick was delighted to see that Elspeth and the Sterlings had made it, although he did tell them off for not letting them know that they would be attending. Their response was simple - they had not wanted to increase the stress on Jeff by making him feel that he had to perform well for their sakes. The lateness of their arrival meant that Nick was called back to the inner room just as he was about to tell them what was going on, which left the three older guests confused. Before anyone else could speak, the main doors to the inner room were opened, and a voice made an announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the ante-room is now open for the unveiling of the star item of this year's show; a drawing entitled _The Judging Angel_ , from the talented hands of Mr Jeff Sterling-Duval."

The eyes of the assembled friends all fell at once on the Sterlings and Elspeth as the announcement ended. The two ladies were frozen, mouths agape, as if unable to believe what they had just heard. As for Mr Sterling, he was quickly able to regain his composure, and spoke. "They just said that our boy was the producer of the best piece of work in the show this year, didn't they? He is the top out of everyone here…"

"Yes, sir, they did," said Mike. "It was a big shock to all of us in the same way; they hadn't even informed Jeff until they talked to him as he arrived today. In other ways, of course, it isn't a surprise at all. He can produce with just a few strokes of a pencil works of art that in our own possibly biased opinion rival those of the so called great artists. I for one am sure that in the future we will all be telling people with pride that we are friends with one of the greatest artists of our generation. This is just a start; he will build on this and become even greater."

"Everything that you have just said is true, Mike," said Trent. "However just now I think that we all need to make our way into the other room so that we can witness his great moment first hand; so that Jeff is able to see us, as that is the kind of reassurance that he will be craving right now, if I know him. He has never been too keen on the limelight, and this might all end up being too much for him, if we are not all there in his line of sight."

Without another word being spoken, they all made their way into the other room which was already filling up. With the talents of Santana, backed up by those of Sebastian, they managed to make their way through the crowds to the front, to stand just in front of the spot on the wall where Jeff's drawing now hung, covered at the moment by a curtain. "Jeff said that it was big," Sebastian whispered to Grace, "but I had no idea that it was that big!" She nodded as she finally managed to attract her brother's eye, and pointed to her right. For his part, Nick nudged Jeff, and pointed briefly in the same general direction. Jeff smiled when he saw Trent first, who waved at him, but then his whole face lit up when he spotted his dad, mom, and mother standing beside him. Before he could say anything, however, the Dean stepped up to the microphone, and the whole room fell silent in anticipation.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to this the most special moment of our end of year show. The standard of work in general was high this year, and we are very proud of every single student that has their work exhibited here. There was, however, for us one work that stood apart from all the others, and not just in terms of its size. This is the first time in several decades that the accolade of star work has gone to a sophomore, but as you will all witness in a moment, the work was outstanding, and its creator, Jeff Sterling-Duval, can take great pride at his place at the pinnacle of our wealth of talent. I would now like to call on the young man himself to say a few words and then unveil his work."

There was a brief moment of silence, and then Jeff made his way over to the microphone. "Firstly, I would like to start by saying that I still don't quite believe that this is actually happening. I am assured though that it is, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those that have supported me, especially my parents, my friends, and of course, my husband Nick, because I would not be here at all if it wasn't for all of you. As you might have guessed, I am not that great a public speaker, so without further ado, I will explain the inspiration that lies behind this piece. My closest friends will recognise the face of the angel as that of our late friend and mentor, Wes Montgomery. He was a good man; fair, but firm in his decisions; kind hearted, but not someone that ever shied away from ensuring that a proper punishment was given for a misdemeanour. He was taken from us two years ago in a road accident and I like to imagine that he is now in the illustrious company of angels, helping to judge those of us still here on earth, but in a kindly and sympathetic way. So, this is for you, Wes. I hope that you approve if you can see it." With that, Jeff took hold of the cord attached to the top of the cover, and as he had been instructed, he stood to one side and gave a sharp tug, which caused the curtain to fall smoothly away…

From every corner of the room there were gasps of delight. Flash bulbs went of as Jeff stood to one side of his work, with a beaming Nick right at his side. His assembled friends and family stood in a stunned silence as they took in the grandeur of the sight before them. "It is so accurate and detailed that it is actually like he is standing there, in full view of the room," whispered Rory, who had his hand clutched around Trent's, as his husband shed a few tears of awe at what was in front of him.

"I'll second that," said Sebastian and Mike in unintended unison, which made them all smile. As for the parents, the three of them stood in proud silence, tears in all their eyes, as they took in the facts; that Jeff's art was indeed his calling, and that the decision taken by the Sterlings' all those years ago to encourage Jeff to draw and study it over more academic subjects at Dalton had indeed been the correct choice for him. Today, they were witness to the results of that focus, and they could not be more pleased.


	20. The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part V

**The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part V**

The group of friends and family were all still standing mesmerised in the same spot when Jeff was finally able to leave the stage, and his first action was to sprint across the room to the spot where the three people that he described as parents were standing and pulled them all into a group hug. "I can't believe that you are all here! I wasn't expecting it!"

"We all knew when your college term ended, or at least we thought that we did," said Mr Sterling, "but then Judy and Elspeth were chatting on the phone, the subject came up, and both of them had a different idea of when it ended. To settle matters, I decided to google it. That was when we discovered that this event would be taking place. We all knew that you had been working on something big this year; something that even your husband knew very little about. We all agreed that the best way for all of us to see it would be to come to this show."

"We met up with each other at Penn Station this morning; we would have been here earlier than we arrived, but for the fact that my train was held up by works on its way through the Bronx," continued Elspeth. "Nick knew that we were here, but he barely had time to say hello before he was summoned back into this room to join you. I just want you to know that I am so very proud of you right now son; even in my youth, my work was nowhere near the standard that you are achieving."

"When they said that it was magnificent, they were making an understatement," said Judy. "It is as if Wesley has just walked into the room… Is it just me though, or do his eyes actually seem to follow you round the room?"

"Here was I thinking that was just me," remarked Trent. "If I had just suddenly come across the drawing, I would probably have blurted out 'Hi Wes!' if I hadn't been paying proper attention. It's not so much a drawing as a photo; it's him, in glorious colour, frozen at a moment in time. I just wonder what Thad will think about it - and Michelle for that matter."

"I think that they will feel exactly the same way that we all do just now; proud that an artistic genius has immortalised a man of integrity with just a few loving strokes of his pencils," said Santana, and no-one could say anything to dissent from her statement.

Nick stood in silence and watched as his husband received the praise he so rightly deserved from his friends and family. Jeff had been tied up in the creation of his 'masterwork' in his every spare moment for months; he had been jealous of how much time it took Jeff away from him at first, but then as his own workload for school had grown, he had realised that as long as he saw Jeff every day, even if it was only for a few minutes, it was enough. Marriage was after all a partnership; a union of two souls that shared the same kind of wishes, dreams and desires. His love for Jeff had not diminished one bit in what would soon be the three years in which they had been an actual official couple; then again, if you actually counted all those months beforehand when they had just been best friends, it was much, much longer…

He suddenly became conscious that he was being watched, and he looked up to see Blaine standing across from him, a smile on his face. Kurt still stood by the drawing, but he was now in the company of Finn and Elizabeth, a rare visitor to the earthly realm. "Wes has gone back to cover for Elizabeth for a while, as she was as anxious as the rest of us to see the finished result; after all, Jeff's little studio was somewhere that Wes vanished to nearly every day, even if only for a few minutes."

Nick laughed at that, then replied. "Trust Wes to have known that Jeff would need someone to remind him what the time was! His phone could have been blaring away beside him and he would never have noticed when he was in deep concentration on his work. Wes actually being there, well that made all the difference. He probably stopped Jeff getting locked in overnight!"

Blaine smiled, and laughed too. "By the way, and although he will never admit it, Wes loves that drawing. He feels so fortunate that Jeff chose him to be the subject of his greatest work so far. It being such a success is just the lift to his spirits that he needed after everything that went down in the court this week with his mother. Anyway, he did ask me to make a small request. Can someone take a photo of it, and post the news for all the others to see on Facebook. He has a feeling, and I agree, that all of them will want to see this…"

Unbeknownst to Blaine, the photo in question had already been taken and posted by Trent. He had placed a message full of pride and love for both Jeff and Wes underneath it. Across the world, phones belonging to former Warblers buzzed as the message arrived. In Princeton, Flint opened the message as he prepared for his finals the following week; moments later he was running through the house, shouting for Beats and Ethan, anxious to share the good news about Jeff. In Boston, Mitch too was left punching the air with delight, then had to apologise to all those around him in the college library for the disturbance.

At Dalton Academy, Aaron Carmichael opened the message, and was left smiling with pride, both for the success of Jeff, and for the piece of artwork he had produced, which he felt would ensure that Wes' memory endured forever. He smiled all the more as he heard the sound of running feet, and then shouts of delight from the direction of the Senior Commons, where a group of Warblers rejoiced for the success of one of the illustrious alumni. He could mentally picture Skylar and Colin being at the heart of those celebrations…

Far away, in a bar in the university city of Oxford, Drew Symons surreptitiously opened the message, and gasped, then let a grin spread over his face as he read the text. He had always known that their blondie, Jeff, had it in him to be the best. He looked up, and then quickly saved the message to a locked file, then put his phone away again before his girlfriend, Lucy, arrived back at the table. She would not want to know the news, and he knew better than to even mention he had got a text from the States. She didn't like it one bit when he mentioned any of his friends from Dalton Academy…

In L.A., both Thad and David had their noses buried in text books, although their final exams were actually much later than those of their former classmates on the east coast. Thad was writing the last few pages of a lengthy paper on the Civil War, and to aid his concentration he had switched his phone to silence, so he was not aware that the message from Trent had arrived at once. David had allowed his phone to buzz away, but he had not immediately answered it either, as he was concentrating on a particularly complex piece of computer programming practical work that he had to hand in by 9am Monday morning. So it thus fell to Mercedes to be the first person to see the message in the city of angels, and the moment that she saw it, she knew that she had a very good reason to break the solemn promise that she had made to her boyfriend that she would not contact him over the weekend. As her ringtone sounded from his phone, David cursed under his breath, finished the line of programming that he was working on, then picked up.

"So, I know that I said that I wouldn't call you, but I think that you need to see the message that Trent has just sent that you in all likelihood ignored when you got it. Anyway, that's all, apart from saying that I love you!" Mercedes said all of this before David could even open his mouth, and hung up the moment that she had finished.

David was left just to shake his head in mild despair, but he noticed that he did indeed have an unopened message from Trent, with an attachment. His train of thought was now broken, and so he decided that he might as well take a quick break and open it now. His face which had been grim and resigned up until that moment lit up with a faint smile as he read all about Jeff's success. Then, out of curiosity, he opened the attachment. The moment that he saw it he gasped in shock, then his face beamed in a wide grin as he saw his best friend pictured there in all of his almost regal, angelic glory. After staring at it for a few minutes, he sent a message of warm congratulations to Jeff, then knew what he had to do. It was time for something to eat in any case, and Wes would never forgive him if he allowed Thad to starve…

He walked quietly to the kitchen, and prepared some sandwiches, poured two large glasses of iced tea, then put them and some fruit onto a tray. He then walked to the door of Thad's room, and tapped gently, ignoring the _Do Not Disturb!_ sign hanging on the handle. As he opened the door, he heard a muttered "That sign means you, David!" being hissed out, and he almost laughed.

"I know that it does, Thaddie, but you do need to eat, so I fixed us both a snack. I am sure that stopping for a few minutes to eat will not totally ruin your dissertation. It's either me, or I can get Mercedes to stop in, or even summon up Wes…"

"Ok, ok, I give!" sighed Thad. "A little bite to eat would be good, as long as we make it quick."

"It's here and ready to eat, but whilst you are doing that, you can also check out the message on your phone that Trent has just sent to everyone. Trust me when I say that you will want to see the picture that he has sent, as well as wishing to congratulate our very own Starling on being top of the whole of the Columbia Art School this year…"

"The whole school!" exclaimed Thad. "Now that is an achievement worthy of recognition. I take it that Trent's picture is of Jeff's winning work? It must be very impressive…" he continued as he opened the attachment. Then it opened, and Thad was rendered speechless, as David could have predicted. His mouth hung open as he stared at the screen, tears starting to form in his eyes. "He drew Wessie…. It looks like a photograph… Yes, Jeff is a genius and I wish that I was there to see it in person right now."

"If you were, I would be right by your side," said David, sitting down next to Thad on his bed, and placing an arm around him. "Admittedly, if we were there, no-one else would be getting close to the drawing, would they?"

"Nope, not even Jeff!" whispered Thad. He suddenly felt the need to make a phone call…

Jeff was still taking all of the praise that he rightfully deserved when his phone began to ring; had it not been for the fact that he had allocated Thad as Head Warbler his own ringtone, then he probably would have ignored it. He made a polite excuse to the woman that he had been talking to, secretly glad to have a reason to walk away from her, then answered. "Hey Thad, so I'm guessing that someone has sent you a picture?"

"They have, Jeff, so please thank Trent for me when you see him. Now, as to the picture - I don't think that I have ever seen another portrait that has meant so much to me. It is easily the best piece of work that you have ever produced, and to be honest, you have moved me and David to tears. Please tell me it is going to be on display for a while, because I want to see it close up. I want to stand there in front of it, and glory in the presence that it projects. You're a genius, Jeff…"

"So people keep saying, including the subject. I think that even I am starting to believe what they keep telling me now… It's called _The Judging Angel_ by the way. It will be on display here at Columbia all summer; after that, I'm not sure. One thing I can promise you; if they suggest that it is just going to be stored away somewhere, then I will take it back and hang the consequences. I mean, I could donate it to Dalton or something…"

Jeff paused as he heard an intake of breath at the other end of the call. "If it was at Dalton…"

"Then you could see it every day," finished Jeff.

"There is a very selfish part of me that wants that so very much," said Thad. "However, then I realise just how brilliant it is, and I realise that it would be wrong. It needs to be on public display so that the whole world can come and see it, in some major art gallery, in pride of place."

"I'm afraid that is about as likely as me and Nicky being able to afford our dream house in the heart of the city anytime soon, Thad, but thanks for the vote of confidence," said Jeff with a laugh.

"You never now, Jeff…" said Thad. He believed strongly that was exactly where Jeff's work would end up. He had learned from experience that life had a habit of throwing you a curve ball just when you were least expecting it…

Thad then passed his phone over to David, so that he too could pass on his warm wishes to his friend, and after a few moments chat, Jeff was called away to speak to someone, and so he ended the call. He handed the phone back to Thad, who smiled, and said, "It has been quite a couple of days in the lives of our little circle of friends when you think about it. Jeff's news today is the just the final decoration on what was an already beautiful cake. Mike Chang top of his class, and on his way to being one of the top stars in ballet in the USA - mark my words, he has the determination, talent and drive to make it right to the very top. Cooper, who once upon a time was reported as saying that Broadway was on its last legs, is now going to be the lead in a production transferring in from the West End, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he didn't have to give an acceptance speech for a Tony award at some time in the near future either. Not quite at that stage for the one and only Sebastian yet, but he has taken the first leap onto the Great White Way, and although I despise myself for the fact that I am even thinking it…"

"…you're kind of hoping that someone goes sick, so that he can get out there on that stage and show them all just how talented he is? Me too…" added David.

"On that note, however, we have to leave things, as I am afraid that I need to get back to work, and so, my friend, do you! Thanks for the interruption though. It was totally necessary, although my brain would have continued to deny it all day long. My only hope now is that we manage to get to New York in time to see the masterwork in all of its glory."

"You can bank on that. We are not going to miss out, even if we have to fly over, see it, fly back and then make our little road trip east with your belongings," said David, as he lifted up the tray and with a salute, headed out again. On his own again, Thad sighed. He had detected the note of sadness in David's voice as he had talked about the trip, and he felt it too. He was going to miss David being around, but this was the reality of life. David had to be here, for his job, Mercedes, and to keep an eye on Jake and Unique as he had promised. He could not expect him to give all of that up and move east with him, anymore than he could stay in L.A. He had realised a while ago that he was going to end up in the same boat as Ethan, and like him, he would have moments of sadness at the distance between his best friend and himself. As long as he was happy though, then that was all that mattered…

Eventually the initial group that had come to see the unveiling of _The Judging Angel_ began to take their leave of the young man that had created such a stir in the New York art scene. Trent and Rory were the first to leave, as they had to return to Washington and a world dominated by exams. They left by cab, and had any of them been watching, they would have observed Trent open his bag and pull out a weighty text book as soon as he was seated in the back. He had taken a long enough break from his schedule and now he had to get himself back into his studies. Rory smiled, and pulled out his own reading material from his own bag. His was connected to work, however, and was to do with the campaign to get Sue elected to Congress in place of Mr Duval. He still couldn't quite believe that he, an assistant to a Democrat congressman, was actively helping out a Republican candidate at his boss' behest, but that was the smoke and mirrors nature of the political game in these challenging times.

Not far behind them were Sam, Santana and Brittany, all three of them heading in the direction of the Spotlight for work. Santana had resolved that she would be sending Michelle up here the moment that she got there, even if she had to physically force her into the back of a cab herself. She needed to see the portrait of her beloved cousin for herself sooner rather than later. Mike and Tina were the next to go, as the latter had to head back to Brown the following day; they were heading back to the loft first, mainly to feed Caleb, and then they had plans for the evening. Before they left, Mike pulled Jeff into a long and deep hug, leaving Tina to quip to Nick that it was just as well they all knew that Mike was straight and Jeff was happily married, or there would be talk, making Nick laugh loudly.

Tina headed over to spilt them up and hug Jeff herself; this left Nick alone, which gave Grace the opportunity she had been waiting for to have a quick private chat with her brother. "Right, so I have made some arrangements, and everything is set up for tomorrow. If you and Jeff could come to Murray Hill for 11? By then Cooper will be on his way to work, Josh will be at Elliott's and Mason has plans to go out with Roderick."

"You're clearing the house out then… Are you intending to drive Sebastian and Dave out too?"

"There is no need to be facetious, Nick. As far as I am aware, they might well be at home, but there has to be no-one else around upstairs as what I have to say isn't for anyone else's ears until Jeff is told. Elspeth was most insistent on that, and the only reason that you are even going to be there is because you are his husband. Right, little brother, I am off now; I will say goodbye to Jeff, then tell him that you are coming to brunch tomorrow for a catch up. Oh, and Nick? Stop looking so worried! What I have to say will be a shock, but not a bad one. In fact, you might even like it…"

Grace walked away, leaving Nick shaking his head. There was no way in the world that anything even remotely connected to Gordon Clarington was a good thing. He looked across the room as his sister said her farewells to his husband; he looked so happy and carefree. He was on the top of the world, both literally and figuratively, and Nick had to admit he had not seen him look so happy since their wedding day. If what he was told tomorrow ended up causing him pain, then Nick would find it hard to forgive his sister or his mother-in-law for hurting his Jeffie. All that mattered to him was his husband's happiness, and nothing was going to end that if he had any say in the matter. That was for tomorrow though; today, he just had to put those thoughts to the back of his mind, smile, and share in his husband's joy…

After all of the excitement of the day, the evening passed off quietly for them all. After a few more hours at the Art Show, Jeff having been in so much demand for interviews that there had been no possibility of him and Nick just slipping quietly away, however much he wanted to, all the two young men wanted to do that evening was relax quietly at home, but they found themselves thwarted in that idea. Jeff was called by Judy, who insisted that they come for an early dinner with Elspeth and themselves. The only positive about that was that it did give them a good reason to make their excuses and leave. It took some time to do, however; they were still there when Michelle arrived. She had walked in, taken one look at the drawing, and whispered "Oh, Birdy!" to herself. She had then done what Trent had done and took a photo of the drawing on her phone, promptly sending it to her parents, he cousin Albert in his secret hiding place in Italy, and to a certain diner waitress by the name of Angela in Harvard. She had the feeling that it might be the catalyst that finally made her come and visit them all in New York, if for no other reason than to see the drawing first hand.

Artie and Kitty had arrived shortly afterwards, having been convinced to come by the text from Trent. They had both just settled themselves in front of it; Kitty had been knocked silent by it for several minutes, which was a shock, then she turned to Jeff and said "You deserve to be at the top of the class with that drawing… Can you sign my ticket for me, so that when you are really famous, we can sell it?" For that line she earned herself a laugh and a hug. Finally, just before they left, Isabelle appeared with Julian at her side; they too stood in silence, before Isabelle came over and stated with a twinkle in her eye that there might just have to be an article about his work in _Vogue_ , possibly under the headline of _'JS-D Rides Again'_

Dinner also turned out to be great fun. Mr Sterling had opted to take them to the Heartland Brewery downtown; he had been searching for a restaurant near the Empire State Building, as he was planning to take Judy up to the top for her first ever time, and when he had heard that the venue in question was on the ground floor next to the main entrance, he knew it was perfect. Nick and Jeff had heard about the place, of course, from Thad and had spent a convivial evening here with him and the others. Tonight though they kept a clear head as they ate their meal. Then the party split up. Elspeth was heading back in the direction of Penn Station, and the two boys offered to walk with her, as it would be convenient for getting the subway home. As for the Sterlings, Robert had a surprise for his wife thanks to the work of Grace, and she was all smiles as he presented her with their tickets to see _Kinky Boots._

When they eventually arrived home, both feeling tired after the day's events, it was to an empty loft. Jeff went to feed Caleb, who had been waiting for them behind the door, almost with a paw pointed at his stomach, whilst Nick went to do what he always did when Jeff was feeling tired and worn out; he ran a bath. Soon enough the two of them were lying in it, Jeff resting as usual on Nick. "I still can't really believe that all of this is true, Nicky! I keep waiting for someone to either wake me up, or call me to tell me they made an error."

"Well, it has all happened, as we all knew that it eventually would. You are the top of the class; the number one artist amongst the student population at Columbia."

"That is just crazy really! There are so many other really talented people there…"

"You just happen to be the best, my love. All I hope is that now fame and fortune have come calling, you will still be able to find time for your husband, a mere lawyer."

"If I do become famous, and that is a very big if, then it will only be with you there, right at my side, my love. No Jeff without Nick, remember. I promised that, and I will never, ever go back on it. After all, it is only because you are around that I can actually work; you're my muse, Nicky. My sounding board, my stress release, my one true and eternal love. And that love for you grows deeper each and every single day that I wake up next to you…"

"And mine for you… I need you too, you know. And I want you to know that I will always take your side, always do my best to advise you and protect you from harm, no matter what…" Jeff snuggled in closer to him, and closed his eyes. Nick held him tight, only wishing that he knew what Grace was going to say to them the following day. It was a weight on his mind right now…


	21. The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part VI

**The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part VI**

After an early night, Nick woke up, and the moment he opened his eyes, his head was filled once more with his trepidation about what exactly Grace was going to reveal to them later that Sunday. He believed his sister when she said that it wasn't bad, but… As he glanced at the young man at his side, he shook slightly. In the past, even the mention of his name… Gordon Clarington was Jeff's Voldemort in so many ways. He had improved so much since they had been informed of his death at Halloween, and if this undid all of that progress…

Nick got up, unable to go back to sleep, and after gently pulling himself free from his sleeping husband, he went to sit quietly in the living area. Caleb was woken up by his arrival, and went to join him. This was the third morning in a row that one of his humans had done this; woken him up and then sat there, not attending to feeding him. He hoped that this was not going to be a new habit amongst them. Nick sat there for a lot less time than Mike had done on Friday, or Jeff had done the day before, though, and he was soon in the kitchen, starting on his usual morning routine, which meant Caleb's stomach was quickly satisfied. He had resolved that there was nothing he could do to prevent what was coming; all he could hope was that it would provide closure on the subject once and for all. However, if there was something nasty said about Jeff in the will, he hoped that his sister would have had both the presence of mind and the common sense to erase it…

As Cooper got ready to head out to the theatre that Sunday morning, he had the idea that there was something going on. Grace had told him when he had woken up that the boys were coming over for brunch, and then had set about ensuring that everyone else would be out of the house by the time that they arrived. Mason and Josh had been more or less pushed out of the front door, and as she started to set up brunch in the kitchen, he had the distinct impression that he would be next if he didn't hurry. This was reinforced by her constant reminders to him of what the time was; her comments that the traffic was particularly heavy that day, which amused him as he walked to the theatre, and heavy traffic actually made it easier to cross the street; and then her comment that people would think that he no longer cared about the show because he was leaving it for a new role, if he didn't arrive early. Then there was the matter of the black satchel that had suddenly appeared on the dresser. He recognised it of course - it was the one that she brought with her to the theatre every Saturday night when she came to meet him when he finished up his performance for the night…

"Are you still here, CJ? Shouldn't you be on your way to the theatre?" came Grace's voice from the next room as he thought about going over and investigating the bag, which she never left unattended.

"Yes, actually. In fact, I was considering calling in sick just this once, and staying here to have a good catch up with Niff. Congratulate young Jeff face to face on the fact that he is now officially the best…" he replied.

Grace appeared in the door, and shook her head. "I don't think so! You are certainly not sick, and if you want to catch up with the boys, you can do that tomorrow, or even when you finish your performance today."

"If I wasn't so sure that you loved me, Gracie, I would be thinking that you were trying to get rid of me. I would suspect that you were having an illicit liaison with another man…"

"Never, dear CJ! I have enough problems with one man, thank you very much. Look, I just want to have a catch up with my brother and his husband on my own. They'll be here any minute, so, if you wouldn't mind…"

"Ok, ok," said Cooper as Grace walked up to him, "Message received. I know when I am not wanted…" He followed his words with a theatrical sniff, which made Grace laugh for a moment, before she pointed at the door. Cooper smiled, kissed her lightly, the grabbed his coat and headed for the door. He opened it just as Nick was about to ring the bell. "Hey brother-in-law-to-be and most talented young artist in the whole of NYC. I can't stop, as apparently I am banished to my place of work. But big congrats, Jeff, and I am looking forward to going to see it tomorrow in person. I'm sure the _New York Times_ didn't do it justice."

With that, Cooper bounded past them down the steps, and Grace appeared at the front door. "Just ignore him, and come on in boys. I've just got everything ready!" Jeff smiled and made his way in. Nick came in behind him, still unable to shake the feeling that the whole world was about to come crashing down around him.

By the time that he and Grace got to the kitchen, Jeff was already at the table, sniffing the air. "I think that the bacon might well be done to perfection, Grace. Should I serve it up?"

"No, you're the guest today Jeff. You sit down and I'll get it." She turned to get the bacon out of the grill and realised that Jeff had been spot on; it was perfect timing. "So, have you seen the Arts Section of today's _Times_? If not, then you really should. It's over there on the dresser beside my satchel." Nick got up as Jeff was already busy eating, and glanced at the cover of the journal - and smiled. There, staring up at him from the front cover was Jeff, beside his drawing. He might also have been in the image too…

"Well, now it is official, my love! You are now the front page of the Arts section, under the headline ' _The talented Mr JS-D; Is there nothing that he cannot do?_ ' You really have made it…"

Jeff stopped eating for a minute as Nick laid the paper in front of him, and he saw the colour light up in his cheeks as he stared at the image. "I wonder if my parents know about this? They will want a copy. We will need to get one ourselves to put away for our scrapbook. I mean, me, the headline news in the paper, and this time there is not a mention of that man anywhere…" Jeff was so engrossed in the article that he did not notice the pointed look that Nick gave his sister at that moment…

Then it was time for the moment that Nick had been dreading. The food had been eaten, wolfed down by Jeff as if he hadn't eaten in a week, consumed far more slowly by his worried husband. Grace knew that she had to get things started before Nick fell apart with the suspense, and there was no better time than now…

"So, I confess, I do have an ulterior motive in bringing the two of you here today. It wasn't just for a catch up, or so that I could wonder once more why my brother-in-law isn't the size of a house with the amount of food he eats. There is something more official that we need to attend to…"

"Oh, well, that's ok," said Jeff. "Of course, I will freely admit that I'm not that great at all the official stuff, so maybe you and Nicky should just sort it out between you."

Grace sighed, and reached across the table to take Jeff's hand, startling him. "In this case, I actually couldn't, Jeff, because it concerns you directly. Nick isn't really involved this time, and he wouldn't even be here if I didn't think you would need him to be here when I tell you what I have to say…" Jeff's smile began to fade, and Nick took his other hand, squeezing it gently. "It all started on New Year's Day, when Elspeth called me. She had received a letter, two days after Christmas, and now she needed my assistance on a legal basis. She swore me to secrecy at the time, and I accepted the need for it. She was equally certain that you would not object to me acting on your behalf, as it were…"

"So it concerns me, and my mother - that's strange… What is the link to her?" said Jeff.

"Honestly, the link to her is slight, although she was named in the document directly, whereas you… To be blunt, she had seen in the letter a way to get her own back, and also to achieve something for you that she never had dreamed possible before. Jeff, she asked me to act on your behalf in consideration of the Last Will and Testament of your father, Gordon…"

Nick could only watch in silent horror as all of the colour drained from Jeff's face at the mere mention of that name. His breathing had also instantly become more rapid. He tightened his grip on his husband's hand, holding it and willing him to calm down.

"I know that name is the last one that you want to hear, so I will not mention it again, but his will I do have to talk about, I'm afraid. Your mother was sent a copy of it, as I have said, just after Christmas. She put off reading it, as distressed as you by the fact that he still had a hold over her, until New Year's Eve, deciding that if she read it through, then she could leave it back in 2015 and start the new year afresh. However, when she did, she noticed something. That is why she decided, after a night sleeping on it, to bring me in. I was reluctant from the first, as it has placed me in a very difficult position, in that she asked me to say nothing, meaning that I have had to conceal the information not only from the two of you, but also from CJ. All that he knew was that I had a special case that I was working on every Saturday night whilst he was on stage. That was the case until last week, when it finally came to court. When it made the _Times_ on Friday, I was concerned that you might see it, given that they printed it under that diatribe from that awful woman…"

"Wes' mom… We did actually read that, but it upset us, so we just discarded the paper," whispered Nick.

"The case wrapped on Thursday, and that was all that they reported then. The verdict wasn't handed down until late on Friday - and it was in my favour. I can imagine that your…that man would be apoplectic if he knew about it, trust me…"

"Ok, so what was the case about, Grace?" interrupted Nick. "You've not told us that yet, and Jeff probably needs to know that more than whether you won it or not, to be honest."

"Right, I was coming to that… When Elspeth read the will, it was exactly as she had anticipated it would be; to summarise the main point here, it said - _'To my wife Elspeth, who has throughout our marriage shown me none of the support that she should have, I leave nothing, as is fitting. All of my estate is bequeathed to my son, as he will know exactly what he needs to do with it.'_ Those were his words, and after she thought about it, in them she saw a faint chance for a small bit of revenge for all she and others had suffered at his hands."

"It is no surprise that he was going to leave my mother high and dry, but I don't understand why she couldn't just have left it all well alone!" exclaimed Jeff. "I thought that she understood what even the mention of his name does to me! How could she be so cruel and heartless as to drag me into this!" His last words were yelled out in frustration, tears starting to well up in his eyes.

Nick said nothing, as he wondered the same thing. What had she seen that would make her do this to his Jeffie - and then it came to him in a blinding flash of realisation. He looked up at his sister, who was near tears herself, and he nodded at her. It was exactly as Grace had put it to them; it was her chance, their chance to take some revenge on the man that had made all of their lives a living hell for far too long. He turned to his husband, and grasped both of his hands. "Jeffie, you need to breathe, ok, and you need to listen. I know it is hard, but you have to. Your mother knew what she was doing, and she would never willingly hurt you, you know that. I think now that I have spotted the same thing that she did in the will; I think I know what Grace was fighting for. I've spotted the thing that he didn't say…"

As Jeff looked at Nick curiously, Grace started to talk again. "You're right, little brother. That is exactly what she spotted; what he didn't say. It would appear that he did not think to alter his will since he made it prior to Hunter becoming embroiled in everything that would happen at Dalton Academy. That shows me that he was nowhere near as smart as he liked to claim. It left the door wide open for a challenge on the interpretation of the document. His intentions are there, but only in his head, not in black and white. He quite obviously intended to leave the entirety of his estate to Hunter…"

"That's obvious!" scoffed Jeff. "But he isn't around anymore, so he has clearly failed in that respect! I take it that all of his money will go to the government or something?"

"That is what would have happened, had Elspeth not asked me to help her challenge it."

"I wish that she hadn't. I wish she had just let it go, rather than bringing him back into all our lives! Ok, I don't want to know anymore… Nicky, I think that we should go, before I get any more upset, and say something that will cause a rift between me and your sister, and force you to decided between the two of us."

Nick sighed, and spoke softly. "Jeffie, if that did happen, then I would always choose you, and Grace is aware of that. I know you want to go, but I think that we really should let Grace finish what she has to say. Your father, and I will call him that, was an evil man. He had plans that would have destroyed the two of us; he tried to kill me on our wedding night; he had already tried to kidnap you in the hope of creating Hunter Mk II out of you. He had already taken the little brother that had adored you and warped his mind, turning him into a monster that left you, me and Sebastian permanently disfigured. I hate him with every bit as much passion as you, but what I hate more is the way that he died. It all felt a little too convenient for him. He did not have to face a trial, to be shown up for the tyrant he was in public. It is actually nice to know that he wasn't as smart as he liked to make out. He had a long time after everything that happened to us at Dalton to alter his will, but he didn't, and that was such a fantastic error on his part." Nick paused, as Jeff stared at him, his eyes filling with tears. "Jeffie, his will clearly states that he wished to leave everything that he owned to his son…"

"Hunter is dead, Nicky!" whispered Jeff.

"I am aware of that my love, but I am also aware of the fact that, like it or not, he had two sons, not one. So, if he left his money to his son, it stands to reason that the money should come to his eldest, and very much still alive, son. Jeffie, your mother saw this, and she acted because she wanted his entire estate to come to you…"

"I don't want anything from him! He didn't want to know me, he didn't like the real me, and that's not my fault! Why would I want anything from him now?"

"Jeff," said Grace quietly, "your mother was well aware of what your initial reaction to this news would be, and at first , I reacted in exactly the same way, until she told me what I am about to tell you…"

"I don't care! I don't want to know anything! I just want to go! Nicky, please…"

"Jeffie, I agree with you wholeheartedly on this, and with the stance that you are taking, trust me, but would it hurt just to listen? Didn't Wes always tell us that you should not make a judgement, jump to conclusions until you are aware of all the facts? Just hear Grace out, and then, if you still want nothing whatsoever to do with what is in his will, then that will be it. Subject closed. I promise, and so does Grace. That will be the end of it."

"I don't know, Nicky. It hurts…I just want to go…"

"Look, I promise you that after today, you will never have to hear anymore about this. I have never broken a promise to you, have I? I don't intend to start now. If you really don't want to hear, then maybe Grace could tell me and then I could tell you if I think you'd want to know…"

Jeff pondered for a second, and then sighed. "No, I will let Grace tell me. The harm is already done. But once she has told me, that is it, forever?"

"If that's what you want, then it is more than ok with me, Jeff. I'm sorry I have to hurt you by bringing this up, but you do need to know." Grace paused, and took a drink, then started again. "When your mother met your father, and married him, he was a low ranking officer, at the very beginning of his career. She was an art school graduate from a very wealthy family; she was swept of her feet by a handsome young man. When they married, it invoked a clause in her grandfather's will, and she inherited a substantial amount of cash, shares and other assets. She naively placed all of these funds under their joint control, as that was what a married couple were expected to do in those days. Then, one day, after he had shown her his true colours and had started on the campaign of violence against her, she tried to access them. She was pregnant with you at the time, and she wanted to leave him before you came along. That was when she discovered that she no longer had the ability to access that account. He had forged her signature on documents, had persuaded a doctor to write a letter saying she was mentally unstable, and the bank had agreed to his desire to have sole control over the lot. You see, he had no cash of his own, no family wealth to inherit. His army salary had never been enough until then to allow him to build up any savings of his own. I guess what I am saying here is that all of the assets that make up your father's estate were purchased with her family money. It all comes from her in reality. By not leaving anything to her in his will, he was robbing her of the last thing he had to take. The wealth she had given him."

"If that is the case, could she not just have challenged the will on her own behalf? I mean, everyone knew that he was not of a sound mind, so that surely invalidates it?" asked Jeff.

"I am guessing that the way he worded it leaves that option out, particularly as she has no proof I am guessing that he forged her signature all those years ago?" said Nick, and was pleased when his sister nodded. It meant that at least some of his law school training was paying off.

"The only way that she could ensure that the money stayed where it belonged, within her own family, was to make a challenge based on the ambiguity of the term 'son'. When she first came to me and suggested that, I told her that you would find the whole idea abhorrent, but then she told me exactly what the estate entailed, and I found myself coming round to her way of thinking. Suddenly the idea that his estate, financed by her money, should go to the government horrified me."

"So Jeff suddenly became unimportant to you? His feelings on the issue no longer mattered?" exclaimed Nick, looking with a frown at his sister.

"I didn't say that, Nick. Of course his feelings matter to me very much. I know that if I hurt him, I hurt you, and that is the last thing I would ever want. His feelings do matter, and if he says no at the end of all of this, then both Elspeth and I will be content with that and accept it. I have had plenty of time, as she has, since we embarked on this journey to think. She now agrees with me that the only thing that really matters is Jeff's happiness."

"Good. Well, I have already made my feelings on the subject clear, so that is that!" said Jeff, who was struggling with his emotions, feeling that any moment he might burst into tears with frustration. Hopefully, he would have to hear no more, and he could head home and snuggle all afternoon with Nick…

To his surprise, it was his husband that spoke next. "I have one question, and I am acting here out of the best interests of my husband. What is the value of his estate, out of curiosity?"

"Nicky!" squealed Jeff. "It doesn't matter! What do I have to do to convince you all that I am not interested!?"

"Humour me for a moment, Jeffie. Grace, could Jeff accept…" Nick paused and hushed his husband before he could protest again. "Could he accept, then give every single cent of it to charity?"

Grace looked at him for a second, deep in thought. "Honestly, I am not sure, but given that he would never have expected Hunter to do so, I doubt that Jeff could be prevented from doing so. For the record, in answer to your first question, the value of the estate is in nine figures, at today's values…"

"Nine!" said Nick in hushed tones, his eyes wide open. Beside him Jeff sat in silence, his mouth wide open, his next protest having been silenced by the thought of a long line of zeroes…

"Nine," repeated Grace. "You can both see now, I expect, why Elspeth felt compelled to fight the will. If it had been a few thousand, then so be it. A few million…"

"Is a very different story," whispered Nick, as beside him Jeff still sat in shock. He could not contemplate just how wealthy Gordon had been - no, how wealthy his mother had been. For the first time now, he was having serious doubts about his initial reaction. He had always tried to help others when he could… If he could accept the money then give it all away; if he could use it to help other people then maybe it would be worth it. He could compromise his principles and accept the tainted money for that purpose…

"Of course, it isn't all cash," came Grace's voice disturbing Jeff's thoughts. "A sizeable part of it is, but there are also stocks and shares, and a portfolio of property. It is that latter part that is of most concern to us right now. It forms the bulk of the estate and some of it is of particular interest, because it reflects the cruel and uncharitable nature of the man in question…"

Grace's words roused the interest of both of her audience. "I am taking it from your statement that some of this property has an impact on people that do not deserve to be subjected to his actions?" said Nick.

"Or worse, he has used property as a means to punish people that he did not like or approve of," said Jeff. He looked at the expression on Grace's face after he had spoken, and from it, he knew that he had scored a hit. "That's it, isn't it. He used property as a weapon too…"

"That is exactly what he did in two of the cases, although you will be glad to hear that in one of those, he did not emerge triumphant. That fact gave me and Elspeth the greatest of pleasure. It's the other case that I will come to first though. Several acres of land in Vermont. Good quality land that had been allowed to go fallow since it was snapped up, pocket by pocket, until it eventually came to surround a particular farm on all sides."

Nick looked at his sister, then spoke. "I bet I can guess exactly where that land is and I am certain that Jeff will be able to do so too."

"It's all the land that surrounds my aunt's farm, isn't it?" said Jeff quietly. "I remember the first time that we went up there; as we drove the last few miles I recall pointing out to Nick that the land we passed looked so unloved compared to what we had seen before, and what we would eventually find at our destination. I said as much to Aunt Moira, and she just pursed her lips and said nothing…"

"That's right, I remember," said Nick. "Eventually she did admit that she and Sarah had always wanted to expand the farm, and build a viable future, not just for themselves, but for Duncan, Flora and Luke, so they could come back and help them out, if that was what they wanted. They wanted to set up new businesses, to convert disused buildings into affordable homes, so that the young people living locally did not feel obligated to move away. They wanted to take advantage of the emerging digital technology to bring new jobs to the valley with good wages. But each time that a neighbouring farm came onto the market, they were outbid, and the property would sell for far more than they could ever afford. They then saw the place neglected by the new owner, and when she investigated further, she found out that it was a shell company that was buying them up. All this time, it was Moira's brother-in-law that was doing that, that was thwarting her plans to bring employment and prosperity to the community. Poor Elspeth…"

"Yes, she was more than a little upset when she realised what her husband had been doing behind her back to her family, and the fact he was using that family's money to do so too… I think that might have been one of the main forces that spurred her on to try and reclaim the money."

"In the hope that if I owned it instead…" Jeff started. "She is right, of course she is! If I accept the land in Vermont, then I can give it back to my aunts?"

"You could, yes, but it would be far better for you to just charge them what is known as a peppercorn rent. If you give them it, then they would be probably be liable for a hefty tax bill on the gift. You charge them something like $10 a year, then they aren't. Anyway, that is the first of the major properties in the estate. Moving on, we have several thousand acres of land in the Dakotas."

"The Dakotas!" said Jeff. "Why on earth would he want so much land there? Is there another branch of my mother's family there that I do not know about?"

"I think that I can hazard a guess, my love," Nick replied. "Gordon always seemed to me to be one of those slightly mad people that anticipated the apocalypse in the next few years, and we already know that he thought that he and Hunter were the kind of people that should survive above all others and be beyond what they saw as the liberal laws. So, I am guessing that the land in the Dakotas is in one block, and in a remote area far from any centre of population. He was going to use it as his last redoubt. He was probably planning to build a bunker of some kind where he, Hunter, and some carefully selected friends could hide out."

Grace nodded. "The investigator that was sent up there states that he had already started on the building works for the bunker. Worse than that, they discovered a cache of weapons hidden away in one of the buildings that already existed at the site."

"He was mad, there is no doubt about that!" said Jeff with a shiver.

"Next we have a number of properties in Ohio, one of which has been identified by Elspeth as being the place that they lived when Hunter was enrolled at Dalton. None of the other property is of any great interest, apart from a plot of land on the eastern boundary of the Academy. Elspeth has no interest in returning to that house, and I doubt you would have any use for any of it, apart from maybe that land beside Dalton."

"So, if Jeff did decide to accept the estate, he would be free to sell all of that, and the stuff in the Dakotas, and then give the proceeds to charity, if he did not wish to touch the money himself? I'm also guessing that we could offer Dalton the land at the same kind of deal that he would make in Vermont?"

"Yes. The money could be donated to charity, placed in a trust, used to do good," said Grace, seeing where her brother was going. "So, next we come to something that does not fit in with the rest. We have a beach house, with land including a private beach, on Long Island."

"A beach house! He actually bought a beach house!" exclaimed Jeff, shaking his head.

"Yes, a six bed, six bath home, which as well as the private beach has a swimming pool, tennis courts and several outbuildings, in a quiet community on the north shore on the outskirts of Port Jefferson," continued Grace.

Nick suddenly burst out laughing, which earned him a funny look from both Jeff and his sister. "Oh, I'm sorry guys, but it's the irony! Jeffie, my love, from what I have heard, the locals refer to that particular place as Port Jeff! He bought a house in a town named after you. If ever there was a moment where karma played a part, then this is it!"

"I must admit that when I mentioned the way the name was shortened to Elspeth, she laughed just as much as you, little brother, and then wondered why on earth he had chosen to buy one there. Moving on now to the final property, and this is the one that he failed to achieve his aims on. It will be of most interest to the two of you, not just for that reason, but because of where it is located." Grace paused, as the two young men focused all their attention on her, their curiosity piqued. "It's here, in Manhattan. He had a substantial property holding here, in New York…"


	22. The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part VII

**The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part VII**

Both Nick and Jeff's ears perked up at that one. They looked at each other, then turned their attention back to Grace. There was silence, eventually broken when Nick spoke up. "He had a problem in the city, though? That was what you said…"

"Oh, yes. He found himself up against quite a formidable issue here, trust me. On paper, the deal that he did was quite a good one, back in the days before the credit crunch, when money was flowing freely like water. It was a time when the mantra of knock it down and rebuild higher seemed to dominate on this small island. The plan was to clear the site, build a 20 storey block of condominiums, and from a small plot of land get a huge return. It would have completely changed the character of the neighbourhood in the process, but that was not his concern. As for the city councillors, well, they could have been bought…"

"So he has left me a large block of condos?" asked Jeff, in slight shock at the prospect.

"No. He might have had the permissions; he might have had the finance; but what he hadn't reckoned on was being at the mercy of a small, feisty group of, to be blunt, little old ladies…"

"He was at the mercy of what?" said Nick and Jeff together - and then they burst out laughing at the fact that they had just spoken in total unison.

Grace smiled, and then continued. "The West Village Ladies of the Arts to be precise. Now had this been just another community group opposed to his plans, he would have found it quite easy to destroy them in court. They were not. They were a small footnote that he, or his lawyer, had overlooked in the paperwork in their haste to snap up what seemed to be the steal of the decade. Five period townhouses in the West Village with gardens to the rear - the fact that they could acquire them for so little money would have set alarm bells ringing for anyone with a bit of common sense. The five properties were on sale, but on the condition that they were restored to a high standard to their original condition, and that the ladies that owned them were allowed to continue living there for the remainder of their lives. No part of that row of houses could be altered or demolished as long as one of those sweet old ladies, all of whom had been, as you might have guessed, artists or in an associated field, was still alive. The last of them only passed away two days before your mother received the will. Gordon had obviously thought he would outlive them; instead, he lost, and died still feeling devastated that he had lost out and been beaten by what he referred to as a group of old broads…"

"Do you know, that fact makes me so very happy" said Jeff, smiling broadly for the first time since they subject had been broached. "I wouldn't have put it past him though not to have tried to speed them on their way…"

"He probably would have done, had it not been for the fact that the ladies had good contacts with the press. One of them had been the much loved and revered secretary to the editor of the Arts section of the _Times_ , and so the journalists at that institution always were willing to lend an ear to anything that she told them. So he couldn't use any of the usual tricks, like cutting off the gas or the water. He was legally obligated to pay for all and any repairs, so he couldn't just let the buildings rot and fall down. It was a millstone round his neck for so long, and I guess that he celebrated a little when it got down to just one of them being left… It was a pity that the lady in question was a highly celebrated artist; an alumnus of your school, I believe, Jeff…"

"Oh, my, I think I know who you are talking about," he responded. "There was a display of her work in the lobby in January, after she had passed away. I have to say that I was impressed, and if I could ever reach her standards…"

"You already have, Mr Top of the School," said Nick, putting an arm around his husband's shoulders. "So, what you are saying is that Jeff has been left five townhouses, in excellent order, in the West Village. That's right, isn't it?"

"Exactly. Five in a row, a stone's throw from Christopher Street, an easy walk to Union Square, and the local subway station is on the 1, 2, 3 and L trains." Grace paused and saw the look on her brother's face. That last little part about the subway had been the clincher for him she thought to herself; telling him that the subway would take them straight up to Columbia had been the push he needed to see that this would be their dream chance, the opportunity to get the home of their dreams in an idyllic neighbourhood. Convincing Jeff of that would be another story; his face had lost his smile again, and was impassive. He still detested the idea of accepting anything form his natural father, and she couldn't blame him for that. She would be the same in his shoes. For Jeff though she still had one final ace up her sleeve, and hopefully, when she produced it, her brother would help her convince Jeff to take the chance.

"There are a few other little bits of property; an apartment in Harvard, where he had hopes of one day sending Hunter, I guess; a house in the Georgetown area of Washington DC; a couple of vineyards in California… That is essentially it, and thanks to a combination of my very convincing arguments and a highly sympathetic judge, we won. Everything can now come to the eldest son that any other father would have rightly been more than proud of."

"Which is all well and good," said Jeff. "I am grateful to you for all of your efforts, Grace, but apart from the land for my aunts, I don't want any of it."

Grace nodded, but couldn't help but notice how crestfallen Nick looked at that moment. He had promised to support his husband's choice, and he would, but he looked like a kid that had just had their ice cream snatched away. "Fair enough, but before you put that in writing, I would ask that you do one thing for me, and that is take a taxi with me to the West Village." She stopped, and produced a bunch of keys from her purse. "At least come and take a look at the property deal that backfired and drove him mad. Humour me on this, brother-in-law, and then we will sort out the paperwork in whatever way you wish. After all, you having nothing to lose by doing so but time…"

Jeff sighed, knowing that he had no choice but to go along with what she had just suggested; she had asked them after all on their arrival whether they had any plans for the rest of the day, and he had blithely answered for both of them and told her that they had a free day. He knew now that he had been played.

"It couldn't do us any harm, Jeffie," said Nick. "We can go and keep Grace happy, and then we can take a stroll down to Greenwich Village before we head home. It's a nice day for a walk, and this way, we get a free ride over to the west side. On the plus side, I heard that there is a new cookie place just opened…"

Grace laughed, and Jeff joined in, although he didn't resent the implication from his husband that he could be persuaded to do something that he wasn't keen on simply by offering him cookies, even if it was true… "Very well, we will go with you - but my opinion has not altered in the slightest. I still want nothing to do with my father's money, except for the land for my aunts. Now, if you two plotters will excuse me, I would like to go and freshen up before we leave." Jeff got up and left the table, heading to the bathroom to wash his hands, and wipe his face.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Nick turned and spoke to his sister in hushed tones. "I can't believe this Grace! Gordon Clarington was such a stereotypical dictator; rich and evil. I can't believe he didn't realise the slip up he had made with the wording. If Jeff did accept this, he would be richer than anyone else that I know, and I think that would scare him; wealth has always sat quite badly with Jeff. The thing is, he can't really pick and choose what he accepts, can he?"

"No, not really, worse luck," Grace admitted in a whisper. "He wants the land for his aunts, but to get that, he will have to accept the entire estate. If he does that, and then decides to sell it, he would find himself liable for tax, unless he donates the property to a charity first and then allows them to sell it. The whole thing with probate law is so complicated! What makes it worse here is that I have actually visited the beach house and the townhouses. Nick, you once told me that your dream, and Jeff's, was to one day be able to afford a nice period place in the city. The way that property prices are going, this might be your best and only chance of realising that dream, trust me. The only reason that I am taking you to see them is in the hope that he falls in love with something that I discovered; I know already that you will love the place…" Grace stopped abruptly as she heard Jeff's footsteps approach, and Nick quickly changed the subject to Cooper and his new role, the perfect topic to remove suspicion that they had been discussing the will and his husband.

Grace kept the topic of Cooper open as they headed across town in the taxi she had called. She was grateful that she had finally been able to come clean about the subject of her boyfriend's new part, having had to keep quiet about for so long after the night that Cooper had finally said yes to his new director. "He had such doubts about his ability to carry off the part, and Blaine had to come and sit him down and give him a long pep talk on the subject. It took a while, but finally, we got Cooper in the headspace to say he'd do it. He had been asked to go and shadow the current cast in the West End for a week, although they are paying for two weeks' hotel accommodation and flights for the two of us. We will be jetting off in a couple of weeks; I'm just sorry I couldn't mention it sooner."

"You'll love London!" exclaimed Jeff, and he began to recount all the things that he and Nick had done there two years ago when they were still just an engaged couple.

It was only as they finally neared their destination that Grace changed the subject once again. "So how are Luke and Duncan getting on in their search for a new place? And Seth obviously? I know that Elliott is searching for somewhere new too…"

"They're not having an easy time, any of them," said Nick. "The same goes for the three guys from the Warblers that are moving here from Ohio this year. Everyone is talking about Jersey City, which is ok I guess, but if you're moving to New York you actually want to live in New York, not in New Jersey. It just isn't the same on the other side of the Hudson. We will probably be moving ourselves soon so we can avoid the worst of the 'L' Train debacle. We've been looking at places in the Bronx…"

"The Bronx! You and I know that it isn't that bad these days, but even saying that name will cause mom to have a fit!"

"It's the only place that we can realistically afford," sighed Nick. "Gentrification is all very well and good, but it does have a lot to answer for!"

At that point the taxi came to a halt. They got out, and as Grace sorted out payment with the driver, Nick and Jeff stood on the sidewalk and looked around. The street was fairly quiet, and at least on the stretch they were on, was made up of fine old brick built houses, with the occasional tree planted for shade alongside the roadway. They could also see that they were only minutes away from shops and what seemed to be a refreshingly large grocery store. "It is a nice neighbourhood," Nick remarked. "I'm so glad that those ladies managed to thwart your father in his plans to plant a block of condos here. It would have been totally out of place!"

"Yes, it would have destroyed the entire area in one go," said Jeff as he took in all he could see. "I think that you could bring someone that lived here a century ago back right now and they would recognise it. It is definitely the sort of place you could settle down and raise kids in…"

"It's almost our dream, isn't it?" said Nick, knowing he was taking a chance.

Jeff looked at him, then sighed. "It is, Nicky, I have to concede that. I know what you are thinking, and well… All I am going to say is that it would have to be pretty special to make me forget who bought it, and be able to live in it comfortably. It would have to be special…"

Grace overheard the final words of the exchange as she approached and smiled, but only for a moment; by the time she came to stand beside them, she was offering a neutral expression. It played to her advantage to keep a poker face right now. "Ok, shall we start with the house that was lived in last? It was the one that belonged to the artist, and is the second one in from the left." Nick and Jeff turned their eyes to look at the property, and to the secret delight of Grace, she heard a quiet sigh of satisfaction from her brother. The house had not been altered much since it had been built, at least externally. Grace climbed up the steps as the two men followed her; she opened the front door into a porch, and then unlocked the inner glazed door before ushering them into the hallway. Once again she heard a gasp of delight at the sight that confronted them, and this time she could not be sure if the noise had come from Nick or Jeff. She turned round to stand at the foot of the staircase that swept up from the hall to see that Nick's face was glowing with pleasure, and Jeff's was not that far behind either. 'He's fighting hard internally,' Grace thought. 'He wants what he sees so badly, but he is also determined not to take advantage of his father's death to get this for himself and Nick. So, time to play a little dirty. My brother is already in love with the place, so I need to concentrate my efforts on Jeff. So, I take him straight to the deal clincher…'

"Ok, so whilst my brother has a nose around down here, maybe downstairs in the basement at the kitchen, I think you and I should head upstairs, Jeff; there is something that I want to show you. You don't mind, do you Nick?"

"No I guess not," he replied. "As long as that is alright with you, Jeffie?"

"I suppose so - just don't fall too much in love with this place. Remember what you promised me."

"I won't. What you think is all that matters to me. If you hate it, then we leave and the subject is closed."

Jeff nodded, and then followed Grace up the stairs, whilst Nick took the hint and headed in the direction of the kitchen. After what seemed like an interminable climb, Jeff finally found himself at the top of the last flight of stairs, his sister-in-law at his side, in front of a closed door. "Ok," said Grace, "do me a favour Jeff; humour me, and close your eyes."

"Right, you have to be kidding me! How old are you? I've a good mind to head back down the stairs, get Nick, and go in search of that cookie shop!"

"Now don't be like that! Just humour your favourite sister-in-law…"

"Only sister-in-law…"

"Now that is just semantics. Please Jeff…."

With a sigh, Jeff closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Ok, go on! Make it quick!"

Grace laughed, and opened the door; then putting an arm around him, she walked Jeff forward into the centre of the single room at the very top of the house. "Ok, you can open them now…"

"You do realise you are acting like a three year old right now?" said Jeff, as he opened his eyes, and then gasped.

"This was her studio," explained Grace to her wide-eyed brother-in-law, before she left the young man in front of her to just drink it in. She made her way back to the door as she saw Jeff start to wander around the space in a daze. It was lit by picture windows on two sides, and roof lights on the other two, washing the whole room with a golden glow that day. There was a small roof terrace at the back, accessible by a French window. The floor was well polished wood, and the walls were a muted cream colour. An open door showed him a large cupboard with a sink, and walls lined with shelves and drawers for storage. The ceiling was high, easily able to allow him to produce another drawing on the scale of _The Judging Angel_.

"This place is perfect…the light, the space…it is just perfect! " gasped Jeff, tears starting to form in his eyes. "You do realise that this is completely screwing with my mind? If this was in any other house, then I would feel like I had died and gone to heaven - but it was bought by that man…."

"Which in my opinion is all the more reason why you should take it. If your father could see you now, the son that he rejected taking control of everything that he built up with his ill-gotten cash, he would be livid. It was bad enough that he was beaten by a resourceful group of older ladies, but if he could see you, living and working here successfully in a career that he despised…"

"I know! He would detest the idea! If I don't agree to take this, what is likely to happen to it?"

"Honestly? Another property mogul will come along and acquire it. At best, this will be divide up into a boxy apartment, along with the rest of the house. At worst, the condos will be built, and all of this will be reduced to rubble. This house, this whole row becomes another piece of lost heritage, only seen in old photos."

Jeff nodded, his heart sore at the thought that this space could be lost. "Well, this is very nice, but the rest of the house could be a disaster…"

"Shall we go and see? We could start with the master suite…"

"Master suite…?"

"Yes, big bedroom, separate dressing area, bathroom with one of those old, freestanding roll top baths…" Jeff's eyes widened again as in his mind he pictured that room. 'I've got him,' Grace thought, as she saw his expression. "I tell you what. I will go and fetch Nick, and leave you here to have a good look round on your own, whilst you have a little think about things." Jeff nodded, and Grace left him to dream alone for a while…

Once she had left, Jeff wandered over to the window overlooking the street and took a seat on the wide windowsill. He smiled as he took in the view properly for the first time, and realised that from this spot he could see all of the well known skyscrapers of midtown in the distance, those iconic buildings that told everyone in the world instantly where they were. 'I could sit here with my pad and draw to my heart's content,' he thought. 'Why did this place have to be so absolutely perfect!? I want to hate it; I should hate it, but…'

"You've fallen head over heels in love with it?"

That familiar voice made Jeff smile. "Exactly, Wes! There is a voice in my head screaming that this is the perfect home; Nick and mine's forever home, but there is another one yelling at the same volume that this is his, it is tainted by him, and you have to decline it!"

"It is a tricky one, I grant you. Every single on of your principles is being tested here. If I was you though, I would be remembering this; the money that he used to buy this house and its neighbours came from your mother's family, not from anything that he did. This investment actually ended up costing him money, as he had to make so many repairs. The result is that here we have a group of beautifully restored houses. Now, I might have had a quick scan of the stuff in Grace's documents whilst she wasn't looking one night, so let me tell you what she didn't; what the other houses are like. To the right from where we are standing, the house next door is actually divided into two equal size places; to the immediate left is another full townhouse. As for the final two, they are configured differently, with two, two storey places on the upper levels, and two, single level places across the lower levels. The one at the lowest level is designed so that it is fully accessible to someone that is confined to a wheelchair, as one of the ladies was…"

"Gosh! That would really suit someone like Artie. His school only has a few accessible places, and he has been hinting that he needs to look for somewhere longer term, but he has always said…" Then it dawned on Jeff, and he groaned. "It isn't just about me and Nick, is it? Grace was talking about all of the other people we know that are having problems finding somewhere to live when we came her in the cab! If I say yes to this…"

"Then everyone has their accommodation problems solved with a few strokes of a pen. Which just makes the pressure on you right now all the greater, doesn't it? Just to add to that, can I just say that this spot is a suntrap, and I can just picture a very contented cat curled up in that sunbeam over there…"

Jeff burst out laughing, shaking his head at Wes. "Yeah, Caleb would love this place too. He'd need to explore a lot, but he would be very happy here."

"None of that matters, however, if you cannot reconcile yourself to living here; if everyone else is happy, but you are miserable, then it isn't a win for you or Nick for that matter. Only you can make the final decision on this one, my Starling, and everyone else needs to be pushed to the back of your mind."

"I know… Wes, have you looked round the house? Is the rest of it…"

"Stunning. _Homes and Gardens_ magazine worthy. Isabelle would love to do photo shoots for _Vogue_ here. Or at the beach house, which I haven't seen; but Kurt and Blaine did pop down for a look once I'd found out about it, and they said to say that Jay Gatsby would fit right in with the style it is decorated in." Jeff nodded, and Wes smiled. "Ok, I am going to go and leave you to think, with just one final thought. Would seeing you and Nick living here, happy and contented, make him annoyed? And that is my last word on the subject…" With that, Wes was gone, and Jeff was left alone with a massive choice to make…

How long he had been sitting there, deep in thought, he did not know, when he was brought back to reality when he heard a massive gasp, and he knew that Nick had walked into the room. He opened his eyes to look at his husband, who was strolling around the room, a massive smile on his face which seemed to be getting bigger with every thing he saw. "Jeffie, you can see the World Trade Center from here!" he gasped as he looked out the windows opposite where Jeff sat.

"I know; you can see the Empire State and the Chrysler Buildings from here," he replied, prompting Nick to run over, and after looking in delight, to sit beside him and place an arm around his shoulders.

"This room is so special. A dream studio for you! As you know, I headed down to the basement, and there is a kitchen…."

"That my brother was sitting in silently, mouth open, practically drooling at everything he saw," came Grace's voice from the doorway. "You have a dream room up here, Jeff, but I think that someone's dream kitchen might be in the basement…"

"It is nice, Grace, and it is the kind of space that I would like to have one day," said Nick, "but the decision here isn't up to me. The decision can only be my husband's, and it is unfair of you to try and blackmail him. I will always abide by his choice, which ever way he decides. There are other kitchens; there is only one love of my life."

On hearing those words, Jeff leant over and kissed Nick on the cheek. He had known that he would say that, and that he meant every word. He knew that he would never throw it back at him when they were having an argument, or when they were sitting in a tiny apartment in Pelham, or if they were having to take a lengthy detour to Manhattan from the loft whilst the 'L' Train was shut down. No, his Nicky would stand by him. He always had, and he always would, because all that mattered to Nick was his happiness. That was why he had loved him. It was that love that had helped him make his choice…

"So, a kitchen that is perfect for you to bake cookies in?"

"It is, yeah - and there is a double oven, so that means I could bake twice as many at once."

"Well, the first batch you bake had better be my favourites. I wonder if I will be able to smell them baking up here…?"

It took Nick less than a second to realise what Jeff meant by that statement; he leapt forward, and pulled him into a hug, which was immediately reciprocated. On the sidelines, Grace allowed herself to smile, pleased that all of her hard work and Elspeth's had been worth it. She would have to call her discreetly when she got a moment, to let her know that her son had accepted his rightful inheritance from his mother's family.

Eventually, the two young men pulled apart, and Jeff came across the room to stand in front of Grace, his arms folded across his chest. "Now, let me just make one thing plain here and now. I am still not happy about the fact that all of this was done behind my back. I should have been told what was going on from the moment that Elspeth saw the will and realised the implication. I shall be calling her later to tell her as much. It's not that I'm not grateful, but it would have been nice to have been informed beforehand. Now, here is the deal. The land in Vermont - keep, rent out for cents to my aunts. The houses here - keep, and rent out for the same kind of level to my friends. The beach house in Port Jeff - keep, as long as Nick and I both like it when we pay it a visit, as it will solve our holiday problems, as well as those of our friends. All of the rest, except for maybe the house in Washington, sell, for the best possible price; but I want all the potential purchasers vetted. No mad military people like my father. If it can be arranged, let Trent and Rory see the Washington place, and if they like it, then let them have it for a peppercorn rent."

"I can ensure you that I will do my best for you, and I will see that your wishes are respected. Now as for the proceeds from the sales, I would suggest a trust fund for your future child, or indeed children, to pay for those little extras they will require in early adulthood; and some to an account set aside for upkeep," Grace responded.

"That sounds sensible, but all the rest I want to go to the scholarship funds at Dalton; at Columbia, for both art and law; and at NYADA. I want to ensure that every cent that he left is spent on things that he would hate and object to strongly," continued Jeff.

Nick laughed at that, and said, "In that case, what about using the income from his stocks and shares to set up an art scholarship and prize at Dalton - I like the sound of the Sterling Cup."

"I think the Sterling-Duval cup sounds better, Nicky," said Jeff with a smile.

"I can certainly look into having that done for you, if you are sure?" replied Grace.

"We are, aren't we Nicky? Oh, and I would also like to state here and now that all of this is our money, not mine. What's mine is yours, etc, etc, as per the rules of marriage."

"Jeffie, this is a heck of a lot of money. It isn't fair or right that I take any of it."

"It's ours, and that is that! If you don't agree, then I'll revert to Plan A, and all of it will go to the government - which might mean Clinton in the end, but then again, it might mean…"

"I accept!" Nick shouted, his face a picture, as Grace chuckled. She had to agree with her brother; there was no way that she wanted that man to get his hands on any of it either.

"Right, now that is all settled, we had better go and inspect our new home properly, Mr Sterling-Duval," said Jeff, linking arms with Nick. "And I think we should get Mike down here too. He was seeing Tina off on her train back to Brown about now, so he'll be at Penn Station, so he won't have far to come. After all, this will be his home too, at least until he and Tina need a place of their own together, and then we can let him have one of the other houses."

"Of course, we are assuming that Mike would still want to live with us. He might want a place of his own now if the option was there," cautioned Nick.

"Oh, I think he might want to stay," said Grace. "There is a good selling point of this place to him…" Nick and Jeff looked at each other, wondering what she meant. How many more secrets did this house contain…


	23. The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part VIII

**The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part VIII**

Mike was just about to head down into the subway at Penn Station, heading for home after an enjoyable few hours with Tina, when his phone started to buzz. He pulled it out, half expecting a little love note from her, but instead he saw that he had a text from Nick - _'Mike, meet me and Jeff at the address below now. It's urgent!'_ He immediately assumed that there had to be an emergency of some kind, even though in the back of his mind a faint alarm bell was ringing, and the words 'Practical Joke' were running through his thoughts. He dismissed them, and checked where he was to head on Google Maps…

He managed to arrive at the address in the West Village in just over twenty minutes, having been lucky enough to board a '1' Train almost the moment that he had stepped onto the subway platform. He looked up in slight awe at the building in front of him, so reminiscent of the place that Cooper had in Murray Hill. He began to wonder who it was that owned this house, how they could afford it, and what their connection was to Nick and Jeff. He assumed that it had to be connected in some way to Jeff's recent success in the art world, and that it perhaps belonged to some wealthy patron; that did not explain why he was needed though. He climbed up the steps with those questions still running through his mind, and was about to push the old fashioned bell when the door was swung open to reveal a smiling Jeff.

"Hey, Mike, thanks for getting here so quickly! Come in, there's something that we needed to show you!" Mike looked at Jeff curiously, as if hoping for some sort of explanation, but none was forthcoming. He followed his roommate up the grand staircase to the first floor, admiring the details around him as he did so. Halfway up, as they reached a landing and turned, he saw that Nick was coming up behind them, and that Grace was now standing at the front door, having just closed it. He wondered again what was going on, as Jeff lead him across the landing, and ushered him through a double door into a large room with a polished wooden floor

Jeff motioned to him to walk across it, and with a shrug, Mike did so, and immediately he realised what it was, and paused in his steps. "This is a sprung floor. They have floors like this at Julliard - I am guessing that this room must have been a ballroom once upon a time."

Nick was now standing by Jeff at the open door, and the latter spoke next. "So, a floor like this would make it the perfect room for you to practice in?"

"Well, yes! It would be a dream room for that. Whoever lives in this house is very fortunate."

"You think?" said Jeff, as Nick smiled at his side. "Well, that is a good thing, Mike, because you see, one of the people that will be living here, hopefully, is you. You see, as of now, this place is mine and Nick's, and by implication, yours too…"

Mike could only stare at the smiling young men in front of him for a few moments, and then he blurted out "No, that isn't possible; this is another prank, isn't it? I mean, I know that the two of you are better off financially than me and Tina, but even then there is no way in the world that the two of you could afford a house like this; heck, even if it was in an uncertified, rundown part of the city, with a crack house next door, you couldn't afford a place like this! Plus, if you could, you wouldn't have been looking at apartments in Pelham. No, this is just a prank again!"

"I know it looks like that, Mike, and up until a few hours ago, I would have been in agreement," said Nick.

"As Grace will however reassure you if you go and ask her - and you know she would never agree to be in on a prank - this place is ours, as are four of the other houses on either side of us," said Jeff.

The look of sincerity on his face as he uttered those words, and the enormity of the statement make Mike struggle for breath, as his eyes widened in shock. "How on earth…!?"

"Let us just summarise it like this," said Nick. "My husband's mother inherited a nice chunk of money from her parents; her douchebag husband appropriated it, and spent it without her knowledge. He then died, but did so having made a fatal mistake; he left a will with a critical ambiguity. He left a will in which he gave it all to his son…"

Jeff nodded, then continued for his now grinning husband. "He meant Hunter, of course, but given that he is already dead, and that after his death my natural father forgot to change his will, the whole estate, after a quiet court battle, come to his other son - little old me!"

Mike took a deep breath, and then smiled as broadly as the other two. "So, your father was a man of evil intent, but with a talent for property speculation?"

"Not exactly," said Jeff. "You see, he bought these beautiful, historic houses for the land that they occupy. He wanted to knock them down, and put up some featureless, horrible condos. What he didn't bank on was the fact that he also had to take on the occupiers of the properties, a ferocious group of old women. They managed to keep him at bay, and one of them outlived him, thwarting his plans in the process. If I am being honest, until I saw this house, I was going to give every cent of my unwanted inheritance away. Then I fell in love with this place, and now I am going to keep a large chunk of it. You see, there are a number of our friends that are looking for a new home right now, and by taking these properties, I can address that. The new arrivals from Dalton this year, along with my cousin, can share the house next door. The others are divided up, so there is a bit I can offer to Elliott, so that he, Beats and Josh can finally live together as they all want; there's a part for Flint to move into with Ethan; there's an accessible apartment, that would be ideal for Artie, if he can persuaded to accept it. And one day, when you and Tina are ready to move in together, there is a nice duplex at the end of the row, in the corner house, that will have your name on it."

"It has your name on it because, according to Grace, it also has a sprung floor in the sitting room, so it will be ideal for a dancer," continued Nick. "Of course, you might have had enough of living with the two of us and want to strike out on your own there right away, and if you do, that is fine, but the fact is, Jeff and I hope that you would like to continue living with us and Caleb just now…"

Mike stood there, in a daze. This had all happened so fast, and there was so much to process… "You really have a place here, in the West Village, marked out for me? That's great guys, but I doubt that I could afford the rent."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot," said Jeff. "If it was up to me, I would give you it as a gift, but for tax reasons, I can't. So, we would have to rent it out to you, and in line with my sentiments, the rent we would be asking for would be in the region of $10 a month."

"Ten bucks a month! It's worth much, much more than that!"

"It is, true enough," said Nick, placing a hand on Mike's arm, "but Jeff thinks, and I agree with him 100%, that we would rather have the unofficial fifth musketeer three doors down than a stranger. You see, and please don't ever tell Sebastian this, you're our best friend in this city, not just our roommate. We love having you around, and this way, we get to keep you close."

"I love you guys too," said Mike, blinking back tears, "and you're kind of my best friends in New York too…"

"Just don't tell Sam or Artie, right," said Jeff with a wink. Mike sniffed, then started to chuckle, before he held out his arms. The other two knew exactly what to do, and stepped forward, to allow Mike to pull them into a hug.

With matters settled for the moment, they embarked on a full tour of the house for Mike, starting at the top with Jeff's studio space, which Mike had to admit was fantastic. They moved a floor down, where first they showed him the master suite, with its working fireplaces in both bed and bathrooms, before guiding him across the landing to the room they had tentatively earmarked for him; a room more than twice the size of his current one in the loft, which also had an en-suite bathroom and the same working fireplaces. He accepted it at once, without even being shown the two guest bedrooms on the floor below, opposite the drawing room with its sprung floor. On the entrance level there was a cosy sitting room, and a formal dining room with built in cupboards in a style that was approximate to that of the Rennie Mackintosh dining chairs that Nick had got as a wedding gift from Jeff. It also had French windows opening out onto a raised deck, with steps to the main garden. Finally on that level there was a small, book lined study that would be ideal for Nick to do his course work in peace.

In the basement Mike stood in awe as he surveyed the large kitchen diner that had bowled Nick over. He knew as the other two had done that this would be the room they spent most time in, as there was room for a couch and armchairs alongside the dining table. Doors lead to the garden again; it was compact, but had a handful of fruit trees and a vegetable patch. The final room was on the street side - it would be ideal as a storage space for all those things they didn't need quite so often. "This house is perfect," Mike said at the end of the tour. "Living here will be a dream come true."

Nick nodded in agreement, and turned his eyes to Jeff.

"Yes, I think it will be," said Jeff. "However, there is still one of our little group that hasn't seen it, and they might not approve. I mean, we still have to canvas the opinion of Caleb…"

"I'm pretty certain he will be as happy as we all are with this place," said Nick with a grin. "He'll have a garden to look at, and even explore with supervision in time. After all, he isn't used to being outside. He'll have to get used to there being stairs inside the house though, although I am sure at first there will be a lot of looks and plaintive maiowing going on - and it will be important that we all agree that we don't get into the habit of carrying him up and down all the time!" Nick looked pointedly at Jeff as he said those words, and his husband rolled his eyes. "In any case, the stairs will be good for him. It will help him burn off a little bit of excess weight that he has as a result of his ability to con extra food out of all of us…"

"Caleb is not fat, Nicky!" exclaimed Jeff. He looked into the questioning eyes of both Nick and Mike, then with a giggle said, "He's just a little bit plump."

"Well he can be a little less plump with the exercise. It is no bad thing to have to run up and down the stairs," said Mike in a conciliatory tone.

"Of course, we could always slide down them ourselves. I mean, that last banister down into the front hall from upstairs does look very tempting…" said Nick.

Mike spun round to look at him in shock, and shook his head; then burst out laughing as he saw that Jeff was nodding in agreement with his husband. "Well, all I can say is that if you intend to do that, then we will need a thick, heavy mat at the foot of the stairs - and a first aid kit. It really isn't the best of ideas, guys…"

"But just once, Mike, it could be fun. When we move in, we can get the movers to leave a mattress there, and land on that," suggested Jeff.

"Now that is a plan for moving day! We could maybe even tempt Mike to join us if there was that level of safety precaution in place for the landing zone…" replied Nick. "Now, we really should get back up to Grace. Time is getting on…" He rose from his seat, and headed for the stairs, the other two following him. As they headed back up, he glanced at Mike, as did Jeff, and both smiled as they realised that now they had offered to up the safety equipment, Mike looked as if he was considering the idea of the banister seriously.

Back in the hall, Nick was the first to speak to his sister, who had been waiting patiently for some time. "So what happens now Grace? What needs to be done, and how long will it all take?"

"The good news is that all Jeff has to do is sign a few pieces of paper; Elspeth had a copy of Jeff's original birth certificate, and of the adoption papers from the orphanage that man dumped him in, with the official change of his surname to Sterling. All the publicity surrounding what happened with Hunter would have made it difficult for them to deny who he was in any case, and the fact that he is also the eldest son helped the case enormously. Once they have been signed, I take them to the probate office; they will file them, and that is it. Everything in the estate is transferred over to you, Jeff, or in the case of the investments and shares, over to your financial or legal advisor for you to deal with as you wish. You will have to commit your plans to paper though. I'm sorry about that, but the court requires that it be witnessed by an unrelated, independent witness, so that rules me out."

"We could get Mike to do that though, couldn't we? That's if he doesn't mind?" asked Nick. Grace nodded, and all eyes turned to Mike.

"It won't be a problem. So, I take it that Jeff has been left more than these houses then?" Jeff proceeded to let Mike know more or less the full extent of what Gordon's will had contained, and what he planned to do with all of it; Mike was stunned by the total value, and wholeheartedly agreed with everything that Jeff had planned. He did agree with Grace though that it would be wise to hold some money back for a repair fund, given the age of the houses they were standing in, and the likely cost of insurance on such a property.

"I have to agree that you both have a point, and so we will do that," replied Jeff. "The bigger question though is this - when can we move in?"

Grace laughed, remembering that only a few hours ago, Jeff had wanted nothing to do with the place. "If you had a van ready and your belongings loaded up, right this minute as far as the law is concerned - but I'm sure that next week will be soon enough for you all…"

Jeff looked at his husband and roommate, and the two of them nodded in agreement. "So we could be in before we have to head back to Ohio for the wedding… That is so cool! Right, so we need to make serious plans for the move, and more importantly, for breaking the news to people. I'm going to suggest that we say nothing about this until we can get all of our friends gathered together, even if it is just watching us on a camera through Skype."

"Well you will have an ideal opportunity next week at the Spotlight partner's meeting," Grace responded.

"Until then we all say nothing, but we can start to pack up the loft in a discreet way. And I'm afraid that saying nothing will have to include Tina," said Nick pointedly.

"Don't worry about that. I learnt my lesson last month," said Mike. "I know that she is no good whatsoever at keeping a secret. I will miss living in Bushwick, but this place… I am getting good vibes from this house."

"We'll miss Bushwick too," said Jeff, looking right at Nick. "It was our first marital home after all. It was the last place Wes called home before he died. It was where Klaine lived together as a couple. It holds so many memories for all of us, good and bad…"

"And some downright funny," said Nick. "Oversprung toasters, drunken nights…" He lowered his voice so that Grace wouldn't hear and whispered, "Naked Warblers…"

Jeff giggled, and Mike smiled as Grace looked oblivious to what her brother had just said. "The thing is, we will make new memories here, Nicky. I mean, unless life forces us to leave the city, then I see this as our forever home. Where we will grow old and grey; where we will raise our child… Sure we might have fights here, for real, but I think that this place will end up being filled with so much love and hope. I can even picture this hallway with a big Christmas tree sitting round about here. This is home, Nick. As Mike said, the vibes here are good. The fact that is making all of us feel happy makes the fact of who bought it immaterial. This place isn't his any more; it is ours…."

Having seen all of their new home, Grace had given them the keys to the remaining properties, and they had set off to explore. Whilst Nick and Jeff had wandered from room to room in the house immediately next door, that they had earmarked for Luke, Duncan and the Dalton boys, Mike had gone with Grace to look at the house that was intended for his in the long term. They had all met up again in the adapted basement flat, where Mike's first action had been to pull Jeff into a tight hug; his action spoke volumes, indicating to them both that they had been correct in their choice of place for Mike. As they all then strolled round the accessible flat, they all remarked on how ideal the place would be for Artie; everything was adapted for someone in his position, but the place still looked as if everything in it was original. "I think that we should maybe consider showing this to Artie early; both he and Kitty can be trusted to keep a secret, and that way he could look around without everyone else being around and getting in the way," said Nick as they prepared to leave.

Jeff agreed it might well be wise, and Mike suggested that they tell him that they had found the perfect filming venue for him for his short based on the story of Sebastian's Vegas wedding; ask him to come and see it, with the promise of lunch afterwards. Mike knew that his friend would be as overcome as he was with Jeff's good fortune and the generosity that he was now showing towards others, to ensure they all benefited. He quite liked the idea of having Artie living close by in the future, and he knew that Tina would too; they had always been close, and he accepted that. As for Kitty, she would just be overwhelmed that her fiancé had a suitable home in such an excellent location after all the time they had spent searching themselves.

That evening, back in the loft, Nick made Fettuccini Alfredo for dinner, with a tiramisu for afters. As Mike was working, he and Jeff were eating alone, with only the occasional miaow from a contented Caleb disturbing their companionable silence. Both had come home and immediately started to go through the stuff that they owned but did not use frequently. They had stopped off at the corner store on the way home to enquire if they had any cardboard boxes that they did not need, and then had brought them up the stairs surreptitiously, as they did not want their neighbours in the other loft to know what was going on quite yet. It was still all sinking in for the two of them in any case.

As they ate their dessert, Nick having been careful to be quite sparing with the coffee liqueur, they finally found time to flick through the photographs of the beach house that Grace had given them just before they parted company that afternoon. From the first exterior picture, both of them were sold on the place; Jeff on the sense of space it had around it and the beauty of both the setting and the grounds; Nick with the very 1920s architectural style and design features of the place. Jeff had told Nick that Wes had come to speak to him before he made his decision, and now they could both see why he had said that Kurt and Blaine thought Jay Gatsby would have been quite at home there. Every room that they saw was perfect in its period detail, right down to the furnishings; even the kitchen had had its up to the minute appliances carefully housed to make it appear the room was a period piece. Neither of them said a word, just sat and smiled, until they clicked open one which showed a swimming pool, and that made them both gasp.

"Okay, Nicky, pinch me! That has to be a stock photo from the library of some design magazine! Something that perfect just can't be ours…." whispered Jeff.

"I very much think that it is ours, my love, as is what very much looks like a hot tub in that corner," replied Nick. "We are going to be able to throw the best Warbler party ever…"

"We will never get rid of them once they see it, Nicky," responded Jeff. He clicked again and brought up the next image. His eyes went wide, and the smile on his face grew even wider.

"I am guessing that would be our private beach…" Nick whispered in awe of the stretch of sand, enclosed by two headlands. "It would not surprise me if any moment now I wake up, and find myself lying in bed next to you, and it is still Sunday morning. All of this is just a total dream, Jeffie. Now, I know I have asked before, but you are really ok with all of this, my love? Because if you have even the tiniest bit of doubt…."

"I'm sure, Nicky, but the fact that you keep asking me just reminds me why I love you so very much. I know that if I said to Mike that I'd changed my mind, he would understand too. But no, I can see that hallway fully decorated, with a big Christmas tree, and a little child that looks like you running down the stairs, face full of joy, I can see us in that dining room, celebrating all the big special days, before we head up to dance together on that wonderful floor in the drawing room. I can see you in that kitchen, baking up a storm. And as for that bathtub in our bedroom, it looks plenty big for the two of us to share…"

"It did, didn't it… We should have got in it, just to check it out," Nick replied with a smile.

At that moment, Caleb decided it was time to get the attention he deserved, and jumped up onto Jeff's lap. He made himself comfortable, and began to purr. He could sense that something was going on with his humans; there were boxes, which had been tempting to explore, but he had been quickly taken out again as they were moving things and placing them in them. He nuzzled himself into Jeff's stomach, as the blond man began to stroke his fur lovingly.

"Well, Caleb my little friend, we are taking you back to live in Manhattan. We have found a new house for you to explore - new smells and new spaces. I hope that you will like it as much as we do; there is even a garden for you to check out, though I am not sure how you will take to that. Never mind, there is a nice sunny spot for you to come and bask in in my new studio. I am sure that you will be fine with it all."

In his lap, Caleb did not have a single clue what he was going on about, but if whatever it was made him happy, then he would be happy.

As for Nick, he was sure that as long as they kept him warm and fed, Caleb would follow them anywhere. He got up, gently kissed his husband on the cheek, then set about clearing the table. He had woken up that morning thinking the day would be a nightmare; instead, it had morphed into one of those magical ones, where all of their dreams had come true. He hoped they would have many more days like it in the future…


	24. Ends and Beginnings : Part I

_Let's just say that I thought my regular readers deserved a little extra chapter this week. Hopefully it will post properly this time..._

 **Ends and Beginnings : Part I**

As a new week dawned that Monday morning, some were busy with the hectic schedule of their final week ever of college; some were busy planning for a house move that as yet no-one knew anything about; and one angel was making his way back to a courtroom in Boston that he was now all too familiar with. Wes was about to see the third member of his so-called family face the justice that they badly deserved. He had mixed emotions about being here for his father's trial, after all that had taken place the previous week at his mother's. He was afraid that he could very easily end up losing his temper entirely this time round, and that would not be good for anyone concerned. He felt obligated though, given that his cousin Michelle would be there and expect his support, and he was certain that she would be able to keep him calm. He also had a sneaking suspicion that Mitch and Gabriel would be back again, if only so that they could stare daggers at a man that they had never met, but had proven responsible for so much of the heartache and pain that had affected Wes in the course of his life.

He had woken early, and unable to sleep, he had gone to work. Elizabeth walked into her office to find him sitting there, busily sorting through the pile of paperwork that had been deposited overnight in her in-tray. He had set some aside as being able to wait until there was more time, but had dealt with those that were urgent but minor, leaving only the more important things for her to deal with herself. "I wasn't expecting you to be here today, Wes," she said as he looked up. "You have more than enough on your plate already with everything in court. I can manage, not that I am not grateful as always for your assistance."

"I couldn't sleep, and I really don't mind. You've been so good giving me the time off, but I feel that I am neglecting my duties if I don't try and do at least some minor things. Also I find it very soothing. I always did. Sorting things out, removing the chaos and restoring order to the place always did satisfy me…"

"Nonetheless, I think that trying to get back to sleep would have been a better idea. It would have made you more relaxed for that moment when you have to confront him. If you are stressed and as a result you aren't able to stay calm when he starts to spread all of his lies and deceit…"

"I might go off on one at him, and get myself into big trouble?" queried Wes.

"Not at all, though there were some people that thought that your actions towards that woman were not entirely appropriate for an angel of your stature - and that is why I made the decision on Friday that you will not be going alone today," said Elizabeth, leaving Wes looking at her with curiosity. "I have decided that you should have another angel on hand with you at all times; somebody that can actually put a hand on your shoulder and restrain you, as neither your cousin or those boys can. It will also give them a break from their usual duties, something that we both know they are loathe to take. Finn will be here shortly, and he is under orders to keep a close eye on you at all times."

As the time for the start of the Montgomery trial grew near, Michelle was to be found sitting in quiet reflection in one of the lofty corridors of Boston's main court building. She had returned to New York on Friday, and had then worked long shifts on both days at the weekend, before she had caught the last Acela express train back to Boston on Sunday night. This had allowed both Elliott and Dani to get some time off. They had both told her that she didn't need to do it, but she had been insistent. She was like her cousin in that she needed an outlet, a return to the ordinary routine and rhythm of life, even if only for a couple of days. She had felt more relaxed as she served, as she checked the paperwork and found it all in apple pie order. She had had a chance to catch up with the staff and the partners, none of whom had pushed her for details, and had even had a chance to take a quick look at Jeff's drawing of Wes, which had made her cry with delight. On Sunday, Ollie Harwood had spent virtually the whole day working at her side so that they could see each other. He had proved to be a very inefficient busboy; as was so often the case, he was an expert in the world of medicine, but useless when it came to waiting on tables. He also spent far too long on cleaning them afterwards, but that was probably down to the fact that everything had to be kept so scrupulously clean at the hospital.

She had finally shared her experiences in court with Mike when he had come in to start his late shift, and Ollie had left to go and work his own late shift at the hospital. He had been full of concern for Wes when he heard just how nasty his own mother had been, but had been unable to stop himself laughing out loud at her description of Mrs Montgomery being blown over by the draught from her own son's wings. For her part, Michelle was curious about why Mike was in such a good mood; she knew that he had done exceedingly well at school, and had probably managed to graduate top of the class; she knew he had got his dream job with the City Ballet, which meant that she would need to look for a replacement for him soon; but she felt there was something else that was making him quite so joyous. She did not push, as she would find out soon enough, no doubt. She just took great pleasure in his happiness, as it stopped her thinking about the following day…

Now she looked up as she heard footsteps approaching the bench she was sitting on. She looked up to see Mitch walking towards her, smartly dressed with his Warbler pin pinned to his lapel. "Hey, Michelle! Firstly, Gabriel sends his apologies; he has a meeting to attend this morning that he can't get out of, but he will be here after lunch. I think he is coming so that he can see more of Wes rather than because he wants to see justice done, but don't tell him that I said that."

Michelle smiled, and then felt a now familiar draught in the corridor behind them. She turned and was surprised to see not only her cousin, but Finn too, both of them dressed smartly in dark suits and ties. If her eyes did not deceive her, Wes had a gavel tucked in his top pocket, and both had a pin similar to Mitch's on. They stood there for a moment as they drew in their wings, arms folded across their chests, and grim expressions on their faces.

"Oh, Lord!" whispered Mitch. "It's the mafia!" Michelle looked at him, then started to giggle, and both Wes and Finn smiled.

"Trust me when I say that seeing the Cosa Nostra would be infinitely preferable to seeing Randy," said Wes. "Ok, no point in stalling. Let's get this over with." With a nod, the four of them headed into the public gallery to await the start of the trial.

The two angels entered the court first as they could bypass the security checks. As he sat at Finn's side, Wes began to think. It had been a long time since he had seen Randy, the person that he had thought of as his rather nasty and twisted half-brother until just a few months ago. He still could not think of him as actually being his father without feeling extreme nausea. He had kept that fact hidden from all of his friends; not even his fellow angels were aware of it. Now as the moment approached when they would be face to face for the first time since it had all come out, he could feel the bile rising in his throat as he contemplated the man. That man had made his life a living hell from the first moments that he could remember; had poisoned his relationship with his uncle/middle brother by forcing the vulnerable Albert to take sides or face the consequences of his brother's displeasure. That man had tried to destroy his friendships, his reputation and his future, even after his death. He had ruined the lives of so many other people too; young woman that he had seduced, taken advantage of, and then thrown casually aside like a used tissue. Even now, no-one was exactly sure how many young woman he had prayed upon…

Wes was also sure that his father would plead his innocence from the start, by telling everyone that he had been the innocent boy seduced by a calculating older woman that was only interested in the money and status that being the next Mrs Randall Montgomery Snr could bring. There was an element of truth in that, Wes had to admit, but he very much doubted that Randy had been an unwilling partner in all of this. He had known what he was doing, but was just too stupid to have had the common sense to have used protection. He would have wanted to brag about his conquest to everyone of his classmates when he returned to his fancy prep school in Boston. Still, Wes very much doubted that he was so willing to boast about the fact that he was about to become a father….

"Are you alright, Wes?" Finn's measured tone interrupted his chain of thought. "It's just that your face is bright red, your fists are clenched… Look, you know that we don't have to stay. Michelle would understand I'm sure, and Mitch is here so she wouldn't be alone. I can tell them that there is a big emergency and that all hands are needed on deck…"

Wes breathed out slowly and let all the thought slip from his mind. He looked at Finn, and was touched by the concern that was written across his face. He had become a good friend since his death… "No, I'm ok, trust me. I am just so angry at him, and in all honesty, I don't know how seeing him again after so long is going to make me feel. Revulsion I think…"

"Well, just know that if you do need to get away, we'll go; just give me the nod, ok? Oh, and if you feel like going to his cell and haunting him," Finn added as he saw Mitch and Michelle approach them along the row, "I think we are allowed to do that."

"You guys are allowed to haunt people!?" exclaimed Mitch. "I didn't know that angels could do that! So Wes could go down to his cell right now and write 'Hello Daddy' on the wall, and stuff like that?"

"He could, yeah," said Finn with a smile. "Me, Kurt and Blaine did it to Hunter before his trial, and best of all, he could actually see and hear us whilst we were doing it. Once we knew that, we really hammed it up for him, and drove him mad. It was a lot of fun…"

"How come that no-one has mentioned this to me until now?" said Wes indignantly. "Is it too late now, or can we go and spook the heck out of that low life?"

"I don't think that you will actually need to spook him," said Michelle in a whisper. She had been straining her ears to try and hear what the two court guards standing below the public gallery had been saying to each other. "Apparently, the accused is quite agitated already, as it happens… They don't now what caused it. One minute he was fine, the next… All that happened was that he asked for a newspaper to read whilst he waited, and someone gave him a copy of yesterday's _New York Times_."

Much to Michelle's surprise, Wes and Finn glanced at each other, then laughed out loud. "Ok, so I'm guessing that the two of you know something that we don't here," said Mitch.

"If they gave him yesterday's paper, then they will have given him it with all the supplements; Randy loves his supplements, and he would probably have gone to those first before he looked at the actual news and the commentary. I take it that neither of you saw it yesterday, and in particular, the Arts section?" said Wes.

"No, the diner was too busy," replied Michelle.

"And I read the Boston Sundays," said Mitch.

Wes nodded to Finn, and the latter vanished from their sight for a moment; when he returned, he was carrying a full and unopened copy of the journal in question, and handed it reverentially to Wes. In front of his two mortal friends, Wes carefully separated the Arts section from the rest of the paper, carefully keeping the front cover clasped to his chest as he did so. Then, with due ceremony and a flourish, he spun it round to show them the front cover; a cover showing Nick and Jeff standing beside _The Judging Angel_ …

Michelle gasped, and Mitch, after a quick double take, smirked in happiness. "So our little Starling made the front cover of the Arts section with his picture! I must say, Wes, he has really got you to a tee…"

"It's priceless, isn't it," replied Wes, unable for once to keep a gloating note out of his voice. "He is about to go on trial for all of his crimes, and there is the face of his dead son, staring back at him from the newspaper, as he holds a gavel and frowns at him in judgement…"

Mitch was trying hard not to laugh as Michelle, also struggling to suppress a giggle, spoke. "It's karma, I will give you that! No wonder he has reacted badly to seeing you staring back at him like that…"

"There's just one thing I don't get," said Mitch suddenly. "How did a copy of yesterday's _New York Times_ end up here? You would have thought that one of the Boston papers would have been more likely to just be lying around…"

"Yes," said Wes, turning now to stare at Finn, who was trying and failing to look nonchalant. "I suspect that maybe there was a tiny bit of angelic intervention from someone here…"

Eventually though, the moment that Wes had been dreading finally came; the moment that he was forced to set eyes on Randy. It was not quite as horrible a moment as he had expected it to be, but that was due to the demeanour of the man in question. If he had walked in as the cocky, smug, self-centred person that Wes was used to, then it would have smarted. Thanks to the reproduction of _The Judging Angel_ in the newspaper, the man that walked in to take his place on the stand was pale, stammering and looking around him nervously. Then he spotted Michelle, and his face was suddenly convulsed and red with anger.

"It was her! She did it! She told them to give me that newspaper, with that picture of him in technicolor on the front. My little bastard of a son, with wings, judging me! I detest her! I want that bitch gone!" he screamed, silencing the murmur of chatter that had been coming from the public gallery and the already assembled jury.

There were rapid discussions between lawyers and court officials, with fingers being pointed up into the gallery. "If he forces the issue, then I will just go and wait outside for all of you in the main hall," whispered Michelle. "Maybe it would be for the best if I just left…."

"Not for me!" hissed Wes. "If you are forced to go, then he has scored a victory right at the start, and I am not going to allow that to happen. There is no way that you could have planted the paper, and no way that the court officials in question would have taken a bribe from anyone to hand it to him."

"Exactly!" agreed Mitch. "I don't think that you will be moving anywhere. Just sit tight. If they try to force you out, then I am sure that I can find a judge that will hear an official protest from us…"

"Speaking of judges…" whispered Finn, and they all rose to their feet as the presiding judge entered; a different judge from the one that had been in charge of the trial of the other two family members. They took their seats as he did, and almost at once, the proceedings began.

"It has been brought to my attention that the accused has made a verbal complaint about the presence in the public gallery of his stepmother's niece. He has made an allegation that she planted a newspaper that was given to him by two court officials earlier today, which caused him mental distress when he saw an image within it. To resolve this complaint, I have asked that the two court officials in question be brought into the courtroom to see if they can identify the relative in question. If they can, then she will have to leave. If not, then the matter is resolved as far as I am concerned, and can be seen only as a coincidence; after all, the _New York Times_ is a widely available journal. Whilst the officials are in the court, I want complete silence in the court. If there is any attempt to draw attention to the lady in question by the accused or his lawyers, then I will have a charge of frustrating the ends of justice added to the already considerable list. Do I make myself clear?"

There was a bit of grumbling from Randy, but in the end he sat as silently as the rest when the two officials were escorted in, made to swear the oath, and then were asked by the judge if they could identify anyone in the public gallery that they had spoken to that day. The response was an immediate no from one, but a yes from the other. A look of smug satisfaction filled Randy's face, and he waved a farewell at the gallery. Then the official identified a man that had asked him for directions to the restroom. The judge nodded, then thanked the two officials for their time, and directed them to leave…

As they did so, Randy started to scream and shout again, demanding lie detectors and polygraph tests. All he achieved by his actions was annoying the judge, who demanded that his lawyers deal with the irrational outbursts of their client; and make the jury question the mental stability of the man whose future they were about to decide upon. As the trial proper commenced, with Randy denying all the charges against him as everyone had predicted he would, Wes turned to Finn and whispered, "Maybe I will head down to the cell they are keeping him in after all. I could write a little something for him which might spook him all the more. That's if you are sure that such an action won't get me into trouble."

"It won't, trust me. I checked with Elizabeth before we came. I'm taking it then that seeing him face to face again has not be nearly as traumatic an experience as you had anticipated?" Finn replied.

"On the contrary, it has actually felt quite therapeutic so far. I'm afraid to admit that I am actually looking forward to seeing him suffer now. I want to see him punished, and for justice to prevail; not just for me, but for all those poor girls, my unborn siblings, and for Albert. I hope that they put my father away for a very long time…"

As the trial began in Boston, life in New York was going on as normal, although this time round a few more eyes were tuned in to the feed of information that was coming from Massachusetts. Nick had not been able to follow the two previous cases, as he had been busy with his own end of year exams, but now in the quiet of the Law Library he was able to sit at the information desk and watch as the case was relayed. He had already found and read over the transcripts of the two other trials, so he was completely up to speed. He had to write about a current case or cases for his first project next semester, and he had decided that he could make something from the Montgomery trials, given the added bonus that he had a connection. He had also had to deal with something a little less comfortable in that sphere though. He had been approached by one of his classmates, a girl that he liked, and she had asked if he would have any objection to her project being based on the trial of Hunter Clarington. Nick had after due thought agreed that it was ok, as long as she made no attempt to approach Jeff. It was still a touchy subject for his husband even now, and he could answer any questions that she had in any case. Nick had been shocked that Jeff had agreed to speak to Artie about the whole affair for his documentary film, but then Artie was a trusted friend. He did not think Jeff would be quite so happy baring his soul to a virtual stranger…

Whilst Nick was at work in the Law Library, his husband had embarked on an important mission of his own. He had popped across the landing to see Brittany, who was delighted to see him as always, and after a quick chat, he had spun her a tale about needing to take Caleb to see the vet, and not being able to find their own carrying basket, he wondered if he could borrow Lord Tubbington's? He knew full well that their own was buried underneath a pile of his art supplies in the back of one of the cupboards in the hallway, but he did not have the time or indeed the energy to unearth it, and so it was far simpler just to borrow one from a neighbour. He felt a twinge of sadness as he realised that very soon, Brittany would no longer be one. He managed to hide it though, as she would have picked up on it and pressed him to tell her what was wrong. He also managed to convince her that she did not need to come with him.

As for Caleb, he was immediately reluctant to come anywhere near Jeff when he saw him with the basket; from previous experience it meant either a long car journey, which was boring and too noisy to allow a cat to get a decent nap; or a trip to the person whose name was always spelt out by his humans one letter at a time… Like Jeff though, Caleb could be easily persuaded by a bit of food. He soon found himself sitting in the basket as Jeff stood on the 'L' Train as it rattled towards Manhattan. Caleb had memories of being on a train before, although then he had been much younger, small enough to be wrapped in a hat and placed inside a book bag… Eventually they emerged back out into the daylight, and Caleb found himself observing a world that was different to the one he was used to. The streets gradually grew quieter as Jeff walked purposefully along; there were trees, but not in tubs; and as for the smells, they were very interesting…

He was set down for a moment on a doorstep as his blond human dug into his pocket and abstracted a set of keys, then the door was opened, and he found himself carried into a hallway. He was set down again on the floor, and this time, the door to the basket was opened. He cautiously stepped out onto the tiled floor, and looked up at the man next to him. "Well, Caleb, this is going to be our new home. I felt that you deserved a preview like everyone else. So, firstly you are going to have to learn to deal with steps, as this house is positively palatial compared to the loft…" Caleb looked at him, not really understanding, and in any case, it was the smells that interested him. They were new, and pleasant. The room was bright and spacious. This place was new, and needed to be explored if he was given the chance.

As he found himself carried from room to room, Caleb picked up on the happiness that was exuding from the man carrying him, and that made him content. Then, in the final room, he felt the waves of happiness increase markedly. As Jeff took in his new studio once more, his grin broad, Caleb suddenly saw something that made his heart leap for joy. Jeff knew what to do, and set the cat down in the sunny spot on the window seat; Caleb immediately stretched out to bask in the warmth. He realised that if this place was his new home, then as long as he could do this, he would be a very happy cat indeed. As he purred in delight, he closed his eyes, and therefore did not see how broad Jeff's smile was as he took a seat on the stool by the easel, pulled out a drawing pad, and began to add a new sketch of Caleb to his collection. As he did so, he relished the silence that he had there, even though he knew they were in the very heart of the city. He had no doubts about the house now; accepting it had been the right decision for everyone.

Back in Boston, Randy Montgomery was performing on the stand every bit as well as Hunter Clarington had, Wes thought to himself. His immediate and categorical denial of everything that he was accused of had set several members of the jury against him from the word go. He had for instance tried to deny that he had been in Providence on the day that the restaurant had been set on fire, even when he was shown a blown up, clear image from the CCTV camera outside the place which showed him and Wes guessed Albert walking out the door; he couldn't be sure, as his uncle's face was obscured. His own lawyer had a look of resignation on his face, as if he had been expecting every single word that Randy was saying, and was trying to make the jury believe true. Randy's immediate pointing out of Albert's presence in the picture and his subsequent guilt for the fire looked all the more silly when the jury was shown another CCTV image, taken from across the street. This one showed a man, of Randy's height and build, in the same clothes as he had been wearing in the first picture, and with a smug look on his face, walking away lit by the orange glow of flames. His immediate declaration that Albert must have stolen his clothes, or that the image had been photoshopped had made half the court laugh as the others shook their heads in disbelief.

"I hope that he likes prison food," whispered Mitch. "If he carries on like this, he will wind up on a charge of time wasting and lying on top of everything else." Wes nodded, wondering how he would have coped if he had been in the position of his father's lawyer, having to try and defend an inveterate liar. He doubted that he could have stood this rubbish for very long…

After the lunch break, Gabriel joined the small group in the gallery. Mitch had filled him in with that morning's happenings over a quick lunch in the court's cafeteria, and he had spent most of the time rolling his eyes and stifling his urge to laugh. His attention was really on Wes, and on Finn. He had been shocked to see a second angel; had not really believed that he was one until he had unfurled his wings as proof.

"It's like I said the other day, Gabe," said Wes. "Now that you can see me, you are likely to be able to see all angels. You will probably not even realise it as you walk about everyday, but you will pass by a few of us without even noticing."

"It is still a heck of a lot to take in," his friend replied. "I mean, I always had the hope of an afterlife; it was drummed into me at church every Sunday back home, but it is still fantastical to actually be able to see and converse with angels. My only wish now us that we can bring Louis and Connor in on this too - and to that end, I have invited them to come up and witness the pantomime too. They will be here on Wednesday. My hope is that your father will say something about you, as your mother did, that will make them speak out in your defence as I did, and that will be enough as it was with me, to trigger their ability to see you - and Finn for that matter, if he is still going to be with us…"

"I'm not certain that it works quite like that," said Wes, "but I agree that it is worth a try. I am guessing that you chose Wednesday for their visit, as that is the day that we are scheduled to move on to his part in the fraudulent activities, and he is most likely to start attacking me and my very existence?"

"Of course," said Mitch. "I said as much to Gabriel when he first mooted the idea of getting the guys to come up here for a day. We want the two of them to be left so outraged on your behalf that they have every reason to defend you in words, and hopefully that will make the final connection that will let them see you in all of your angelic glory…"

Wes nodded, but could not reply as they were all called back to the court for the restarting of the case. As it began again, Wes couldn't help but think that if it wasn't all so close to home, the whole affair would be so comical, given his continual denials in the face of glaringly obvious proof. Wes wondered whether his brother would verbally attack another witness this afternoon as he had just before they adjourned for lunch. That had lead to him arguing with the judge, and had quite correctly earned him a contempt charge on top of all the others. He was also aware that the whole trial was being streamed, blow by blow, online to anyone with an interest. He considered for a moment whether Albert would be watching the feed in Florence, then dismissed it; his rekindled relationship with the woman that he truly loved took up so much of his time and had left him looking happier than Wes had ever seen him. He was sure though that a number of his boys would be monitoring it; he was certain of Nick, and possibly David and Thad. He discounted Trent though, as he would be in exams; if he hadn't been, he would have been glued to the screen. He could almost picture the smiles on their faces as they read the garbage his brother was coming out with. As the judge came back out, and Randy's response to the calling of the name of the next witness was a not too quiet "Another moron!", Wes anticipated that there would be more moments of near hilarity as the day went on.

Wes was correct in his assertions as to who was watching proceedings, but he might have been surprised to learn that Mike was also following it avidly as he worked a counter shift at the Spotlight. His sudden snorts of laughter caused Elliott to look at him strangely until out of curiosity he came over and read what Mike was reading. Then we walked away shaking his head. He was glad of a momentary distraction from his own woes if he was honest. The rent increase on his apartment was about to hit, and what made the 25% increase all the worse was that the plaster in the bedroom was still cracked at the point where Beats' head had hit it on Valentine's Day. Repairs had been promised 'soon', but that had been the case for weeks now. He had been searching for somewhere new, like so many others, but he was constantly out of luck in finding somewhere affordable, accessible and in a good area, even though his budget had increased thanks to the money that Beats would be bringing with him when he moved in.

The idea of the two of them living together had not even been something that they had seriously discussed until Elliott had finally screwed up his courage enough to ask him the previous month. He had been half expecting a refusal, on the grounds that it was too soon, but instead he had been given the answer "I was beginning to think that you were never going to ask me, Ell!" That had been a very good night, he thought. His boyfriend was of course still in Princeton, working hard on his finals. As if that wasn't enough, he had also had to deal with the final auditions for his and Flint's replacements at the club. It still amused Elliott greatly when he pictured the two of them sat in a room, interviewing strippers, particularly now that his Nate had his gorgeous preppy glasses, and also for the fact that he was reliably informed that Flint had been writing his notes in a leather bound book with a fountain pen. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when they had finally whittled down the candidates from the interview and dance sessions, and had to move on to the 'assets' stage, as he had teasingly called it to the pair of them…


	25. Ends and Beginnings : Part II

**Ends and Beginnings : Part II**

Over in Princeton, both of the young men in question, plus their third roommate Ethan were all caught up in the stresses of the final week of their college careers, busy with the exams that would end up dictating their entire future. It had been a hectic period in the run up to this week, what with final papers to submit, plans for future accommodation to be made, not to mention job applications to fill in and interviews to schedule.

Flint had arrive home one evening to discover a letter from a firm that he had not even applied to had been delivered, inviting him to an interview for a good position at their New York office; a job which fitted right in with his degree course. It had take him a while to realise that the firm in question was owned by Izzy's family. He had initially baulked at the idea of a job in what was essentially the family business when he and Izzy weren't even engaged, but his two roommates had pointed out that he would be a fool not to grasp at this opportunity. After all, it was only an interview, and there was no guarantee that he would get the position. Privately, they both thought that the fact he was going out with the boss's daughter would not hurt his chances of success. Ethan had also managed to get himself a job lined up, with one of the major ethical investment trusts that had sprung up near Wall Street. As for Beats, he had interviews for several jobs lined up, all of them with one major thing in common; they were all in New York. If anyone had asked the three of them a few years ago if they planned to live in New York after college, they would have said they were not sure. Now they could not imagine living anywhere else.

The previous weekend had been a productive one for Beats and Flint, who had used a break from studying to see the final pair of friends that had made it past the initial interview process, a pair that they had both already decided were their favourites. In many ways, their story was remarkably similar to their own. They had more or less given up on finding anybody suitable after the first round of interviews, which had proven only one thing; the kind of guys that normally took their kind of job were only after one thing. It had been frustrating to say the least, and as they had entered the month of May, they had both agreed that they would have to tell the manager at the bar that they had failed, and the Preppy Boys brand would cease when they left town. Then, as they travelled to work on the 6th of the month, Flint had received a phone call from a quietly spoken young man who had first apologised for the fact that they were so late in applying, but that he and a friend would be interested in taking the job offered if it was still available. Flint had taken his number, and had told him they would call him back. After a quick chat with Beats, they both agreed that they had nothing to lose in giving them a shot.

In the dressing room, made up and ready, Flint had called back and had scheduled a meeting for a chat the following day. That talk had proven interesting for a number of reasons. The first of those was that the guy that had called them the night before, Callum, had not actually told his friend Alan why they were heading to the coffee shop they had agreed to meet in. They were, however, only there for the latter's benefit. The contrast between the two young men could also not have been greater. Alan was muscular and heavy set, whereas Callum looked like the archetypical nerd, right down to a pair of extremely geeky glasses. Flint and Beats had sensed that there was tension the moment that Callum stated to his friend why they were meeting them, and had suggested they go and get them all coffee whilst they had a talk. They had no intention of listening in, but they could read body language, and they knew that Alan thought what Callum was intending to do was a step too far in their friendship. By the time they came back with coffee and muffins, Alan was blinking back tears, and Callum looked near to them himself.

Flint knew what he had to do before another word was spoken by the two younger men. "So, before we go any further in our discussion, I think that we should tell the two of you how we got to this point. My friend here, a guy that I have seen as my brother and best friend since we attended Dalton Academy in Ohio together, hit a bad time financially. He then lost his job at a restaurant, but one of his former colleagues from there told him about the gig in the bar. He agreed to do it, but said nothing to anyone about it - I thought he was still working in a restaurant. I found out what he was doing when the ladies that I worked alongside at my job at that time dragged me to the bar on a Christmas Party night. As you can imagine, it was a shock. We had a massive fight, and if it wasn't for an intervention by our friends, I would have lost him. Once he told me why he was doing it, I accepted it. Then one night he had a narrow escape with someone who didn't seem to understand that no meant no. To cut a long story short, I ended up joining him, much to his initial horror, because he thought that he had corrupted me. Now we pretty much rule that bar, and although I had never in a million years imagined myself doing what I do, I enjoy it. If it wasn't for the fact that we are graduating and moving away, I don't think we would be giving up now."

Beats smiled, then added his own words. "Of course, it hasn't all been as plain sailing as he makes it sound. My folks struggled with what I was doing when I told them. As for his folks, well let's just say that when they found out, he and his mother had a massive falling out, and refused to acknowledge each other's existence for months. There was no great issue with our friends; a few raised eyebrows, but once they knew the reasons behind it, they were all cool. If you are going to do this, then you need to be honest and open. With the internet, people will find out, and if they don't know, then the mess will be all the more devastating."

There was silence, and then in a low voice, Alan spoke up. "My parents won't be an issue. They're the reason why the two of us are here, I guess. You see, I'm gay, and they are devout Christians. They didn't know, and if I had had my way, they would never have known. But my secret got out in the worst possible way, and their reaction was all that I had expected; biblical quotes, verbal abuse, and finally those wonderful words, 'We have no son!' They then proceeded to cut me off financially, as far as they could. They couldn't get back my tuition, or stop paying for it at any point. They were so proud when I got into Med school, but it's expensive. So they had taken out a prepayment plan on my tuition for the entire duration of the course, whereby they paid so much a month. The contract they signed was legally binding, and the only way they can stop those payments now before I graduate is if I die. They said at the time that they didn't mind the commitment if it got me the job I deserved; now every one of those payments will serve as a reminder to them of the boy that let them down. What they could do, however, was stop all my living allowances. I lost my food plan and my dorm, and I was in a complete fix - until this guy came along…" He turned with a smile to Callum, and waited for him to continue.

"You two went to Dalton together - I've heard of it. The two of us went to school together too, at Kiski - it's a small prep school near Pittsburg. We lived in the same dorm and had some classes together, but I was a year below him, and as a result, we were never that close as friends. I knew that he had come to Princeton; I followed, but unlike Alan, I didn't move in to dorms. I had a relative in town, a great-aunt, and the plan was that I should live with her to save money. She was getting on and craved the company I would give her. She died suddenly last summer, and in her will she left me her apartment, so I could still come. I only came across Alan again by chance; I had been studying in the library, but lost track of time. I was hurrying for the last bus back to my place when I walked past the dorm building and saw a familiar face sitting there, his entire life packed up in three bags, his eyes red and raw. It was the night they finally kicked him out… At Kiski, they taught us to be loyal to our friends; to be fraternal, and to be generous and kind. So I knew exactly what I had to do after I had approached him and he had told me, reluctantly I admit, what had happened. I picked up one of his bags, told him I had a spare room and it was his, and to hurry up and get moving or we'd miss the last bus. So yeah, we became roommates, and thanks to all of the old school ties kind of stuff we got on. Apart from over one thing - he insisted that he had to pay his own way; had to pay for his own food and a share of the bills. He tried to get a job as his savings started to run down, but he had no luck. He then applied for a job that he didn't tell me about; he probably never would have either, if it wasn't for the fact that they called up to offer him an interview, but they mistakenly made the offer to me…"

"What he means by that is that he decided to answer my phone one day whilst I was in the shower. I had told him that I was expecting an important call, and when he called out to me and I didn't hear him over the water, he thought he'd better pick up and take a message. The person on the other end of the phone decided to tell him all the details and what the job was, which was an unbelievable breach of my privacy. That was how Callum discovered that I had an audition for porn. It had seemed like an option when I applied; good money, not too excessive hours of work, and a big gesture to my folks on the lines of 'this is what you've driven me to!'"

"And also a sure fire way to get yourself kicked out of medical school!" said Callum. "We've all heard the stories of how these companies exploit people, threaten to pay them less or sack them if they refuse to push the envelope more and more. Like you guys, we ended up having a huge row over it. We both ended up sobbing our hearts out in my kitchen. In the end, he agreed not to do it, but only if I could find him a well paid job in the next three months that he could fit in around his studies. I accepted the challenge, but I never imagined that it would be so tough. I actually saw your advert on the day it was posted, but I dismissed it, as you wanted a pair. It stayed in the back of my mind though, and as the deadline began to loom in my mind, I realised that in order to save Alan from a bad choice, I had to step out of my own comfort zone. My parents were both, for the want of a better term, 'hippy' types when I was younger, although they have both got responsible jobs now. I only ended up at Kiski because my grandfather insisted upon it, and agreed to pay for it. I called my folks last night, before I called up to apply, and told them what I was thinking of doing, and why. They laughed, told me that I shouldn't be ashamed of what I was considering doing, and that I should go for it. So, here we are. I am more than ready to do this, although maybe I'm not the correct type for it. If it saves my best friend from a descent into the murky world of porn, then it will all be worth it."

From that point the discussion had moved on, with talk of money, the hours of work, and the kind of routines that they would have to perform. Both Beats and Flint noticed the look of relief on both boys faces when they told them that the Preppy Boys were just strippers, and they did not embark on any other kind of activity with the patrons at the bar, regardless of how much cash they had been offered. Things were going so well that they ended up making their way back to the two Dalton boy's apartment, and after a quick check to ensure that Ethan was out, they had talked the two younger boys through a routine, including all the necessary actions. It turned out that both of the boys had the natural dancing ability that was a must, and they quickly also managed to work together in synch.

That night, they took them both to the bar, glad that they were both of legal age to enter, if not to drink (just and no more in the case of Callum) and had at least three years when they would both be at school in town. They had introduced them to the bar owner, and after a quick chat, he agreed that they would be hired if they had the same flair for the act that his current Preppy Boys had. There was no chance of them demonstrating that to him there and then as the bar was open and busy, but after some negotiation, a time was agreed for them all to come back the following day before the place opened for a demonstration of what they could do. Then it was on for a quick tour of the backstage and a round of introductions to both the other performers and the bar staff. Then they had waited as Beats and Flint got ready, before they had watched their act from the wings. They had been caught staring open mouthed on more than one occasion.

Afterwards, back in the dressing room, they counted out the tip money, which left the two younger men staring in awe. Flint then asked the million dollar question. "Ok, so now that you have seen what it is that we do, are you still up for the job? As you can see, it pays well, and doing it gives you a bit of a buzz. At the same time, it isn't a job for everyone. If you are having any doubts, then this is the time to speak out."

"I think we're good," replied Alan swiftly, then he started, and added, "Well, I am…"

"No, me too. I think I know what you mean about a buzz. Even standing there watching the two of you as you owned that room, had those men and women in the palm of your hands, I felt chills…" Callum smiled as Alan nodded at his side.

"Well, as long as the two of you pass the boss' audition tomorrow, the job is yours," said Beats. "My advice to the two of you would be to be yourselves, and not just mimic us. I think that you could use the contrast between the two of you as an advantage. The jock and the nerd - pardon any offence - is a classic combination. There is nothing that says you have to stick with the blazer and tie look, even though it is very popular."

On Sunday night, Beats received a call which confirmed that they were hired from the bar owner. They had impressed him greatly; they had taken Beats' words to heart and had given him a jock and nerd routine for an audition, complete with the homoerotic vibe that the Preppy Boys always gave. He had chosen a date for their solo debut as well. They would perform alone on Friday 27th, when he knew that Beats and Flint would be in Ohio for graduation day at Dalton. However, he wanted them all to perform the following weekend, as two pairs on stage at the same time, possibly doing some kind of handover type ceremony at the same time. This suited them well enough. He also promised that they would have a big crowd on their last night, which they had decided would be on Saturday 4th June, for their grand finale. They both knew that it would be quite something to have to choreograph and plan, which was they had decided to leave it until their exams were truly finished, so they had the free time. They had come up with a few ideas, but all of them were intended to blow the minds of their loyal fans, whilst at the same time setting up their replacements in Alan and Callum to be every bit as big as they had become. It would safeguard their own legacy of the time they had been the toast of the bar in Princeton, but also protect the futures of all of those that worked there long term.

As Flint sat busily writing the answer to the final question of the final exam paper on his environmental chemistry module, he paused for a moment to consider the events of that night, ostensibly to rest his aching hand. He and Beats already had something in mind for the forthcoming Friday night, the last official day of their college lives. The routine would commence with the ceremonial unpinning of a lapel badge from each of their blazers, and then with due ceremony, they would pin them on the blazer lapels of their replacements. This would emphasise the handover of the role to the newbies. The badges had been spotted by Ethan in a junk shop in his final week in Cambridge; they were in the shape of heraldic shields, one of them emblazoned with the words 'Head Boy' and the other 'Deputy Head Boy'. He had found the entendre in the words irresistible, particularly as they were to be worn by a pair of strippers. He knew of course that they denoted the top two students in a prep school a lot like Dalton, somewhere in England, just as Wes had been Head Warbler and David his deputy, but the words had connotations. The problem for Flint that although he agreed with Beats that the handover of the badges fitted in with the narrative they were trying to show, a large part of him wanted to hang on to his badge, as a reminder of the misadventures of his youth. If he could find a similar pair of badges somewhere…

In another room nearby, Beats was also hard at it, his head no longer pounding as it once had as his pen flew across the paper. He had entered the exams feeling less stressed than he had done for years. His glasses had proved to be the big help that he had been told they would be. His mind too began to drift to the future and to ponder that final show in June. They had to go out with a bang; he was convinced of that much. He had an idea, but he suspected that Flint might not go along with it. Over their performances they had made their routines a little raunchier, a little more risqué. 'Leave them wanting more' was the adage that came to mind to describe their routines. What if then, on their final night, they actually gave their loyal fans what they had always craved? Nothing major, but nonetheless, daring and new. He knew that he would have to sit down and have a serious discussion with Flint about it, knowing full well that what he was going to ask him to do might be a step too far out of his friend's comfort zone. If he did agree, then they would still have to ask Elliott and Izzy for their opinions too…

Meanwhile, as Wes shook his head in disbelief as his father once again made outrageous claims in the Boston courtroom, Sebastian found himself sitting in a rehearsal room with the other new summer additions to the ensemble cast of _Book of Mormon._ There were five of them in total, two other men and two women. The difference here was that all the others had done musical theatre before professionally, not just in a school or college setting like Sebastian. That fact made three of the others look down their noses at the young man; the fourth, the youngest of the women, had been more friendly towards him, and for that Sebastian had been grateful. He had anticipated that there would be someone there to lead them; that they would spend time going over the script to learn lines and cue points; to have sung through the songs which made up the show, and heck, even to have learnt a little of the choreography just in case. But there was no-one in charge, and every time that Sebastian had tried to start something constructive amongst his fellows, he had been ignored. The three actors that looked down on him had spent their morning discussing the latest showbiz gossip, and then complaining about everything from the costumes to the fact that they were actually in the theatre on a Monday. It was all quite disheartening for the youngest person there…

After lunch, as the three of them carried on, boasting about who they had worked with, then ripping them to shreds, Sebastian decided to retreat to a quiet corner to try and learn the script he had been handed that morning by the man at the stage door. As he did so, he suddenly sensed someone was watching him, and when he looked up, he saw the younger woman, Jenny. She motioned to the chair next to him, and he nodded to her to sit down. "It's nice to see that someone in here has a work ethic. I think some people have forgotten that they were at school once, a long time ago in some cases, and that we are here to work. So, on that note, shall we have a read through together?" Sebastian was only too happy to agree, and at her suggestion, he played all the men, whilst she played all the women. He realised at once that she had the easier job. As they went through, he used different accents for different characters just to differentiate between them, and that made Jenny laugh. In the end, the two of them were so caught up in the script that they failed to notice that their three compatriots had left early, probably to a bar. Neither of them were that bothered by the fact they had gone, or the fact that they had not been asked to join them.

As he headed home that night, his script packed away in his bag, Sebastian did not feel the elation that he had expected. Yes, he was still so proud of the fact that he had landed an ensemble part in a Broadway show whilst he was still in college, but the day had been nothing like as good as he had expected it to be; in fact, the best word to describe it in his opinion was a shambles. If it hadn't been for Jenny, they would have achieved nothing. Still, it might well be different the next day when the full cast and crew were around. He had made a friend in Jenny, and he had gladly swapped phone numbers with her; as she had said, they might want to vent off steam about one of their fellow ensemble members, and it would allow them to do that away from the theatre.

He arrived back in Murray Hill in good time, and set about cooking a nice meal for himself and Dave; as he stirred the pans, he continued to study the script, absorbing the words. He was determined that should there be a cast emergency, then he would not be found wanting; that he was going to be able and ready to step up for them into any role, at any time. He was not going to blow his opportunity to show a Broadway director that he could step up and prove he had the wherewithal to undertake anything they asked. He might not be Elder Price - at least not this year - but there was always the chance that one day, in the future, he could be…

Jeff and Caleb meanwhile managed to make it back to Bushwick that evening just before Nick and Mike returned from their work. It was Jeff's turn to prepare the evening meal, and tonight, due to the fact that it was so warm, he had stopped off to pick up a cooked chicken at the store near their new home, taking the opportunity to check out both its range and prices. He had not believed it when Sebastian had told him that everything was just that little bit more expensive in Manhattan, but a quick walk round the store proved that his friend was right. There might well be a case for continuing to buy the bulk of their grocery shopping at their usual store in Brooklyn, and it was an easy enough trip there on the subway. He had to admit that the chicken he had picked up did smell delicious, and was fresh from the oven when he picked it up. Caleb agreed by the way he started to miaow in his basket, and his nose pressed up against the door to inhale the aroma; he had enjoyed the tuna that Jeff had given him for lunch in the sunny studio, but he was getting hungry again. Jeff had decided to leave the purchase of salad vegetables and fresh bread until he was back in Bushwick. He had walked into their usual stores and had been greeted like a long lost friend in all of them. It was only as he started to climb up the steps to the loft that he realised that he was going to miss all of them when they left…

Back home, he let Caleb out of his carrier, and placed the basket carefully in the hall closet, ready to smuggle back to Brittany later. He then began to prepare a simple chicken salad, making up his own dressing. This latter was one skill that he seemed to have that Nick did not; his dressings were light and flavoursome, whereas Nick's were just oily… He had often wondered why he could do it, but then someone had suggested it was like making a cocktail, and he was good at that too. As he prepared the chicken, he knew he was being watched, and so he made sure that some small scarps of chicken fell onto the floor, which Caleb then obligingly wolfed down. The salad ready and the table set, he headed into the living area to sit on the couch and await his husband and roommate with his pet.

"Ok, Caleb, so no telling anyone where we went today. I have a feeling that Nicky would not understand why I felt I had to take you over to the new house for a preview, so it's our secret. You did like it didn't you? You see, it is kind of our forever home, so you will be there for the rest of your life…"

Caleb looked up at the blond human, and saw that he was worried or sad - he was never sure which was which - but he did know that if he rubbed his head on the boy's hand, then he would be happy, and happy meant more food… Jeff naturally took the gesture as a sign that his pet was happy with the move, and smiled; a smile that only widened as he heard the front door open, and two familiar voices in the hallway…


	26. Ends and Beginnings : Part III

**Ends and Beginnings : Part III**

The following morning saw Jeff heading back to the West Village, this time with Nick and Mike for company, squashed together in a laden 'L' train. None of them would miss the crush of the morning commute to school or work in Manhattan on this train; sure, the '1' Train could be busy, but not quite so cramped as the 'L' was on a daily basis. They had decided that they should explore the neighbourhood a little the night before, checking out the nearest venues to their new home for coffee, newspapers and baked goods.

This done, it was time for the main purpose of their trip today; to meet up with Artie on the corner next to the final house in the row; the one that would be Mike and Tina's one day. He snapped a quick picture of it on his phone on an impulse, and sent it to her with the caption 'Does this look anything like your dream house?' He received a response in moments; 'Yes, but I think that we would have to rob a bank. Please don't rob a bank, Mike. As long as I have you, Mike, I don't need the dream house.' Mike felt an urge to hug himself in delight, and also made a mental note that he would have to hand out earplugs to everyone the moment that he told her that the house in question was their house. She would no doubt squeal the place down…

"Here he comes!" said Nick suddenly, breaking in to Mike's thoughts. "He has brought Kitty, as we all expected, but thankfully she is every bit as good at keeping a secret as he is."

Jeff and Mike nodded, then all three went to greet the newcomers. "So what do you think Artie? Is this not just perfect, period Manhattan? I mean, they have filmed here for TV and films before," said Jeff, after the hellos.

"Yes, I checked it out online. I think they used an apartment block around here when they filmed _Sex in the City_. It is also the kind of neighbourhood that I think we would all aspire to live in one day. Maybe I can when Kitty had made her first million…"

They all laughed, apart from Kitty, who stayed silent, before turning to Jeff as the others stopped. "Ok, so what is really going on here guys? This has nothing to do with finding Artie a filming location. I can see it in your faces, all three of them. You are up to something…"

"There is no fooling you, is there Kitty," replied Nick, "although you must admit that it would make the ideal location for him to use as the area in which his Seb and Dave live for his short film."

"That is true," said Artie. "Not using Murray Hill as the location would make it even less likely that people would work out who it was based on. The problem would be getting permission from the owner of this place to film here."

"Oh, I think that the owner would be more than ok with that," said Mike, with a wink.

"Ok, spill everything now you three," said Kitty snappily, "or I will call in Santana as back up!"

Nick and Mike looked at each other, then at Jeff. It was the latter that spoke. "Gordon Clarington left a multi-million dollar will. He left his entire estate to his son. His estate included not just this house, but the four next to it on this street, as well as a host of other properties. Grace spent the last few months preparing and then arguing a case on my mother's behest that his son should actually mean me. She won; and so as the owner, I grant Artie permission to film, free of charge."

Kitty stood frozen to the spot, her mouth wide open, in shocked silence. As for Artie, he quickly went from shock to grinning, and he was just about to offer his congratulations to Jeff when the latter spoke again. "Of course, the thing is, this isn't a house; it has been divided up very cleverly. There is actually a fully accessible apartment in the basement right here. I was hoping that as well as filming, Artie might want to move in here too…"

There was a moment when it seemed as if even the constant distant hum of traffic in the streets nearby had fallen silent. Artie was just staring at Jeff as if he was waiting for the punch line; Kitty, whose face had been moving through all the degrees of shock and surprise as Jeff had been speaking was now watching him stunned.

"He's telling the truth guys," Mike said, breaking the silence. "I must admit that I thought this was another elaborate prank when he first told me, but he and Nick were with Grace at the time, and we all know that she would never be party to a joke of this kind. Then there is the small fact that I actually had to sign as a witness on the papers he had to complete to accept the legacy. I've only seen inside your apartment quickly as of yet; I spent my time here before being shown the house on the corner above it, mainly as Jeff has earmarked it for myself and Tina when we want to move in together. I guess that would make me your next door neighbour, more or less."

"I still don't quite understand why and how that douchebag could own all of this!" exclaimed Kitty.

"He bought it when a group of elderly ladies, the original owners, needed to make repairs and didn't have the cash to finance it themselves. He planned to knock these beautiful buildings down, and replace them with a hideous block of concrete condos, when the last of those lovely women died. It was just a pity that he happened to predecease the last of them…" said Nick.

He said those final words with so much tongue in cheek that Kitty had no option but to burst out laughing, secretly so happy that it had been the case. Her laughter stopped abruptly when she realised that Artie was crying. She placed a comforting hand on his arm as Jeff also noticed, and went to kneel in front of him. "Of course, you don't have to live here if you'd rather not, Artie. The last thing that I would ever want to do is upset you…"

"It's not that," replied Artie in a choked voice. "It's just that I can't believe how lucky my life has been these past few months. I'm doing well at the school of my dreams; I am engaged to one of the most wonderful, beautiful women in the world; and now, I'm being offered a place to live, that is adapted to my needs, in one of the best areas of Manhattan. These are happy tears, Jeff, just trust me on that.."

"Now, of course, there is still the question of rent to discuss," said Jeff. "I was thinking that we could charge you the same as we will be charging Mike. $10 a month…" Kitty choked in shock, and Artie began to cry all the harder; Mike too was swiping at his tears as he saw his old friend weep. "I'd just give the place to you if it was up to me, but that raises all kinds of tax issues, so we will just have to agree on a peppercorn rent that never goes up. So, how about we go and take a look round inside?"

Artie nodded, as Kitty swiped at the tears that she would later deny point blank had ever happened. They made their way over to the house; as the others took the steps, Artie made his way down the gently sloping ramp, which was covered in to protect it from the weather, and came to a stop at the door, noticing at once that the door locks were at the perfect height for him to reach from his chair. Jeff handed him a set of keys, and with trembling hands, he unlocked the door. "I think that now you just press the button on the key fob," Nick said as Artie went to push the door. He did, and to his delight the door swung open automatically; he grinned as beside him Kitty's face was beaming with pleasure. If this was how the house started, the rest would be a dream.

As they went from room to room, it seemed that it was. Sockets and switches were all at a convenient height; the inside doors all slid open, gliding on smooth runners, set in the floor so that Artie's chair could pass over them without even a bump. Every possible adaptation had been made, from low work surfaces in the kitchen, to a wet room. There was a guest bedroom, and a study, which had room for all the computers and tools that he would require to edit his films. There was even a small garden, with smooth surfaces and raised planters, which caught the sun, just off the kitchen. Artie's eyes did not stay try for too long at all as they made their tour; Kitty had to keep excusing herself to powder her nose as she saw them, as she had a reputation to maintain. The other three cried on and off too, just from the look on Artie's face as he made each new discovery. Now, at the end of the tour, all five of them red eyed, Artie turned to Jeff, and said "How soon can I move in?"

Jeff laughed, then replied, "Well, we are intending to move in next week, either on Monday or Tuesday, so after that; though if it suits you, then sooner would be ok. The only thing about it is we haven't told any of the others yet, not even Tina. We intend to do so this weekend, but until then…"

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with us," said Kitty, as Artie nodded. "It's the least that we can do for you after this… It is just so typical of you, Jeff, and reminds us all why you are nothing like the two other men in your family. I just have one question; if you have five houses…."

"The intention at the moment is that Flint and Ethan will be offered the apartment immediately above yours; and the other top portion at this end we are going to offer to Elliott, so he, Beats, Josh and his boyfriend Scott can all live together. The house that sits between these two and ours we are going to offer to the boys - that is, Luke, Duncan, Seth, Colin, Edward and Skylar. As for the two places on the other side of our one, well we haven't decided yet."

Kitty smiled, and shook her head. "No doubt all of them will be let out at the same exorbitant rent? Well, can I just say that I am so, so pleased that this has happened to you. You deserve this. Just remember to invite us to the official announcement, and let us know whether you want us to pretend we didn't know in advance or not."

"Oh, definitely. We want everyone to hear it together," said Nick, with a subtle wink to Jeff. After all, there was something that even Mike did not know about yet they would be telling their friends that day too…

Nick and Jeff took their leave then, leaving Mike with Artie and Kitty. Artie was busy taking photos of the apartment to send to his mom back in Lima, as otherwise she would never believe just how wonderful the place he had been offered to live in was. She would be relieved that her son had managed to find somewhere new to live; he had only told her, not even Kitty, about the fact that the film school had contacted him to tell him that they had a freshman student arriving for the start of next year who scored higher than him on the accessible living requirement test, and that he would need to move out, or be prepared to share his home with a total stranger. His mom had been horrified at the way he was being treated, and had wanted to contact Burt and ask him to intervene, but the prospect of that made Artie sick to the stomach. He did not want to end up the centre of attention just because he was in a chair. Yes, it was unfair, but that was the way life was at times for everyone, so he just needed to deal with it. Behind everyone's back, he had surfed the net looking for alternative accommodation, but like all of the others, he had discovered that he was priced out of the nicer areas, even with Blaine's money, and was excluded from many other places due to lack of access.

He had in the end come across a place that wasn't too bad, in a reasonable area, and within his budget, but there was a catch. The prospect of having to commute to the city on a daily basis from Staten Island left him cold. There had been no other option though, and with reluctance he had decided that he would just have to endure it; it was the only way that he could keep his independence. That was why he had said nothing to his friends. He would have been inundated with offers to put him up, but he didn't want to be a burden; didn't want to have to depend on other people helping him up and down stairs day in, day out. Through all of this he had received regular visits from Kurt and Blaine, together and separately. He could not keep his woes a secret from them after all. Now he realised that each time, as they left, they had told him to keep his chin up; that something would turn up. They had obviously known about the property in the will, and had also predicted what Jeff would do with it. So now, instead of psyching himself up to tell Kitty the truth, as he had been, he was sending his mom a text with dozens of photos attached, and the words 'My guardian angels have been looking out for me; found a new place I can well afford. Will talk to you later and tell you everything.'

Once it was sent, he smiled up at the two people with him. Mike smiled back, and said "So, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much do we love Jeff right now?"

"A heck of a lot more than 10," replied Artie, as Kitty nodded at his side.

"Me too," said Mike. "It's so hard to imagine now that the Warblers were once seen as our enemies; that we shared nothing with them, apart from Blaine and Kurt. Now they are some of the best friends that we have, and instead of seeing them as competitors, we see them as allies in a pretty awful world."

Along the street, Nick and Jeff were properly checking out for the first time the house that Jeff had chosen to offer his cousin, his boyfriend, and the four youngest Warblers. Although it was almost identical to their own place next door, the décor was a little less opulent. As they checked out each of the six bedrooms, knowing full well that only four would see regular use, they nonetheless could appreciate all the little period features that the property had retained, and the small garden that it had behind it. It was there that they found a surprise; nestling in a corner of the small patio was a hot tub. "I thought that it was a group of elderly ladies that lived here; it's an unusual thing for them to have.." remarked Jeff.

"From what I can gather, this particular group of ladies had quite the reputation for being rather Bohemian in their day, so it isn't that shocking really to me. Anyway, I am certain that the hot water would have been quite soothing for the aches and pains that come with old age," replied Nick.

"I guess… I just kind of wish that it had been in our garden," said Jeff wistfully.

"I'm sure that the guys will be only too happy to let us use it - and in any case, there appears to be a gate in the fence to let us do so. Let's face it, if it had been next door, we would have to have taken care that Caleb didn't jump or fall into it. He would have hated that…"

"That's true, Nicky. It would have made him change his mind on this place…" Jeff stopped, as he realised that he had just let slip that the cat had seen the house.

Nick just laughed. "I knew you had brought him here, Jeffie. I told Mike, and he said no - but then I saw the extra cat carrier in the closet last night. Some people would think that it was a mad thing to do, but me, I just think that it reminds me just how wonderful and kind my husband is, and that I have to be one of the luckiest men on this planet to have you all for myself."

"We're both lucky to have each other, Nicky," said Jeff with a smile. "So, when do you think we should speak to Elliott? Should we wait until Beats is free, or do we put Elliott out of his misery and speak to him sooner, as we have done with Artie?"

"Sooner I think. The whole thing about not being able to find the home he wants is telling on him, so we should put him out of that misery. We get him on his own, and he can be the one to tell Beats and Josh. Something tells me that he will get quite upset about the whole thing, and he might prefer to do that on his own. We don't even know that he will say yes anyway. He has a lot of pride, and the whole low rent thing might put him off. We need to make it sound like he is doing us a favour by moving in, not the other way round. To that end, I was thinking that we could tell him that we need him to be the responsible adult to supervise the house that we are currently standing in when we aren't around. After all, we would be too nice towards the boys when they messed up because they're friends and family…"

"Then we go on to point out that this arrangement would provide Scott with a home too, and it would be easier for him to supervise them if they were all living under the one roof."

"Now that is a very good point, Jeffie. Do you know, the best thing about all of this is that we get to make so many people happy."

"And we are also making my father mad. Let's face it, what we are doing, it would make him so mad, to think that all he had worked for was being given to people like us and our friends…"

* * *

As Jeff enjoyed playing the role of best friend ever in Manhattan, Wes found himself back in the court in Boston, as the trial of his father continued. Whereas the previous day's proceedings had been more or less about the incident at the restaurant in Rhode Island, today the case had moved on to the next set of charges; a set that had been added at the last minute to those he was already facing. The court had only been told of the extra charges that morning; it seemed that a number of the young woman that he had forced into abortions over the years had decided that enough was enough. It had been bad when they had thought that they had been the only one that he had treated in such a shameful way, but now they had been made aware of just how many of them there were. The charges of blackmail were bad enough, but what was added next made Michelle gasp, and left Wes, Finn, Mitch and Gabriel stunned. It seemed that as well as leaving each of these ladies pregnant, he had also given them all a particularly virulent STD. As each of them had been infected by the same strain that tests showed Randy himself was carrying, it also made it easy to identify him as the common denominator. The shock turned to outrage when medical records were submitted which proved that he had been informed that he was carrying the disease ten years earlier, but that he had declined all forms of treatment.

Michelle was by then glowering down at the man in the dock, who was still trying to make out that he was the victim in all of this, being blamed for things that he had not done. 'If looks could kill…' Wes thought as he sat at his cousin's side. He himself was pondering the sheer arrogance of the man that was partially responsible for his very existence. It was not in Wes' nature to hate anyone, but that resolve was being sorely tested as he heard more and more about the man in front of him.

The evidence that day was harrowing; the operations that had been performed on two of the young woman had gone badly wrong; the others had reduced fertility as a consequence of the disease. Randy had destroyed the lives of every single one of them and the charges that were now being laid against him were totally justified. The long term effects of his condition did explain at least one thing; why the Montgomery family had not had to pay out to solve any of Randy's messes with the woman that he had seduced for the last few years. Michelle could barely hide her delight when it was announced that Randy was now infertile, and that he was also likely to suffer from increasing degrees of impotence as time went by. She kept quiet as the urge to cheer and holler would only get her thrown out of the gallery.

She had no such qualms as they broke for lunch; as they walked out of the courtroom, she announced quite happily that she hoped it would drop off in the end, and moments later, the four of them were bent double with laughter in the corridor as others passed by wondering what was so funny.

Michelle went off to call her parents after that, as she did every lunchtime, to update them on what had happened in court that morning, leaving the three former Warblers to sit in silence and contemplate the actions of Wes' father. "What I don't get is why he chose not to go for treatment. If I had an infection there, which is highly unlikely, I would be embarrassed, but I would still go an have it treated," remarked Gabriel. "I mean, it wasn't as if the doctor didn't already know he had it, for heavens sake!"

"I think that there may well be other factors in play here," Mitch countered. "The date of his diagnosis fits in well with something very significant if you think about it. It took place more or less at the time that the Montgomery family left Ohio to go back to Boston. I would be prepared to wager any money that the infection was diagnosed by the family MD in Ohio, but the decision was then taken not to inform the new MD in Boston, probably out of pride on Randy's part."

"I think you might well be right," replied Wes. "It would not have done for such a thing to have become public knowledge in Boston society. I would suggest though that it wasn't actually the family doctor that he saw in Ohio, as if he had, it would have been passed on with all his other medical records as a matter of course. It would probably have remained Randy's dirty little secret if it had not been for the young woman that he infected along the way discovering that they were not alone in their trauma…"

At the end of the day, Wes left Michelle and his two friends and headed back to the office, Finn heading off to see his stepbrother. Elizabeth had told him that he should take the time off to deal with the events of the trial and sort it all out in his head, but she had known that he would ignore her. So she had left a small pile of paperwork in his in tray, just enough to keep him occupied if he did indeed return to try and take his mind off things with his usual work. As he collated that days figures though, Wes found himself unusually distracted. His usual levels of concentration were constantly disturbed as his mind kept returning to the poor, unfortunate victims of his father, and also to his unborn siblings. He still thought that there was a possibility that somewhere out there he had a younger brother or sister, conceived before he caught the virus that had rendered him infertile. He also wondered who exactly had passed the virus on to his father. He felt quite guilty that his first thought on thinking that was that he wanted to meet them and shake them by the hand. Like it or not, the STD had been a massive and well deserved punishment for his wayward parent…


	27. Ends and Beginnings : Part IV

**Ends and Beginnings : Part IV**

The following day was once again of the same pattern for Wes; he rose early, had breakfast, then popped into the office to finish off a report that he had started the night before. Then it was off back to the court, passing Elizabeth in the corridor with just the briefest of greetings. Finn was waiting for him at the court; Elizabeth had discovered that he had absented himself from Wes' company at the end of the previous day's proceedings and had carried out a couple of collections, despite the fact that he had been told to take a week off. She had not been best pleased, although she understood where he was coming from in disobeying her. He was lonely, and needed something to occupy his time, particularly when Wes was sitting in the office working away. She had threatened him that she would make it a two week holiday if he did not follow her instructions for the rest of the week, and Finn had reluctantly agreed. He did however hope that today's proceedings would move on from yesterday's topic, as it had made Finn feel quite uncomfortable. He was excited though about the prospect of meeting Louis and Connor for the first time. He had heard a lot about the two young men though, and was anxious to discover if they could hear him; so far they only heard Wes to their knowledge.

As they had been held up a little whilst Wes finished his work, the two angels arrived at the court to find that the five mortal witnesses had already been seated in the public gallery. Wes said hello as he arrived, and then apologised for being late. The two new arrivals smiled broadly as they heard their old friend once again; those smiles grew wider when Finn also greeted them all, proving that it was not just Wes they could hear for the first time. They had already been brought up to speed on the events of yesterday by the others. It had also been in the newspapers, of course, along with the confirmation of their assumptions from the previous day. The test results which showed that he had contracted the STD came from a free clinic in Cleveland, not the family physician in Columbus. As the judge arrived, Wes took a deep breath as he stood up and prepared himself for the worst. He had a funny feeling that his name was going to come up quite frequently that day.

At first though, it appeared that they had all been mistaken. All of the evidence concerning the various charges of fraud and deception was presented to the court, but through all of it, Randy made no comment whatsoever. It appeared that the revelation about his condition and his pillory in the media as a result had taken away all of his cockiness. All of that changed after the first hour of the day. It was then that Randy was called to take the witness stand himself to answer a few questions about his involvement in the family firm, and the operation of the fraudulent part of the business in particular. To the shock of nearly everyone there, he freely admitted, with a smug grin, that the whole thing had been his idea, and that he had started the process without the knowledge of his father, stepmother or brother. He told them with something verging on glee that Albert had resigned from the firm the moment that he had found out what was going on. He informed them all that he believed that was a good thing anyway, as Albert was useless in his opinion; he lacked the ruthless streak that was essential for a good businessman, being obsessed with love and morality. His father had been shocked and horrified when he first found out, but then he had shown him the bottom line. After that, his father had not been worried about the fact that the scheme had serious implications for the family firm's reputation if it was discovered, which proved what he had always suspected; his father was only interested in money. The same he already knew to be true about his stepmother, and she had added to the fraud that was taking place on a massive scale. After all, she was obsessed with money, status and power; that was why she had been so keen to marry his father after all…

"Before she came along, when mom was still alive, we were a happy family. I was good and honest. She was a bad influence on me at a time when I was an emotional wreck. That woman made me what I am now; she used me to get what she craved in life. The only complication in her little scheme was Wesley. I doubt that she had planned for him. That little goody two shoes was the bane of my existence from the moment that he was born. He deprived me of the love that I deserved and craved, and drained the family money, which forced the whole fraud scheme into existence. He might not have been aware that his expensive education at Dalton Academy was being financed by the defrauding of clients, but it was, trust me. If he had not come along, then the whole scheme need not have existed. My little half brother was the cuckoo in the nest; the cause of the problems which have destroyed us all. He is to blame for all of this. If that little bastard had not been born, we'd all have been so much better off. I am glad that he was run over and killed - it is just a great pity that it didn't happen so much sooner. If he had done, then we could have kept the money from his trust fund in the hands of those that really deserved it - his family. Instead, it went to a bunch of spoilt prep school boys that clung on to him like leeches. Then again, if my stepmother had seen sense at the time and just had him aborted like all the others when she discovered she was pregnant… In my opinion, the world would have been a much better place if the saintly Wes had not existed. I know that my world would have been better. He was the worst thing that ever happened to the Montgomery family, and trust me when I say that truck driver did the world a favour when he destroyed him."

As his father's last words rang out, Wes took a moment to glance for the first time at the faces of those sitting with him. Michelle looked placid enough, used by now to the abuse that was thrown at Wes by the people that were supposed to be his family, having sat through his mother's trial the week before. Finn and Mitch were both sat there just shaking their heads, but neither of them looked as if they were about to explode. However, it was a very different case when he looked at the three former Head Warblers, and that was a worry. Each one of them was a different shade of red, and all looked as if they might stand up and scream at Randy at any moment, which would not be good. Fate was looking out for them though, and at that precise juncture the judge called an early recess for lunch. As the rest of the court made their way out for the break, the three young men kept their counsel, and expressed none of the righteous anger and indignation that they felt until they were the only people left within earshot.

"That thing is a monster," hissed Gabriel, breaking the silence. "How can anyone just stand there and calmly say that another human being, who had never committed any kind of crime, deserved to die? The fact that he said it would have made him happy? He isn't a human, he's an ape!"

"Right now, I would happily head to whatever room that they have him in, and kill him with my bare hands," said Connor, earning the normally most placid of the three young men a raised eyebrow from Gabriel and Louis. "I strongly suspect that I would not be going in there on my own either, guys. I think that a group of Head Warblers, each one armed with a gavel, could just start battering away at that pathetic excuse for a man…"

"I'd prefer to be armed with a Louisville Slugger if I'm being honest," said Louis, "But yeah, I would be in there with you. How can anyone stand there and say that Wes deserved to die; that the world would be a better place if you had never existed? You were the best thing that ever happened to the Warblers; you managed to create a unity, order and loyalty that the three of us couldn't. I am so proud to be able to say that I knew you, Wes…"

"And in immediately seconding that," added Connor, "I would only say that we miss your physical presence. To hear you is great, it truly is, but sometimes… It's like when you are feeling low, and somebody calls you up, intent on making you feel better, but it just isn't quite enough to lift you out of the depression you are in." As the young man finished, he lowered his eyes to the floor, trying to hide the moisture in them. Louis and Gabriel, sitting on either side of him, placed an arm each around his shoulders, having heard the sadness in his tone, knowing that he might break down into tears at any moment.

"I can't condone murder. I am an angel, and murder is one of the gravest of sins, no matter how justified and appropriate it might seem. He is going to get the punishment that he deserves, I am certain of that. Killing him would end his sorry excuse of a life, but it would also destroy each of your lives in the process. I'd like to think that he has a long spell in jail coming to him, and that he will suffer greatly in is time in incarceration. Also, if I'm being honest, I don't think that gavels would hold up for very long under sustained use…" Wes finished, trying to inject a little humour into the sad situation.

With a small snort of laughter, Connor raised his eyes again, and conceded "No, I don't suppose that they would… It would be symbolic though; a gesture that showed the world that no-one crosses a Dalton boy, especially not one that still insists on wearing his old school tie with his suit…" His voice stopped, and he let out a gasp of shock.

"There is only one way that you could know that Wes was wearing his tie…" Mitch whispered to a stunned looking Connor, as on one side of him, Gabriel broke into a radiant smile.

All eyes now turned to a very quiet Louis, who was staring straight ahead of himself, mouth open wide. He spoke softly. "I see that your shoes still outshine all of ours… It is so good to see you again Wes. So very good…" He sniffed then, and swiped at his treacherous moist eyes.

"Well, Wes, I think that there is one more thing that you have to do at this juncture," Gabriel added; Wes nodded at him, and unfurled his wings. That was all it took to have Connor burst into happy tears, but Louis just stared again, and then burst out laughing.

"You have Dalton school colours on your wings! I can't believe that you have Dalton wings! I mean, I know that you loved the place, just as we all did, but isn't that taking it a little too far?"

"Not at all," came another voice, and Louis jumped as suddenly Finn moved to stand beside Wes. He had forgotten that there was another angel in the room. "When you get your wings, they either reflect some physical attribute, or your mood, or what you love the most. That's the reason for it, so they tell me. It doesn't explain why my wings are light brown…"

"So, guys, this is Finn Hudson, Kurt's stepbrother, and my close friend and ally in a world where Klaine can be all too prevalent. He is also the hardest working angel that I know, though he would always deny that," added Wes.

"So it isn't just you that we will be able to see then," asked Connor, his tears now abating.

"No, it is all angels; we can invite Kurt and Blaine to join us later just to prove that point. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I am hungry, so I think we should keep further discussion until the rest of today's proceedings are over. However, before we go, I think there is just one more thing that I need to do…." At that point, Wes rose up from the spot he was standing with his wings outstretched, to hover in the air above them. It caused all four former Warblers, none of whom had ever witnessed him in flight before, to gasp in delight.

"All he needs is his gavel, and he is Jeff's drawing! I knew that he had asked you to actually pose for it!" said Gabriel with a grin. "Ok, so Wes is right, it's time we got something to eat, to fortify ourselves for an afternoon of listening to his toad of a father digging himself a bigger hole, just to ensure that he remains in the prison cell he belongs in all the longer. Then once this is done, we can all head back to my place, and we can spend an evening communing with the angels." At his side, Louis and Connor nodded, and the plan was made.

* * *

As those in Boston headed out to get a quick lunch, a confused Elliott was making his way from one side of Manhattan to the other. It had been another hectic morning at the Spotlight, the place starting to pick up later as the students had finished the school year and now had time for a spot of brunch; plus there was the fact that the tourists had arrived. It had been busy, but he had found the time to complete all the tasks in the office, so that everything was ready for Dani when she came in later to take over from him. He needed to be away quickly as he had an appointment to view an apartment which filled all of his needs bar one - location. He had finally taken the decision that his need to live with his brother again took precedence over where it was, but he wasn't looking forward to making the journey.

His plans for the day had however been turned on their head when just after twelve, Mike had walked through the door, with Nick at his side, both of them there to work. This was a surprise as Mike was not rostered to work for another three hours, and Nick was not noted down for a partner shift. "We have actually come here just now with specific instructions from Wes," said Nick. "Both he and Michelle are concerned that you are working far too hard and that as a result, you are not as able as you should be to keep up with developments in respect to your housing needs. It so happens that Wes has become aware of a place that is about to be put on the market this afternoon that would actually be ideal for you. He knows that you have an appointment to view somewhere this afternoon, but this place has all the things you want, including location. It is in the West Village, so it is walkable, instead of that lengthy train ride that you are dreading. The rent they are asking should also be achievable, given that you will have an input from Beats, and a contribution from the de Marko's in respect of Scott. So we have made a few calls, and the upshot is that you have an appointment to view it right now; the owner is waiting for you. The address is written on here, so go and grab your jacket and head over, or you will miss out!"

Before Elliott could protest, Mike held his hand out for his keys. "The two of us can keep the place ticking over until Dani gets here. So go, before someone else finds out about it and snaps it up!"

Less than two minutes later, he had been on his way, still shaking his head in disbelief at the turn of events. He knew that Wes and Michelle were busy in the court, but surely they had a break for lunch. One of them could have sent him a message, or heck, Wes could have come himself, so that he would have been better prepared. He mused on that fact as he walked across town, not in any particular hurry; he was sure that the owner would wait for him, and would rather have him cool than sweating like a pig. As he entered the street on which the apartment was located he glanced at his watch and realised that he had been walking for less than twenty minutes, which was no time at all, and would be ideal for his work. He checked the address once more, then paused outside the brick built building. It was gorgeous, and in a wonderful area. It was far too nice to ever be in his price range; either that or it had some hidden defect. Nonetheless, he was here now, so he rang the bell - his heart jumping the moment he saw it was of the old-fashioned pull variety. If nothing else, he was about to see inside a grand period house…

When the door swung open to reveal Jeff standing there, Elliott could only stare, which made the blond man laugh. "Yeah, I told them that you would be shocked! I've just rustled up a pot of coffee - come on in and have a cup whilst I tell you what's going on, right from the very beginning." Elliott found himself walking in, not in so much of a daze that he failed to notice the grand staircase that he was walking up. When the property had been divided up, the architect had decided to leave the majority of the original entrance hall intact as the entry to the two new properties, with storage space underneath the stairs. Jeff walked him into the main living room of the upper apartment, which overlooked the street, and motioned to him to take a seat. He did so, and Jeff poured him a coffee, handed it over, and begin to tell him the full story. He made it as short as he possibly could, but earned himself a number of gasps, and then big grins from Elliott. "So, in conclusion, Nicky told you that you were meeting the owner of the property, and you are. I think that the apartment we are in would be just what you have been looking for in vain for months. It has four bedrooms, although I am guessing that you will only need two in the long run; two full baths and a shower room; and a big kitchen with space for a table. There is also a garden at the back which you will share with the other three apartments in this house and the one next door. Artie will be living on the lower floor; we are intending to offer Flint and Ethan the one immediately below you, which will make Beats very happy; and eventually, Mike and Tina will live in the duplex at the top of the other house. So you will have good neighbours. There is only one little catch to the whole thing…"

"The rent," said Elliott with a sigh. It did all sound perfect; too perfect. "This is such a nice area, and you could get a lot of money for a place here is you marketed it properly. Even with all the extra money that you guys have factored in, I doubt that we could make the market rent on this place."

"Possibly not, but that isn't the catch I was talking about. The house on the other side, the one between this one and the one Nick and I will be living in - we will be renting that to six young guys that you know; Luke and Duncan need a new place too, so we will offer it to them, sharing with Seth as now, but also with Colin, Edward and Skylar. They will need a mature adult to look out for them. Our little joke last month proved that Nick and I still don't really qualify for that role, so we were thinking that you could be that responsible adult and in return, we would give you a rebate on the rent."

"I guess I could do that, but even so, my finances aren't that great."

Jeff smiled, and wrote something down on a piece of paper. "This is the figure that I was thinking of charging you a month. The thing is, that if it wasn't for the issues around tax, I would just be giving you this place as a gift to thank you for all you've done for us all. I can't, so the rent is much lower than you might expect. The thing is that we would love you to live here; all of us would."

Jeff handed Elliott the piece of paper; he looked at it, blinked twice, then shook his head in disbelief. "That's… I can't Jeff, I just can't rent it for that little!"

"You can, and if you won't, then I am sure that Beats would rent it for that instead and ask you, Josh and Scott to move in with him…" Before Elliott could think of a suitable retort, Jeff continued. "I know that it is ridiculously cheap, but as I've already said, if I could, I wouldn't be charging you at all. I would let all of my friends live here for free. What I am trying to create here is a tiny corner in the middle of the metropolis where we can be around our friends, the people that love and respect us. Also, by filling these five houses with people that I like, and are either in, or just plain love, the arts and music, I am sending my late father a signal that he has lost; he tried to break us all, directly or through Hunter, but he has not succeeded. He neglected the most important part of his role as a father, which in my opinion is to love your child unconditionally, just as your father did with first you and then Josh. Gordon would be so unhappy if he could witness what I was doing here, and that thought makes me glad. Coming to live here, Elliott, will give you and Beats the start that you need in your life together, away from the place where the plaster on the wall is still cracked at the spot that Beats' head smacked into it. It allows you to achieve what you crave the most; having your brother living with you, and it also gives you a space for Scott to join you; a separate room from your brother at that…"

Elliott chuckled at that, and replied quietly "Like that would ever be possible now! Still the fact that it exists would keep his mom and dad happy. This place is perfect in so many ways; it is close to NYU, a short walk from the Spotlight for me, but I still don't know…"

"Well, it would be wrong of me to try and influence your decision or force your hand in any way, but why don't we take a quick stroll around the place, just as a way to pass the time. After all, you would have to agree that it would be silly to make any kind of decision without checking everything else out first…"

Elliott had to agree with that, and he got up from his seat, and followed Jeff as he showed him round the rest of the house. He gasped out loud at the sheer size of the kitchen diner, which he hated to admit was actually bigger than the whole of his current apartment. Next door was the first of the bedrooms, which had a small shower room next to it. As he looked at it, he could picture it as the guest bedroom, allowing them privacy on the floor above. That was were their feet now took them, heading up the stairs to the upper level. The main bedroom was above the lounge on the floor below, and had an en suite bath. Elliott walked over to the window, and took in the view; as the houses on the other side of the street were slightly lower, he had a good view over the rooftops in the direction of midtown, and that made him smile.

"If you look to the right, you should be able to see the Empire State Building," said Jeff from where he stood in the doorway, and a quick glance in that direction confirmed that was indeed the case.

The other two bedrooms sat at the back, and shared a Jack and Jill style bathroom, which made it perfect for his brother and his boyfriend; it looked as if they had their own rooms, but in theory, they were easily connected. The view from the windows of those two rooms was southward, and the new World Trade Center and the other tall buildings at the tip of Manhattan were clearly visible. "This whole place is spectacular… I could never hope to afford something like this; the boys certainly couldn't, and even Beats isn't rich enough to be able to afford this on his own at a proper market rent. If I am being totally honest with you, Jeff, any moment now I expect to wake up and discover that everything so far today has been a very pleasant dream. What is happening - it just can't be real…"

"Well, trust me when I say it is. I really hope that you will agree to come and live here with us. You really would be doing me a favour, and the boys that I mentioned earlier as well, come to it. However, I understand if you need time to think about it…" said Jeff.

"Actually, when I was standing in that huge master bedroom, all I could think about was one of those old sayings, about not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Now that I am standing in here, imagining the faces of Josh and Scott on seeing these rooms, I realise that sometimes you just need to forget about your foolish pride and grab something with both hands. I don't think that I will regret what I am about to say; I think I would regret it if I didn't say it. Yes, I will take it! I have a feeling that if I say no, and Beats, Josh and Scott find out, they would all start hitting me and calling me an idiot…"

Jeff smiled happily, then said "Well, we are planning on moving in next week, so anytime from then on, you can think about moving in yourself. Now, the other thing is that Nick and I haven't told anyone else about this yet, with the exception of Mike obviously, and Artie and Kitty. I would ask you to keep quiet about all of this too at the moment. We are intending to make a proper announcement to everyone at the weekend, when we can assemble as many people as possible in the one place at the one time to save ourselves having to repeat things over and over. So, just now, keep this to yourself; don't even tell Beats or Josh. We want to wait for the news to come out once nearly everyone is finished school or college and are free to talk about things."

"Ok, I guess I can go along with that, given what you are giving me here. You are giving me back my brother. It will be so good to have him living under the same roof for the first time in months. This place is kind of a dream first home for me and Beats as a couple too, and the fact that Flint will be just downstairs will be a big bonus for him. The only thing I will say is that Dani will be very jealous when she finds out about this place and how gorgeous it is…" Jeff nodded, and began to wonder if he could find a small corner somewhere for the young lady in question to move in to, if she wished…

When Elliott returned to the Spotlight a short time later, he was immediately greeted by two eager young men, desperate for an answer. He laughed as he walked straight past them and into the office, then laughed all the more when he realised that he had been followed. "That husband of yours is one lucky man," he began, turning to face Nick. "Not only does he have a loyal, loving husband, adoring friends, a ferocious talent and a cute cat, he inherits something that was never meant for him due to the poor use of words by his psychotic father. It is quite a nice place that you have there…"

"Yes, it is," answered Nick. "Trust me when I say that I am the lucky one…"

"So, Elliott," said Mike, with a touch of impatience, "Are you and I going to share a party wall at some point in the future?"

"Well, like you, I would have had to have been mad to have refused the place, wouldn't I? It is perfect; far too cheap, but I get where he is coming from with the rents. He feels, I guess, that he does not deserve to have had such a stroke of good fortune, and to reconcile himself to that, he wants to share it with as many people as he can. He knows how much I want to live with my brother again, even if it is just for a short while whilst he is at school, and so he has very generously given me that chance."

"That is exactly how it is; my kind hearted husband just wants everyone to be happy," admitted Nick proudly.

"Of course, I know that the whole thing about me being the responsible adult around the young ones next door was just a ruse to get me to agree and say I'd take it, but I will do that happily. Now it is finally happening, it is all happening very quickly… I can't believe that I will only be able to tell Beats and Josh on Saturday, and then move in myself the following week. I thank whoever it was that allowed me to meet Kurt Hummel, because if I hadn't, I would not be in this enviable position now. I would not have had a new home, a job that I love, and of course, probably no Beats either. His face is going to be a picture when he sees the place…"

Nick and Mike looked at each other, and smiled in agreement. There was no doubt in their minds that Beats' face was going to be a picture, because neither he, nor any of the other people that would be assembled on Saturday, would be expecting what they would be told at all…


	28. Ends and Beginnings : Part V

**Ends and Beginnings : Part V**

Back in Boston that afternoon, Wes sat and listened as his father kept on digging a deeper and deeper hole for himself. By the time that they had all returned to the court after lunch, all of the news channels were saying the same thing; Randall Montgomery Junior had wanted his half-brother dead - all the more shocking when they considered that only a few weeks ago, he had been claiming that the young man in question was actually his son. There were certainly many more journalists trying to squeeze their way into the public gallery that afternoon, all of them hoping that Randy would say something that made him sound even more certifiable. They were not to be totally disappointed.

As Wes and Finn sat with the group of five people that could now see him, they listened in shock, but not surprise, as he moved on to direct his attack to his other brother, Albert. He was branded a traitor, a coward and a fool - and yet also somehow the architect of the entire fraud scheme, if Randy was to be believed. Randy stated that it had been all Albert's idea to burn down the restaurant in Providence; his suggestion that they should defraud the generations of people that trusted the Montgomery family name; even his suggestion that they should force all of those young women to have abortions, one after the other. It was of course a stupid line of defence, given that all the evidence had already exonerated Albert of any blame or complicity, there was a whole body of evidence which showed that he had been the victim of his elder brother's abuse for years, and the fact that he had confessed to being the sole mastermind only that morning... Still Randy persisted in the claim that all of that evidence was lies, and that everyone was conspiring against him, making him a scapegoat for their actions. The day in court ended with the judge, who had been shaking his head for much of the afternoon, instructing the lawyers to have their closing statements prepared for the following day. He also made it quite clear that Randy would not be allowed to say anymore. He had to protect the interests of justice, and he had already said more than enough to incriminate himself ten times over.

After the trial, Gabriel invited everyone to join himself and Mitch for dinner at his place. Michelle declined, as she had promised to spend the evening with her mother, and Finn also excused himself, wanting to head back just in case there was an emergency and he was needed. Wes, however, was only too happy to agree to head to the nice little place that Gabriel had in town; a part of an older house, where Mitch was now his roommate. It was decided that pizza would be ordered, and whilst they awaited its arrival, Wes found himself answering question after question about his new 'life' in heaven. He shared it all; the joys and the sadness. He told them how work and pleasure seemed to mix, and how wonderful it was to be able to fly. He promised them all that if they stayed out of trouble, they would all experience it one day, and would all be able to walk through the corridors of that heavenly Dalton, many miles away. They all came to only one conclusion; however long it took, however much they suffered in the meantime, it would all be worth it to be able to join the ranks of the Warblers in heaven. When Kurt and Blaine arrived later that evening, the happiness of the four former Warblers was complete; the knowledge that they had angels looking out for them was comforting indeed.

Thursday came, and with it different things for everyone. Whilst some where heading to there final exams in Princeton and Washington, Mike was to be found packing up his belongings in boxes in his room in the short time that he had that morning before he had to head over to the Lincoln Center to be formally introduced as the newest member of the corps du ballet, both to his fellow dancers and the media. There would be a photo shoot, and to that end, he had arranged to call in at his usual barber on the way, and would take a change of clothes with him. He had realised as he had made the appointment that it might be the last time that he went there, as he would be faced with a long journey back from Manhattan if he chose to still go there. He knew that the move would be worth it though, and he kept that thought in his head as he packed his clothes neatly away into his case. He would have a new space to rehearse in after all, and it was almost perfect…

In the kitchen, Nick was sorting through all of the utensils, deciding which he would not need over the next few days, and packing them away in a box with care. There was so much that needed to be done, and so little time to do it in. They had contacted movers, and they were due to call for a quick assessment of the scale of the job later that morning. Getting them in without their neighbours across the landing seeing them would be a logistical challenge, but vital if they did not want to face too many awkward questions. He had discussed the subject with Mike and Jeff that morning, and they had resolved that the best course of action was to go for half lie, half truth. They would admit that they were moving, and had found a new place. They would however say that it was in the Bronx, which given what they knew about their budget seemed much more likely than the West Village. The hard part would be in sustaining that lie in the face of the intense questioning they would get from Santana…

As for Jeff, he was at work, putting in a double shift at the Spotlight to cover for Mike having to go and meet the people, so to speak. It was proving difficult as Elliott kept smiling broadly at him; he had even winked on one occasion, and as a result, people were starting to get suspicious about what they were up to. He knew that the easiest thing to do would be to just come out with the truth, but he had promised Nick and himself that he would say nothing until Saturday. His only hope was that Artie would not come in, because then the tension of having two people smiling at him would likely make him crack and blurt it all out to everyone around. He just kept himself busy, glad that amongst most of the customers in the Spotlight he was just their happy waiter, and not the creator of this year's standout artwork at Columbia.

He had been worried that after his photo had appeared on the cover of the Arts section of the _Times_ on Sunday that people would start to recognise him, and that he would be disrupted by people wanting to congratulate him, or asking for autographs, or for advice. He also did not want any further commissions at the moment. He had a fashion spread that he had to complete for _Vogue_ , and the last of his illustrations for the latest title from the children's author he worked for to ink up and send to them and the publishers for approval. At least soon he would have his own quiet studio to work in; he would have time to work and experiment without watching the clock so he could clear the table for a meal, or to let Nick spread out his text books. The thought of that studio kept him content as he served, wiped tables and from time to time sang his heart out on stage. Life had suddenly come very good for Jeff, and for the first time in many years, all of his demons seemed finally to be under control or vanquished.

In Boston, Wes returned to court with his entourage to witness the two lawyers summing up the case as they saw it for the benefit of both the judge and jury. The defence had elected to go first, and made an attempt to pull on the heartstrings by pointing out that Randy had been left damaged and traumatised by the early death of his beloved mother, and the speed at which his father had remarried in the aftermath. He had been tormented by it, felt guilty that it had occurred, and had gone off the rails in a spectacular fashion; he was just another rich kid, spoilt by his upbringing, that just did not fit into the mould that had been created for him. His brother and then his half-brother had stolen all of the love that he should have been given, and so he had acted up for attention. He was therefore not to blame for the acts that he had committed; they were down to the actions of others towards him.

The prosecution was not slow to respond to those claims in their speech after the defence had rested. They pointed to the fact that despite all of Randy's claims, there was ample evidence that he had carried out all that he had been accused of, and much, much more. The documents that his brother had provided to the police showed that he was guilty, and not the other way round as he had indicated; his stepmother had also provided ample evidence of his guilt, and even his father had admitted his son had done terrible things. What was most shocking though were the statements that he had made about his late half-brother, and the fact that he was trying to push all the blame on to an innocent party, who could not even defend themselves in court. Innocents like all of those aborted children - and the woman that had come forward might only be the tip of the iceberg there. In short, the prosecution stated that Randy Montgomery was guilty of destroying the lives of all of those around him, and that he merited whatever sentence the judge chose to meet out for him.

The judge's summing up to the jury was short and succinct. He reminded them of the duty that they had to ensure that justice was meted out to all those whose lives had been destroyed by the actions of Randy, and that included the members of his own family. He believed that had it not been for the actions of the son, then the story of the once revered and respected Montgomery family would not have ended this way, with the respectable father's reputation and life destroyed; his younger brother in exile somewhere, and his half-brother dead, having gone to the grave thinking that none of his immediate family loved or cared about him, including his own mother. He could not say that to the jury however, so he kept the thoughts to himself. Had it come up in the course of the evidence, it would have been a different story. All the twelve citizens in the box knew was that both Albert and Wes had had their lives blighted by the actions of their elder sibling, and he had to leave the full extent of the damage out.

His instructions given, the jury was sent out to consider its verdict and to take lunch, even though it was still early in the day. As for Randy, he was taken back to his holding cell, with a smirk on his face for the first time in days. Seeing that instantly made Wes worried. He had seen his father look so depressed the last three days and now, on the day he was likely to be sentenced, he was smirking. Why was he so smug and cheerful on the day he would be sent down for decades? Wes gave Finn a look, and as his friend made a distraction, Wes slipped away. It was time he paid his father a little visit…

He had not seen inside the holding cell before, and what he saw surprised him. He had expected it to be cramped and small, but instead it had a lofty ceiling, high walls of smooth concrete with a tiny window near the top of the one outside wall. The furnishing was sparse; a bench, a fold down shelf, and a lavatory. Wes could not imagine spending even five minutes in here on his own without feeling despair. Yet as the door was opened, his father entered with the same sickening grin on his face, and that had Wes wondering. What had Randy done? What did he know? His first thought was that he had discovered where Albert was hiding out, and that his uncle was at risk. After all, Randy had known the identity of the young woman that he loved above all other, and it would not have been too hard to track her down. That was the problem in these days of boundless technology; there was no longer anywhere that you could really hide…

That thought left his mind as he saw his father check the door, and squint through the spy hole. Once he was sure that there was no-one watching, he headed over to the fold down shelf, and the newspapers that sat there. He had been receiving them every day, and by now, no-one paid any heed. He reached for one in particular. One that was still wrapped up in a cylindrical fashion. He took it, shook it, and then carefully tipped it over. That was when Wes saw it; concealed inside was a small cellphone. Someone in the court had been compromised, and had placed it in there for him to find at this juncture. Randy was not stupid enough to talk on it, Wes realised, but he could quite easily send a text message. That was exactly what he began to do, his fingers moving quickly. In a flash Wes was standing right behind him, reading over his shoulder. What he saw chilled him to the bone. His father was sending a message to someone on the outside, informing them that tonight was the night that the Lau's restaurant needed to burn. He wanted to know that on his first morning in prison, his stepmother's family had lost everything - and that if they happened to still be inside when the inferno engulfed the place, so much the better. He continued to type, indicating another place he wanted to burn. As his father's fingers typed the word Dalton, Wes knew he had to act..

He had to do something to prevent the loss of the family business and of his school; he could not allow his father to continue breaking the law. However, he was also constrained in his actions; he knew too well the rule which stated that an angel could not intervene in something if it would change the course of events that had already been planned. He wished that he knew whether the fires had to go ahead or not. Much as he would hate to see either break out, if it was written in the book upstairs, he could not act. By the same token though, how could he face Michelle if her family was destroyed? How could he comfort his boys after their spiritual home had burned down? How would they react if it happened, and then they found out that he could have prevented it?

At that moment, Wes heard the sound of a key in the lock; Randy did too, and the phone was stuffed back into the newspaper hurriedly, the message left unsent. As the guard came in with Randy's lunch, Wes pleaded that they would notice the phone, now not so nearly well hidden in the paper, or that even better, it would begin to ring and alert the authorities. It was then that he heard a voice that he had not expected. "I've done a check for you, Wes. This is not on the plan; it is an unknown quantity. As such, you are free to do whatever you wish to stop this heinous crime." With Elizabeth's voice still ringing in his ears, Wes thought quickly and knew what he had to do. He could not trip up the guard, as to him he was not corporeal. He could not make the phone ring, as he did not have the number, and had no way of discovering it. In any case, he had no access to a phone. He could do one thing. Randy had not placed the paper back on the shelf where the guard was placing the lunch tray, but thrown it on the floor, at the far end of the bench. He could pick it up, and then take it with him out of the cell. The guard had his back turned to him, as did his father. He swooped down, grabbed it, and left the cell for the empty one next door. He could have left it there, but then his father would not be caught and could try the trick again someday. No, Wes had to do something that would anger his father, and alert the authorities to his scheme at the same time…

Randy had waited impatiently for the guard to leave; he was not hungry for the prison slop, and he only had a few more minutes to get the message conveyed. Hearing that the restaurant had burned would be a delight; if that benighted school that Wes had attended burned too, so much the better. The guard gone, he ignored the food, and spun round to discover that the newspaper had vanished. He was puzzled and disturbed at once. The guard had not been into that corner, so he could not have taken it…

It was then that he felt the draught, as if someone had switched on a ceiling fan. He looked up - and froze in horror. High above him, held right up at the ceiling some ten feet above his head, was that crucial tool in his plans. It was hovering up there, held up by some invisible force…

Randy did not scare easily, but he knew there was only one explanation as to how the phone was levitating; it was not the latest tool from the people at Apple… He knew what it had to be, but it was illogical. Yet it was the only possibility… It was his dead son that was holding his phone aloft high above him. "Put it down on the table right now Wes. I swear that I will not send that text if you just set it down," he hissed, barely audible.

Naturally, Wes did not believe for one second that if he did set it down, his father would not instantly press send. So instead he teasingly let the phone hover down lower to let his father know that he was there, and that he was actually complying with his wishes… And then he chucked it up in the air, taking great pleasure in hearing it crack against the ceiling, and then fall, before Randy could even react, and smash on the floor into smithereens…

Randy roared in anger as he heard the sound of a chair being scraped back along the floor in the corridor outside, alerted by the smashing noise. As he heard the sound of booted feet striding along towards the door, he turned his face to the ceiling, and snarled "They will still all pay for this when I get out, Wesley. Your mother, your family, your school and your precious little boyfriend! I mean it was the bad enough that you existed, but for it to turn out that you were a fag too… Just wait, all of them will pay for messing with me! That restaurant may not burn tonight, but my good friend Zach will see that it does soon enough!"

"And what restaurant would that be, pray tell, Mr Montgomery?" came a voice from the doorway, where the open door now showed two police officers standing there with the guard. "Would that happen to be the Lau family restaurant, where we found a Mr Zachary Bantam loitering in the parking lot about half an hour ago? He sang like a canary, told us all about your scheme, and even gave us the names of your little helper here in the court, and your friend in Ohio. He will be picked up shortly, and as for the young lady here, she is already in custody. We were already on the way here to search for that phone, but thankfully we don't have to now. So, I take it that you were just ranting at your dead half-brother over the shattered remains of the phone? You will, of course, have to be charged for this, but at a later date. It should be open and shut; after all, we just witnessed your confession, and I am sure that the sim card from that broken phone will have stored any messages you may have sent, or even typed up as drafts, along with any calls you've made. I take it that she smuggled it in here in that rolled up newspaper?"

Randy spun round to see that the newspaper had reappeared in the room. He had been so busy yelling at the ceiling, where he expected Wes to be, that he had not noticed that having dropped the phone, Wes had made his way back to the cell next door, and brought the paper back. He could only stare in disbelief as one of the cops came in, picked up the paper, and then gathered up the bits of phone from the concrete floor. He was still standing in shock when they left, and the door was once more slammed shut behind them. Then he snapped, and in a fit of rage, he grabbed for the tray of food that had been left for him, and hurled it at the wall; he did not know it, but he narrowly missed Wes in the process. The meatloaf and vegetables slipped quickly off the wall, but the thick gravy remained, staining the wall. Randy screamed in anger, but the sound was swiftly cut off when he noticed writing appearing in the gravy stain; a finger being traced through it to leave words in a neat, methodical cursive script. When it was finished, he screamed again, but this time in horror; the words 'No, you will pay, daddy' were the final straw. It let him know that Wes was there, that it had all been him. He opened his mouth to scream again, but it died in his throat as suddenly a smear of gravy was drawn down his cheek by an unseen hand… It was that that made him pass out…

Wes returned to his friends, who were now sitting in a quiet corner of the court restaurant, drinking coffee. Finn had managed to convince them that he had needed to head back to heaven for a little while, but they had all started to wonder how much longer he would be. The moment that he reappeared, they were all over him, anxious to fill him in on the latest news that they had heard. It was left to Michelle to tell him what the others already knew. "So mom called me, Birdy. It seems that some creep was scoping out the restaurant. She noticed him sitting in his truck in the lot, just watching, and she was suspicious, so she called 911. The moment the patrol car pulled into the lot, he tried to drive off, which made them all the more suspicious. It turned out when they examined his truck that he a huge quantity of gas in cans in the back, along with rags and accelerants - they think that he was going to try and set the place on fire! Mom was horrified, naturally; Dad is just plain livid, and wants this…"

"Zachary Bantam," said Wes coolly, as he realised his cousin was searching for his name.

"Yeah, that's right…" Michelle stopped, then stared at him. "Ok, so how did you know that? Did you know that he was going to come?"

"No, I just had the opportunity to overhear the cops when they caught up with Randy just now. He was the one behind Mr Bantam's thwarted attempt…"

There was silence, and then with a sigh of disappointment, Gabriel said "So I suppose you know all about the arrested court official too then?"

"Uh huh. It might also have been little old me that was clumsy enough to drop Randy's smuggled in cellphone from a great height in a complete accident…" Wes suddenly realised that Mitch and Connor were staring at his right hand. He looked down, and saw that there was still meatloaf gravy on his finger. He tutted, and then sucked his finger clean. "Hmmm… The meatloaf gravy here is not as good as the one at the Spotlight. Too much salt I think…"

As the others at the table just looked at him in confusion, two guards walked past their table, talking animatedly about how Montgomery had just lost it again, and had thrown his lunch tray against the wall, wasting a perfectly good portion of meatloaf. Not only was there now a gravy stain on the wall, but he had smeared some on his face. They had found him passed out on the floor of the cell, but when he came round, he had started to rant about the writing on the wall in the gravy. That proved he had flipped, as there was nothing there but solid gravy, making a huge brown stain…

Suddenly, Wes felt five pairs of eyes staring at him; could see five mouths opened in shock. As for the sixth pair of eyes, they were twinkling, and the mouth there was grinning. "You did, didn't you?" said Finn, suppressing the urge to high five his fellow angel.

"Me? Well, Elizabeth did say that it was okay. I have to admit that it was very satisfying to watch him squirm," replied Wes nonchalantly.

"Yeah, it was much the same for us when we did it to Hunter," said Finn with a wink.

"Alright, avenging angels!" said Mitch, "Firstly, what did you do to Hunter, out of interest. More importantly, what did you write in the gravy, Wes?" When Wes told them what he had written, the five mortals looked at each other, then smiled. After all, they could not have chosen better words themselves…


	29. Ends and Beginnings : Part VI

**Ends and Beginnings : Part VI**

All those that were at the courthouse in Boston knew that they would not have to wait long for a verdict to be announced as they made their way back into the public gallery after lunch. The only thing that people could ask was whether it would take the jury in this case longer to reach a verdict than the one in the case of Wes' mother had. They all knew that the jury had been given their lunch first, and had then been sent to deliberate on the case at the appointed time of 1pm. It was a shock to everyone when less than a minute after they had returned to the court for that time, the announcement was made that the jury was about to return. It appeared that the person appointed by the judge as the foreperson had asked for a show of hands the moment that they sat down at the table to deliberate. They had reached a unanimous verdict there and then and needed no more time; it was their opinion that Randall Montgomery Junior was guilty of all the charges laid against him. Even the veterans of many years amongst the court staff were shocked by the speed of the decision, recorded as less than fifteen seconds. They had never seen a jury make a decision so swiftly, as there was usually one dissenting voice. They all agreed though that the increasingly bizarre behaviour of the accused was nothing new by any means.

So it was that at ten minutes after one, everything was in place for the judge to deliver the sentence. All eyes had turned to Randy the moment that he had been lead into the dock. Gone was the smug, cocky young man of earlier; instead he looked around nervously, his hands trembling rapidly, and even the smallest of noises made him jump. "You did a good job on him, Birdy," Michelle whispered. "You took him and broke him by confronting him with his worst nightmare; that you had come to haunt him and make him pay for his crimes."

"Which is the last thing I will be doing, trust me. He is not worth the time or effort, and he will not be in my thoughts after today. This is hopefully the last time that I will ever see him," replied Wes, who then fell silent along with the rest of the court.

The jury foreman was asked to stand up; he did so, and as each of the charges was read out he delivered the same verdict in a voice that resonated loudly through the courtroom - "Guilty!" As each verdict was given, the expression on Randy's face remained unaltered; his face was frozen in a look of terror and fear.

Once all the verdicts had been delivered, the judge thanked the jury, then turned to Randy. "Randall Montgomery Junior, you have been found guilty by this court on all of the charges that have been levelled against you; charges that you vehemently denied even though the weight of evidence against you was overwhelming. You have constantly attempted to deflect the blame on to those around you; your father, your stepmother and your two siblings. Your attempt to pass the blame for all of your misdemeanours to your late half-brother Wes was the most callous of these acts, and was in my opinion, below contempt. It may well be the case that you have an as yet undiagnosed mental health issue which causes you to act in this way, but that is no way excuses the callous way that you behaved towards the poor young woman who had the misfortune to cross your path, nor the cavalier attitude you displayed towards the customers that had placed their faith, trust and hard earned money in the hands of the once widely respected Montgomery business. Now in such a complex case as this, some judges would require time to go away and study the evidence before coming to an appropriate sentence. However, as those that have been following this case and those I have tried prior to this will tell you, I am not that kind of judge. I use the guidelines on sentencing that have been set down by the state, and also prepare in advance once I know what the charges are, for each and every possible verdict. I also concluded early on in this case that it was appropriate that I sentence you separately for each and every one of the young woman whose lives you have destroyed. Your defence lawyer has attempted to try and get me to sentence you on them as one charge, but I declined. I think that most of those in this courtroom, and my fellow judges would agree that my decision is the moral one."

The judge paused to gather up his notes and in the ensuing silence, Gabriel turned to face the others and mouthed the words 'Going down for a long time,' to his fellow ex-Warblers, Finn and Michelle. The others all nodded in agreement, as they all sensed that the judge was about to make an example of him.

"You will, of course, be returning to this court to face further charges in connection to events which have transpired whilst we were all at lunch, about which I can say no more, apart from the fact that they confirm the opinion that I and the rest of the court have probably formed of you. The fact that you continue to act in this way whilst you are on trail is proof, if it was needed, that you are a menace to the society in which we live. On the first charge of arson, to the endangerment of life, I sentence you to ten years; I would also ask that restitution is made to the owner of the restaurant you destroyed from any funds that are remaining after your family is investigated. On the second group of charges, I sentence you to five years for each and every victim that has been brave enough to come forward and see that justice is done; that will amount to a total of forty years. On the third charge, of fraud and financial malpractice, I sentence you to ten years. This means, as the charges will be served consecutively, that you, Mr Montgomery, will be facing a jail term of not less than sixty years at the present time. I would also recommend that you should serve a minimum of forty years before you are even considered for parole. Finally I would ask that you be placed on a program, within whichever jail you end up in, which will seek to address any mental health issues that you have. Now, baring in mind that should you take this opportunity to abuse anyone involved in this case I will impose charges for contempt, do you have anything to say before you are taken away?"

The court waited in silence for Randy to speak. At first it seemed as if he, unlike his stepmother, had no comment to make - or at least, he had nothing that he could say that complied with the express rules that the judge had laid down. Then, just as if it looked he was going to be sent away to begin his long sentence without uttering a final word, he suddenly looked up into the public gallery, straight at the spot where Michelle was sitting. On seeing where his gaze had landed, Mitch and Gabriel moved in closer, as if to point out to him that she was not alone and vulnerable. He spoke, not in the boastful tone he had used until now, but in a small voice. "I'm sorry. Tell Albert that I am sorry too. He is an innocent in all of this, and he did the right thing; Mom would be so proud of him, and the way he has behaved, and so disappointed in me. Wes, if you are listening somewhere, I'm sorry too. I wish that I could have loved you in the way that I should have. You died way too young, but then, isn't that what they say about the good? I am so sorry that I stopped Bertie being kind to you, and I wish that your parents had treated you better. I deserve all of this; none of you deserved me."

He bowed his head again, and said nothing more as he was lead away to start his time in jail. The judge then cleared the court, and the talk of the crowd as they left the gallery was only on one thing; his words were far too little, far too late. He had ample chance to try and make amends before now, but it was only now that he was trying to court their sympathy and try to make out he was a reasonable human being. There was no sympathy for him though, just curiosity as to what exactly had happened at lunch to change his attitude quite so much, but the majority would have to wait until the following day's newspapers to find out. As for the five people who were in the know, the family and friends of Wes, they did not repeat what they knew as they filed out themselves.

They did so leaving Wes and Finn sitting in the gallery, invisible to those court staff that were now commencing the process of tidying up the room and preparing it for the next major case. Finn sat in silence next to the angel he now thought of as his closest friend for a few minutes, and then broke the silence. "Ok, Wes, let's hear what it is that you are thinking. You've been deep in thought since the moment that he stopped speaking. I might not know you as well as some, but I do know when you are thoughtful by now…"

"I guess that I am just wondering if he really meant a single word of what he said there. You know, is he really sorry for all of it, or was he just saying that as a ploy to try and swing a judge and jury to be sympathetic if he lodges an appeal against his sentence. I know that my mother will definitely be doing all she can to have her sentence cut. The thing is… If he gets parole, he will be in his early seventies by the time he gets out of jail; in his nineties if he does not. Even now, after all that he has said and done towards me and others, there is a part of me that doesn't want him to end up dying in jail. If the Warblers heard me saying that, they would say that was just typical of me; always being kind towards people, even when they are doing their worst towards me. I can't help but think - if his mom had not died, if my mother hadn't entered the lives of the Montgomery family, would his life have ended up this way? Life, it's all about coincidences, circumstances, chance. All of it comes down to those things. We've seen that so many times in our own lives and those of the people around us. I mean, if Hunter had never come to Dalton…"

"Wes, you of all people should know by now that things always end up as they are, no matter what subtle differences there are in the process of getting there," said Finn, taking hold of Wes' hand. "Randy would still have ended up as a womaniser, and he would still have brought the fast bucks from fraudulent business into the family firm. The only difference would be that you would not have been around to see it all. If you weren't around, then how would those boys of yours have managed? How could they have got where they are now without you to steer them in the right direction?"

"I know, you're right Finn, You are a wise person, and getting wiser as the days go by. It's just that the last three weeks have brought so much back, and it has just made me think too much… But, that is it now. All over. I can get back to normal and catch up with everything that I have missed out on. To that end, I think that a visit to see my lovely Thaddie is in order. I miss talking to him… Could you tell the others that I had to go, and that I will catch up with all of them very soon. Can you thank the guys for being here and supporting me and Michelle through all of this, and tell them I am so happy that all of them can see me now…" Finn nodded, then pulled Wes into an impromptu hug. This was swiftly returned, and for a few moments they held each other close. Then the older of the two pulled away, and with a nod, headed off in the direction of L.A. As he went, Finn sighed, and hoped that his friend would find the comfort that he needed in the company of the young man that he loved so very much.

In L.A., Thad had been studying on and off for several hours, in between glancing at the news feed that was coming from the court in Boston. He had been keeping up with the proceedings from there for most of the last three weeks, almost as avidly as Wes himself. Had it not been for the fact that he had his crucial final exams coming up, he would have been in Boston for the whole duration of the trial, to sit beside Michelle and Wes, but the timing was all wrong and it had not been possible. He had missed the company of Wes over the last weeks, but he knew why he could not be there with him regularly. When the sentence had come up over the feed, it had not shocked him in the slightest. He was personally of the opinion that it was nowhere near long enough, given all that he had done, but he was also aware that Wes would probably see it completely the other way…

He was still pondering that when he felt the draught that was so familiar and that he had missed the last twenty or so days. He knew which of his angelic friends it was, and he stood up and turned to face them, holding his arms wide open. Wes promptly fell right into them, and began to sob his heart out. Thad pulled him in tight, and whispered "It's all over and done now, Wessie. They can't hurt you anymore." Then he just stood and let Wes cry, gently stroking the back of his head. His whole focus now was on the man he loved; his studies could take a back seat for as long as Wes needed him to support him.

The news of the sentence handed down to the final member of the Montgomery family had been anticipated of course by most of Wes' other friends. Trent checked on the news feed the moment that he left the exam room at college, and if people were staring at him as he smiled and punched the air in delight, then so what? David had received an alert on his phone as he stood and waited to speak to his senior tutor during their office hours; the news had made him so pleased that he almost missed his spot. Sebastian was at the Strand book store, working a shift on his day off from his show rehearsals, eager to keep his hand in at the job he secretly loved. When he found out the news, he smiled broadly, and thanked the world that justice was still possible even in this day and age.

As for Nick, who had been probably the most diligent watcher after Thad, he found out the news as he was working hard in the kitchen, dividing his attention between watching the batch of cookies he had in the oven, and packing up everything that they would not need in the course of the next week. After all, they now had only three more days to pack up the rest of their lives if they were to move on Monday, and the added stress of not telling their friends on the other side of the landing that they were going was starting to tell on him a little. He was a little worried about how they would react to the news, particularly how short the notice was. He had a feeling that whilst they would all be pleased that Jeff had benefited from the will, they would be devastated about the fact they would no longer be living next door. If the truth was told, he felt every bit as upset, as he had grown quite fond of all of them. He resolved to talk to his husband later and agree a story that they could tell to the others; a way to let them know they were going, but not say exactly where they were heading until the big reveal. If nothing else, they might be able to get some help with the packing, as he and Jeff seemed to have acquired an inordinate amount of stuff! They could also potentially look after Caleb, who saw every packing box as a fascinating hiding place. He would be prepared to swear on oath that he had spent more time unpacking the cat than he had packing the books from the shelves in the living room earlier…

Those at the Spotlight heard the news from the court when Michelle called up to say that as the case was now over, she would be coming back to the city on the earliest train possible the following day, and would come in more or less the moment she got back to let Elliott and Dani have some time off. She expressed her satisfaction with the verdict that had been handed down to Randy, but she also voiced her concern about Wes. She had seen through the flimsy excuse that Finn had given, and she just hoped that he was with Thad, and not somewhere on his own, handling things alone as he used to do. Santana was at the diner when the news came, supposedly at work, but as it was quiet, she was running down her final checklist for the guests at her wedding in just over a week. Such was the popularity of herself and Brittany that hardly anyone had declined their invitation; she had ignored the comment from Sebastian that people were too scared to do so.

It would be the first time in a while that she had seen many of the people that would be heading to Dalton next Friday; the Schuesters; Sugar and Joe; heck, even Puck and Quinn, both of whom were tied up a lot of the time with work and school respectively, and spent much of their free time together. However, there would be one gap in the assembly that would break Santana's heart quietly. That would be the spot where she had always pictured her Abuela sitting. She had never approved of Santana's lifestyle, and had made that clear in a very public fashion. She had been invited, but she had made her feelings quite clear, with a blunt refusal to attend, firstly to her daughter, and then to Santana herself. She and Brittany had made a quick trip to Ohio to check over a few things at Dalton, and she had felt that she should try. She had not taken Brittany with her; had not even told her where she was going, and given what happened, she was glad of that. Being rejected the first time had been hard; the second time if anything was worse.

When she had returned to her mother's house, she had wanted nothing more than to fall into Brittany's arms and seek comfort, but it appeared that her fiancée was out on an errand of her own. When she had eventually returned, she had told Santana that she had been unsuccessful in her endeavours, but did not specify what those were. The thing was, Brittany was not stupid, and had known exactly where Santana would go. She had followed her there, and after she had seen the woman she loved leave on the verge of tears, she had made an attempt herself. Santana's grandmother had been polite with her, but had still said no. Brittany had decided there and then that she had no choice. When all else failed, she had to go to the big guns to ensure that the love of her life got what she wanted more than anything on her big day…

When Jeff came home that night, he immediately smelt that Nick had been baking, and headed for the kitchen. He had just brought a batch out of the oven, which were now cooling on a rack; he stood aside and let Jeff pounce on them. It was only when the blond had eaten two and was about to take a third that he realised that Nick had made no protest or even attempted to stop him… "Okay, Nicky, what is going on? You need to talk to me about something, don't you? What's happened?"

"Well, firstly, Randy Montgomery has been sent down for a very, very long time; but that isn't it. I think that we have to tell the guys across the landing that we are moving and as soon as we can. I've spent the whole afternoon thinking about it, and we have no choice. It is going to have a bigger impact on them than everyone else when you think about it, and they deserve to know about it before we tell everyone else on Saturday afternoon. I mean, it is going to be hard enough finding out we are leaving, but telling them on Saturday we are leaving in 36 hours or so? Santana would never forgive us! I was thinking that as they know we've been looking, we could just say that we have found somewhere that was perfect, and that we had to take it straight away or we would lose it. We don't have to tell them exactly where; we could tell a white lie and say Pelham if - actually, it is Santana, so when they ask."

Jeff looked at his husband and knew he was right. Brittany was going to be upset by them going, and Sam for that matter. "I guess we do have to say something to them first. They are going to take it hard, as they have connections of their own to this place, and who knows what kind of people they will have as neighbours after us? I was actually thinking that it is a shame that they own that place; if they had been renting like us, then they could have had the two apartments in that final house. I could still suggest that on Saturday though; that they could let out the apartment here in Bushwick and move across to Manhattan with the rest of us…"

"That's a lovely idea, Jeffie, but I don't think they would ever do that. They are all so attached to that loft, because it was Blaine that created it; it was his dream house for him and Kurt after all, even if they never got a chance to live in it. Still, I guess that there could be no harm in asking; just expect a polite no. Anyway, we are agreed? We tell them we are moving, and when, so that it isn't quite such a major shock, and so I admit that we might be offered a hand with the packing. If nothing else, Brittany could look after Caleb for us and keep him occupied?"

"It's the best thing to do, Nicky. We will do it later, when we know they will all be there. In the meantime, show me what else needs packed…"

In the end, it would be the following morning before they would be able to break the news. Jeff had decided that it would be best if they waited for Mike to be able to come with them to break the news; by the time that he arrived home, it was getting late, and as he pointed out, Rachel would still be out at work. This was not an issue to Nick and Jeff until Mike reminded them of how she would probably react if she was the last one of them to know. So they decided instead that they should just spend the time packing, working together as a team on one room. They worked on the living room first, and once they had removed and boxed up everything that was theirs to take, there was still time to finish off the kitchen.

Afterwards, as they all sat in the living room with a mug of hot chocolate before bed, Caleb curled up on Jeff's lap, they all felt just how different the room was, with all the shelves empty, and no pictures on the walls. True, there was instead a stack of boxes, all carefully labelled; all with a code number which corresponded to a number on Nick's master list, where there was a description of what was inside. The master list was also stored on his laptop, and emailed to both Mike and Jeff. This was to ensure that they could still decipher everything on moving day if the original copy got lost, or worse, ended up being packed away itself.

"That's the worst of it done now, I guess," said Mike with a sigh. "I still have my bedroom closet to pack up, but the good thing is that the chest of drawers is mine, so it can just be secured shut, and moved with everything still inside."

"The big job for us in the bedroom will be dismantling the bed," admitted Nick, "and then we will have to reassemble it in the new house; I don't think we can count on getting the people that built it the last time to do it for us again. I am just so glad that the houses all came more or less furnished; if we were having to start from scratch, that big house would look pretty empty. Speaking of that, given that we are taking the dining table with us, we should maybe consider moving the current one from the dining room down to the kitchen before Monday, so it is easier for the movers. If we are going to be showing everyone around, we could volunteer them to help…"

"Yes, that does sound like a good idea," agreed Mike. "Speaking of that kind of thing, I am going to be getting a new mattress, seeing as my new bed is much bigger, so if we know what sort of time we will be there on Saturday, I could arrange to get it delivered then."

"Or you could just ask them to deliver it here, and then we could get the movers to move it again," said Jeff, as he sat there casually stroking a purring cat.

"You just don't want to have to help carry a mattress upstairs," said Nick, shaking his head but smiling at the same time. "We still have time to sort that kind of stuff out though. Now, I don't know about you guys, but it has been a long day, and I am more than ready for bed. I think we should turn in now, get a good night's rest, and then we can be across the landing in good time tomorrow before any of them leave the loft." As if on cue, Jeff yawned, and Mike nodded in agreement. Within ten minutes, the mugs were washed and dried, Caleb was in his bed, and so were the three young men that thought they owned him…


	30. Ends and Beginnings : Part VII

**Ends and Beginnings : Part VII**

On that Friday morning, Nick was up good and early, and by the time that Mike and Jeff emerged from their beds, he was in the middle of baking cookies again. As they both looked at him quizzically, he explained his motivation. "I thought that it would be a nice gesture to take them a gift, just to kind of soften the blow, if you like. I have made some vegan friendly ones for Rachel, and some of each of the other's known favourites. It will also help in another way…"

"Santana will immediately smell a rat!" said Jeff and Mike together, which made all three of them laugh.

"Exactly what I am hoping for! That way, we don't need to worry about how to bring the subject up, she will do it for us," Nick replied with a grin, as he set about preparing boxes to put the cookies in. Half an hour later, the three of them were standing at the door to the other loft, waiting anxiously for someone to answer their knock.

It was Santana who came to answer the door in the end; she looked at them, then down at the four carefully labelled boxes that Nick was holding, then stood aside and ushered them inside, before directing them to the kitchen once she had closed the door. She smiled, then shouted, "Hey guys, I need you all in the kitchen. At first I thought that we had a group of girl scouts on a fundraiser at the door, but on closer inspection I see that it is Mike and the lovely Niff; and moreover, they are looking shifty and carrying bribes! So if you could all come to the kitchen just now, you can help restrain them when I start the interrogation."

Mike chuckled at that, and ignored the glare that he received in return. Sure enough, within a couple of minutes, the other three residents of the larger loft had assembled, each of them taking their box with a smile. Santana also took hers, thanked Nick, then folded her arms and stared at him. "Right, now that the bribes have been handed over, you three can spill the beans. So, someone start, and make it good…" she said with just a hint of menace.

"You all know that we have been looking for a new place, so that we can avoid all the problems that the closure of the 'L' train is going to bring? Well, we have found one that we all like, and is within our budget," Nick replied, keeping his eyes cast down. He paused for a moment, then looked up, and his heart ached at the sad looks that had come across the faces of the four people opposite him. Brittany looked heartbroken, Sam miserable, and even Santana was sad. "There was only one issue, and that is what is going to make it worse for you guys. It was perfect, but there was a catch; if we wanted it, we had to take it quickly; and so we will be leaving much sooner than we thought…."

"How soon?" asked Rachel, who was acting as if she was less sad than she actually felt; after all, that loft had been her first home in New York with Kurt…

Nick looked at Mike and Jeff, and the former decided that it would be best to treat it like a Band-Aid, and just tell them straight. He nodded to Nick, and said "We'll be leaving on Monday…"

"This Monday! You're seriously leaving in three days!" gasped Santana, who had instinctively placed an arm around the shoulders of a devastated Brittany.

"It was the only thing that we could do in the circumstances. If we wanted the place, we had to be in on Monday," said Jeff sadly. "But it wasn't an easy decision. If there had been other places, more choices - but we've looked at so many other places, and nowhere was like this one. I just want you all to know that we are going to miss you guys so much…"

"And we are going to miss the three of you too," said Sam with a sniff. "Life here in Bushwick just will not be the same without you guys being around…"

"So, where exactly are you going then? Where is the place that is so good that you have to move like yesterday," said Santana. Jeff and Mike looked at each other, both aware that this was the question they had dreaded.

"We found a nice apartment in Barnes Avenue, just off Pelham Parkway, up in the Bronx. It near a stop on the '2' and '5' trains, a short walk from the shops on White Plains Road, and across the street from the public library, more or less," Nick replied with a smile. He had done some research that morning whilst the cookies were baking, just in case this happened. "The '2' train was the big plus, of course, as it takes the three of us more or less directly to either Columbia or the Lincoln Center; the '5' was a bonus, as it will bring Jeff more or less to the door of the Spotlight. The fact that the place still had so many of its original features was the final clincher. Sure, it is nowhere near as spacious as the loft, but it is bigger than most of the things we've seen, and it will be so much easier to heat in the winter. We will get used to less space; we will just need to exercise more care about what we buy to avoid clutter; that's all there is to it."

Whilst he had been talking, Santana had pulled out her tablet, and was now looking at the same thing he had that morning; the Google Images page for Barnes Avenue. "Well, I have to admit that it does look very nice. I wouldn't mind if Brittany and I ended up living in an area like that one day; it seems to be the sort of neighbourhood that a respectable married couple could settle down in and raise a kid. I will be totally honest with you and say that I had an inking yesterday that something was going on. I saw you coming home Nick with a pile of empty cardboard boxes. I thought that you were just a tad over organised, but it seems that was not the case."

"We didn't actually know for certain until early yesterday evening that we had actually been selected to have it, if we're being honest. We'd started to pack just on the off chance that we did," said Mike. "It was wanted by a heck of a lot of people, and we didn't just have to prove that we could afford it; we had to give them a lot of background information. In the end it boiled down to these two being prep school boys, Jeff being the artist of the moment, and me getting a job at the City Ballet at just the right time."

"Or maybe they just wanted a nice lawyer living amongst them," said Nick with a faux grumpiness, which made them all smile.

"Whatever it was, it worked," said Sam, a bit sadly. "You might not be living across the landing anymore, but we will still see you all the time; and on a positive note, at least you aren't going to have to cross the Hudson every day."

"Thankfully!" exclaimed Nick. "To be honest, I would rather have sat on a bus from here for a couple of hours each way every day than moved to New Jersey, however nice it is! So, we were thinking that we could hold a little gathering at the Spotlight tomorrow afternoon, around about two, just to let everyone else know what is going on. I know that the timing means that Rachel won't be able to attend, but it is still early enough that she could watch our little speech of thanks on Skype instead."

"Now that is such a thoughtful thing to do," said Rachel, ignoring Santana mouthing the words 'Suck up' at Nick. "I only hope that the new people that move into the other loft are just as perfect and polite as the three of you."

Once they managed to get back home, the three roommates looked at each other, then smiled. "I am so glad that you anticipated Santana's question and then did all that research, Nick," exclaimed Mike. "If you hadn't, then she would have smelt a rat. I know what she is like from old…"

"She could still rumble us if she does a search of the property rentals for that area and discovers that the property we described was never online," Nick replied. "Nonetheless, we have told them, and I don't think they will be too mad when they find out the truth tomorrow."

"Here's hoping," added Mike. "Anyway, I am going to go and pack up the stuff in my closet, and that will be my room done. After that, if you two need a hand with anything else, just give me a shout. I've got a free day for a change."

"We'll be packing up our own clothes this morning," Nick responded. "After lunch, I have a shift at the library until late, and Jeff has a shift at the diner at the same time. It will just be you and Caleb this evening. You could ask Sam over for a gaming session, because I don't think he is working today, whereas the girls will all be out and about. Of all of them, I think that he is secretly going to miss us the most. Once we are gone, he is going to be the only guy in Bushwick."

Mike nodded. "That's true; I can see him spending a lot of time in the West Village somehow. I will give him a call, and invite him over to play games and eat greasy pizza; totally unhealthy, but just this once, why not?"

True to his word, Mike invited Sam over, and when Nick walked in that night after work, it was to the sound of computer games and the smell of pizza. He walked into the living room and saw the pizza sitting on the table, still in the box it was delivered in, as Mike and Sam thought an epic battle on screen. He smiled happily at the way that the two of them were acting as if they were still a pair of teenage boys in a bedroom, not a couple of young twenty somethings. Nick was not a big gamer - his father had not approved, and although he had acquired the necessary hardware, he had it mainly to lend to Jeff. At Dalton, he had been much happier to sit and watch as Jeff had battled it out with the others on the few nights that their usual DVDs had been set aside for gaming. It seemed as if Caleb did not really approve of games either. He jumped out of his bed on seeing Nick, and after scowling in the direction of the couch, he walked over to rub himself against Nick's legs, desperate for attention, affection and no doubt, food. "Never mind, Caleb. Once we are in the new house, they can be playing games in one room, and you can be safely curled up in the peace of my little study with me," Nick whispered as he picked the cat up, and carried him through to the kitchen. He set him down, and found some scraps of chicken for him, which he set down nest to his bowl of milk. As the little cat ate, Nick glanced around the room, and realised that he was actually going to miss this room. He had the kitchen of his dreams in the West Village, but this place was special, in all of its mismatched glory. He had taught himself how to cook here, more or less, and had progressed from walking disaster area to competent in months. Since then, he had only improved, or so everyone told him. He just hoped now that his skills would live up to their surroundings in that beautiful kitchen in Manhattan…

As Nick fed the perpetually hungry Caleb in Bushwick, Beats and Flint were preparing for their penultimate show as the Preppy Boys in their small and familiar dressing room in Princeton. It seemed all the smaller that evening as there were two additional bodies in there. Having satisfied the bar manager with their skills the previous week, Alan and Callum were about to perform for an actual audience for the first time. With both of their mentors having been tied up with their final exams, it had not been easy for them to schedule much rehearsal time until that day, when they had resorted to using the confined space of the bar's liquor store to run through a relatively complex routine a few times. It was all about the timing and co-ordination between the two pairs, as well as the way they interacted within their own. Thankfully, the two younger men seemed to have most of the routine down already, having worked from the sketchy idea that Beats had given them; they also had their timing down pat, watching each other for the secret signs and gestures that would indicate that it was time to do a particular move.

It was one thing though to rehearse, and quite another to actually perform in front of a crowd of people. Then there was the right amount of stage make up that they had to apply to look their best under the harsh lights, and applying that was an alien concept to both of the younger men. So it was that they sat and watched as Beats and Flint, by now seasoned pros at this game, made themselves up, and then the positions were reversed, and the elders watched the younger apply theirs, correcting them as and when necessary. It was also obvious that as the time for their debut grew close, nerves were starting to get the better of the two apprentices in the stripping game, and so, with a few minutes left to go, Flint sat them both down, and spoke. "The first time that I did this, I spent the hour immediately before throwing up copiously in the restroom, retching until there was nothing left to come. I had a serious case of the jitters, and all I could think was that I must be mad to be doing this. Then, I remembered why I was doing it, and I knew that I had to go through with it; that there was no backing out now, not with Beats relying on me. So, my advice to you is quite simple, and it is what he said to me…."

Beats interrupted him at that point. "What is said was this; once you're up there on that stage, just ignore the crowd. Concentrate on just enjoying yourself. Picture someone in the crowd that you love, and dance for them, and only them."

"I used that advice the first time I had to go solo," Flint continued. "I was a bag of nerves, and then I decided that I would go out there and perform solely for my girlfriend Izzy, who was there for moral support in the audience. If other people saw what I was doing, then it was just incidental. The show was for her."

"The guys in the crowd will throw money at you, hopefully," said Beats, and that last word made the two younger guys chuckle. "What makes us different from the other guys that work that stage is that we rarely let anyone slip money into our clothes. We prefer to keep the crowd's hands off, unlike some. I would suggest you stick to that rule; it was our mystique that got us where we are, and it should be yours too as our successors. The important thing to remember is that you are here not just to work, but to have fun. Tonight, Flint and I are celebrating the fact that we have finished college. As for the two of you, tonight marks that start of what will hopefully be a long term, well paid gig. All of your money worries will be over. We know you are feeling nervous, but you are ready for this moment. You might not agree, but we think so, and more importantly, so does the boss. So just take a deep breath, relax, and let your body work for you."

Before they knew it, it was time. That moment had arrived. The four of them stood at the side of the stage as the guy that Beats and Flint still called The Cowboy completed the final actions of his routine. As he walked off the stage afterwards, and the money that was lying there was picked up, he paused to say "Good crowd tonight. So, all the best, newbies!" and then winked at Alan and Callum.

Flint smiled, and whispered, "It's not every day that a naked cowboy winks at you," which made the two young men smile.

Then the P.A. started up. "Well, folks, that is college finished for the year, which means a new group of graduates - and amongst them this year are our beloved Preppy Boys…" There was a chorus of booing at those words, which brought a lump to Flint's throat unexpectedly. "As they move on to pastures new, they have remembered to do one very important thing, and that is to train up a couple of new guys to replace them! Tonight is the night for our two Preppy Boys to hand over the baton to the new generation. So tonight, we have scored you a double; not two, but four prepsters ready and willing to how you everything they've got. So give your warmest welcome to the one and only Preppy Boys!"

As the crowd cheered, the routine they had planned and rehearsed began. Beats guided in Alan, and behind him, Flint stepped in with Callum at his side. The whoops that came from the crowd showed them at once that the new talent was getting their vote. The two younger men stood back to back in the centre, and the ceremonial began, as slowly Beats and Flint unfastened the new pin badges that had mysteriously appeared one morning in their apartment - angelic intervention was suspected, but was hotly denied - and pinned them onto the blazer lapel of the man that was replacing him. This done, the two youngsters stepped back to allow Beats and Flint to take centre stage as they had done so many nights before. All this had been done to no backing track; now, as they stood there, the sound system began to play the first notes of the track that they had deemed was the most appropriate for the night; _School's Out_ by Alice Cooper. It was a far more rocky song than they usually used, but they had both agreed that it was the only choice. As for the crowd, the moment that they heard the opening chords, they went wild. The fact that the routine they were performing that night was a little more raunchy and suggestive than usual might also have accounted for the fact that the audience was getting wild…

Their performance that evening was every bit as flawless as people had come to expect of them. Whereas when they had started to work together they had spent a lot of their time watching each other closely to ensure that every move was in synch, now it was as if they had developed telepathy between them; they instinctively knew exactly what the other would be doing. Their bodies twisted and flexed in a choreography that they would never have got away with using whilst they were Warblers, but now those most came naturally and no longer felt alien. Ties were loosened, blazers and then shirts teasingly undone to reveal the flesh that the audience had come to expect. Although neither of them was body conscious, they had both stepped up their fitness regime, attending the gym on campus, building up the muscle tone and their core strength.

As they pulled each other's blazers off, standing right behind each other in turn, giving the illusion of body contact and maybe the suggestion that they were grinding against each other, the noise coming from the crowd began to grow. They then moved into a mirror image position, aping the other's actions as if they were in reflection, all of the time doing their utmost to tease and tantalise the room. Then they spun round, to stand back to back as they ripped off their trousers, their shirt clad back pressed tightly together. Shirts were soon discarded too, whilst their ties remained in place, as they entered what would normally be the finale of the act - but then with a nod and a wink, they pulled apart, and beckoned to the two younger men that had been standing on either side of the stage, as if to say to them that now it was their turn to perform.

For the two younger men, this was the moment that they had been working up to, but it was still one of the most terrifying things either of them had ever faced. The fearful looks on their faces were only partially an act, as where the nervous gulps as they came to take the now vacated spot centre stage. This nervousness only made the audience all the more excited. The music changed, to _New Kid in Town_ by the Eagles, and at first slowly and uncertainly, Alan and Callum began to copy move for move the routine that Beats and Flint had just performed, watched over by the two more experienced young men. Sure, they did not have the same smoothness to their choreography, but if anything it made it all the more exciting to watch, if the reaction of the audience was anything to go by. Flint watched as the nerves began to be replaced by almost cocky glances as the clothes began to come off, and they worked up the same sweat that was shining on his own body. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, and that was for him the most important part.

The finale that evening saw all four of them back centre stage, clad in only underwear, ties, socks and shoes. The latter two items they had always kept on for simplicity, but that had been a surprisingly popular part of the act, if the fan letters were anything to go by. They proceeded to work the crowd into a frenzy, dancing up a storm together in almost perfect harmony, Beats and Flint flanking their young protégés as they worked towards that crucial final reveal. Bodies moved and flexed, all designed to titillate, but not expose too soon. Ties were whipped off, and flung into the crowd, a reward of sorts for the large number of bills that were by now fluttering onto the stage; then, with their hands held tightly over their crotches, they turned their backs on the audience one by one, and then ripped away the tight boxers they had been wearing. Then, as the stage lights started to dim, they whipped round, giving the crowd a brief glimpse of their full glory before darkness fell.

Then it was all over, and they made a dash for the dressing room, the applause and cheering still ringing in their ears. No-one said a word until they were safely back inside the little room, the door firmly closed. "I think that we might just have scored ourselves an A+ with that routine," said Beats.

"And let's be honest, most of the credit for that has to go to our very worthy replacements," said Flint.

"I wasn't sure that we were good enough. I was absolutely petrified to start with, and if I am honest with all of you, I very nearly bottled it when it was finally our turn to strip," responded Alan.

"I thought that I was going to throw up right there, all over the stage," whispered Callum, "but then, once we started, once the crowd was only screaming for us to perform…"

"…the adrenaline kicked in," Flint finished for him. "I was exactly the same the first night that I went out there. Now, I can honestly say that I am going to miss the baying crowd and the greasepaint and glitter. I am going to miss getting up there and gyrating my body with my best friend at my side. I can honestly say, hand on heart, that this has been the best experience of my life so far."

"I couldn't agree more," said Beats. "I actually have a vision of Elliott or Izzy walking into a room unexpectedly in a few years time and catching us doing a routine for old times sake."

Flint couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing as he realised that he could picture them doing that too. "We could call it our exercise routine as long as we kept our clothes on," he replied with a cheeky grin. Beats nodded, not at all averse to the idea of doing that from time to time. He continued to mull the idea over as they cleaned themselves up, removed the make up and glitter, and returned to their street clothes. Doing this job had kept both of them fit and toned. If he was honest, it sounded like the perfect basis for an exercise class…

They were all fully dressed again by the time the boss knocked on the door and stepped in, eager to congratulate the four of them on what he called their best show ever. He had praise for them all, particularly the new boys, which made them both blush - as did the notes that he handed them from the crowd. He then handed over their wage packets, and the tips from the night, split four ways as agreed. As he handed $500 to each of them, Flint could only smile as he saw the look of shock and delight on the faces of the two younger men as they were given the kind of money some people earned in a week for a few hours of work. He had the feeling that in these two, he and Beats had made a wise choice, and in their hands, the legacy of the Preppy Boys would be safe.


	31. Ends and Beginnings : Part VIII

**Ends and Beginnings : Part VIII**

The next day saw Beats and Flint, along with Ethan, heading into New York on the train. They did so at the request of Nick, who had asked them to attend a special meeting at the Spotlight. When they arrived at Penn Station, they literally bumped into Trent and Rory on the platform at the subway. None of them knew why they had been summoned to the meeting, although they had all concluded that it could not be anything to do with the business of the diner itself, as Ethan was not a partner, and would therefore not have been invited to attend. The young man in question said nothing on that score, although a part of him was saying that he could have been asked to come to stand in for staff at the counter whilst the meeting was taking place. The meeting had been called for one, but they arrived just after noon, having left early to avoid train delays, and also so that they could enjoy a spot of lunch first. Nick had suggested that to all of them in his instructions in any case, and as a consequence, they were not the only ones there. They found themselves sharing one of the larger tables with Artie, Kitty and Marley. The discussion quickly turned to the reason for the meeting, and as everyone was discussing their theories, no-one noticed that both Artie and Kitty said very little, just smiled.

Eventually the numbers in their corner of the diner swelled, as first Sebastian and Dave, and then Seth, Luke and Duncan joined them. The arrival of the latter turned the discussion onto the subject of house hunting, as they had spent the morning looking round some properties in New Jersey. "It was ok," said Seth with a shrug. "You could see the city in the distance across the water, and the PATH train was fast enough, but all I could think of was that if something should happen which caused that to be closed down, you would feel very isolated over there, and it would be an absolute nightmare trying to get to Hoboken for the ferry to get across to school and work."

"The thing is that with property rents in the city rising so fast, you really do not have any choice," said Sebastian. "I was lucky; if Cooper hadn't been looking around for someone he knew and thought was pretty reliable to live in his basement, then Dave and I would not be in Murray Hill, as it would be too expensive. It is ridiculous really; this city needs young people to help it thrive; it needs artists and creatives; it needs cops and teachers, but all of those people are being driven out to make way for oligarchs and moguls. If the authorities don't act, then all the things that have made this city what it is will be eroded away, and it will lose its shine forever." There was general agreement from every corner of the room for that statement.

Just after one, Mike came running in with Tina hard on his heels; a few moments later, Nick, Jeff, Sam, Brittany and Santana followed. "Sorry we are a bit late," said Nick as he walked over to the assembles friends. "The 'L' Train was having a few issues."

"It has more and more issues by the day," grumbled Santana.

The new arrivals joined the others in the quiet corner, and drinks were ordered. As they were waiting on them to arrive, the door opened again, and Josh and Scott came in, both tired from running down to the diner after they had jumped off the bus they had been travelling on from the Port Authority, which had got caught up in another traffic jam. On seeing them, Elliot left the counter, and directed them to follow him to the corner where everyone else was waiting in anticipation of what Nick would say. He surveyed the scene in front of him, taking in the knowing faces of Artie, Kitty and Elliott, then took a breath. "Ok, so now that we are all here, more or less, I'll make a start. I'm sure that there has been a lot of speculation about why this gathering has been called; basically we have gathered you all here to announce that myself, Jeff and Mike are leaving Bushwick. We have found a new place, and we are moving out of the loft."

"Yeah. They are moving to Pelham in the Bronx. And they leave in two days!" said Santana, causing Nick to glare at her.

"You're leaving on Monday!" wailed Luke, staring in horror at his cousin. "That isn't long enough! There's not enough time to say goodbye properly…" Duncan had put an arm around his boyfriend as they both sat there with sad expressions. Seth on the other hand was wondering how much the rent on the loft was, and if it would sleep six at a push…

"I know, but we are moving on Monday, just like Satan said," said Jeff in an icy tone. "However, she got one thing wrong, and that was where we are moving to. That was a little white lie so that we could tell our immediate neighbours that we were leaving before we could assemble you all to hear the full story. The truth you see is far more complex, and it involves my natural father, Gordon."

"I thought that he was dead!" exclaimed Marley. "How can he influence anything now?"

"His being dead is the key," said Nick. "You see, he left a will, leaving all of his property to his son…"

"Hunter?" said Sebastian. "Well, he misjudged that one."

"True, but the exact words in the will were that all of his property was to be given to his son. The will was given by the authorities to Elspeth, and she saw at once what those words could be taken to mean. Grace was called in for legal help, and she and my mother secretly went to court, and won. They persuaded the courts that the word son should apply to me…" said Jeff.

"So you ended up with everything! Oh the irony! It all went to the son he didn't want!" said Beats, a touch too gleefully.

"Yeah, that's it. I am selling a lot of it, and giving the money away so that it can help other less fortunate people; there will be some scholarships and stuff. Some of it though I will be holding on to, most notably the property that he owned here, in Manhattan…" Jeff continued.

"Which was?" said Santana, not knowing whether to be happy for Jeff, or angry that she had been lied to.

"A row of five brick built townhouses in the West Village, converted into eight units," said Nick. "So that is where we are heading on Monday. We will be moving into a townhouse in the West Village."

There was stunned silence, apart from a few coughs, as people took the news in. then Trent spoke. "You deserve this, Jeff. After all that man and his son did to you, this is so right!"

"Hear, hear!" said Flint, a smile on his face.

"The thing is, it won't just be us that is moving in the next few weeks," said Nick with a grin. "There is a place for Mike and Tina to share, in time. He might already have sent her a picture without admitting the truth…" This revelation brought a ear splitting shriek of delight from the young lady in question, as she saw the grin on Mike's face and recalled the picture he had sent. She leapt on him, and smothered him in kisses, as the others watched in bemusement. "To continue, there was also an accessible apartment. Its new tenant, Mr Artie Abrams, already knows about it, as we wanted to show him it without an audience. He will be moving to the West Village very shortly too. There was one other person that knew what today was about, and maybe they would like to tell the other people that will be affected by their agreeing to move in to our little street themselves. The floor is yours….Elliott."

Elliott looked at Nick and Jeff for a second, then turned to face the curious faces of Beats, Josh and Scott. "So, yeah… To start with, let me make it clear that I was kind of tricked into going along to see the place by Nick and Mike last week, and well, what can I say? It's perfect! I can still walk here for work. It is close to the subway and to NYU. It's the top two floors of one of the houses, and has four bedrooms, which is almost too big for the four of us. That is, of course, if you still want to move in with me, Beats, and if Josh wants to leave the comforts that he has in Murray Hill. I am also assuming that Scott would wish to join us, in his own room, of course…" Elliott then proceeded to wink at his final statement, raising a chuckle from most of the room.

"So let me get this straight," said Beats quietly. There was an intake of breath from someone, as they feared the worst; an adverse reaction. "You are telling us that without any form of consultation, you have agreed on a new place for all of us to live in? I mean, for starters, how much is the rent? The West Village is pretty hip, and as such, it will be pricey…"

"Let me tell him, Elliott," said Jeff, turning to look at Beats. "The rent is low; far below market value. This is because I want to live close to my friends. I want the people that I know and care about to benefit from the fact that my birth father, in his ignorance, forgot that I existed and failed to name Hunter. I would also like to point out that I, with my two accomplices, did kind of railroad Elliott into this. Still, if you don't want to move in next to us, Beats…"

"Hold on, I never said that! Of course I want to move in! I think, and I am sure Josh and Scott will agree, that if Elliott likes it, then it has to be more than ok," Beats hastily added.

"That goes for me too, definitely," said Josh. "I've loved living in Murray Hill, but all I have ever wanted to do was live with my brother again, and if Beats and Scott are going to be there too, then everything will be perfect."

"I'm not sure what my parents will say about it," Scott added, "but I think the fact it is in a great area, and I will have my own room will help sway them."

"Well, if it doesn't," Nick replied, "I will have a chat with Grace. I think she and Cooper have got quite used to having Josh around, so they might well be persuaded to let you stay there in his place." As Nick finished, he looked up, and saw that Elliott was now being hugged by his brother and Beats, all three of them looking so happy. That made his heart light, and he could see it was having the same effect on his husband.

"Of course," Jeff continued, his smile broad, "there is now the question of the apartment above Artie's and below Elliott and Mike's places." He paused, and then turned his eyes to where Flint was sitting. "Flint, I heard a rumour that your plans for moving to the city had hit a snag. Now, don't glare at Beats; the little bird that told me that was a blackbird…"

Flint sighed, then smiled, shaking his head. "Trust Wes to go and blab to you! It's true; Izzy and I had planned to move into the apartment that she has been given by her family, but firstly, the building is about to undergo extensive renovations, which will render it more or less uninhabitable for the next six months; and secondly, Mr Bernstein is of the opinion that we should be engaged at the very least before we move in together, and neither of us is ready to take that step. So, yeah, my plans are totally up in the air."

"You never said anything," said Beats.

"We had so much on that there was never a good moment to mention it," Flint replied.

"The fact remains that you, and Ethan for that matter, will not have a roof over your heads soon," said Jeff. "So I would like to offer the two of you that apartment. As you've heard, it is in a great location, and the added bonus would be that Beats would be right upstairs."

"We'd have to see it first…" replied Ethan.

"But otherwise our reply is thanks a lot, Jeff, that would be great," responded Flint, who then turned to his friend, and said "Oh, come on Ethan! It isn't going to be a horrendous slum! It's a nice part of town, and we will know the neighbours!"

"Maybe that's the problem," Sebastian stage whispered to Santana, and that made them all burst out laughing.

"Ok, so now that brings us to the middle house; still intact, just like ours; still laid out over the full four floors, with five good sized bedrooms… So, Luke, Duncan, Seth, the three of you can move in anytime you like, and then it will be ready for your other roommates when they arrive from Ohio. I mean, you were looking for a place for the six of you to share when you were in Jersey City this morning after all. I am sure that Colin, Edward and Skylar, like the three of you, would far rather live in the city - and Manhattan at that - than travel in every day from the other side of the Hudson…" Jeff stopped, and saw the three young men staring at him.

"You're serious? There is a place for the six of us to share, and you don't mind?" said Luke.

"Mind? Why would I mind? What could be more perfect than having my cousin and his boyfriend, plus four good young Warblers living in the house next door? In any case, there will be help on hand in the shape of Elliott, Beats, Flint and Ethan on the other side if the six of you do start to act up!"

"I knew there had to be a catch!" said Ethan deadpan. "Is that why the rent for these places is going to be so low?"

"No, not at all! The rent is going to be low because I have to charge you all something for tax reasons," said Jeff. "If it wasn't for that, I would not be charging any of you a single cent. So that is why I have set a flat rate rent for all of my properties of $10 a month. I did want to make it a year, but Grace said that was far too low…" He stopped speaking then just to observe the scene in the room in front of him. Mouths had dropped open in shock, and Sebastian in particular looked as if he was about to be sick, despite the fact that he already paid a very low rent to Cooper in any case. Flint, Beats and Ethan all looked as if they could pass out from shock at any minute. In fact, only Artie, Kitty and Elliott were sitting with a comfortable expression on their faces, but that was only because they had known what was coming. Suddenly a blur moved across the room, and Jeff found Luke wrapped around him, enveloped in a bear hug which was the only thing he could think of that would truly express the gratitude he felt towards his cousin.

"Well, we all knew that you were a soft, kind, selfless soul, Jeff, but this is above and beyond," said Santana, breaking the silence. "If it wasn't for the fact that we own our place in Bushwick, we would be asking to move in."

"If it wasn't for the fact that I'm pretty attached to my little place in Murray Hill," said Sebastian, "I would be asking to do exactly the same thing."

"I knew that we already had four angels looking out for us all, but I think that we might have a fifth one standing in front of us right now," said Flint, and as everyone nodded in agreement, Jeff blushed a bright red.

Nick stepped in at that point to save his husband from having to talk when he was embarrassed. "So, I am taking it that no-one is about to say no to my husband's kind offer? In that case, we thought that we could all take a stroll over to the West Village to let you all see what it is that you will be getting, just to prove that you aren't moving in to a slum. Before that though, there are a couple of other things that we wanted to mention. As well as his choice to keep hold of the houses here, Jeff also decided to retain two other pieces of property from that man's estate. Firstly, there was a substantial parcel of arable land in Vermont…"

The moment that Nick named the state, Luke, who had still be clinging to Jeff, pulled away and just looked at him curiously. "It's the land around your moms' place, Luke," Jeff responded quietly. "Every time that one of the farmers around them decided to sell up, he outbid them so that he could punish them and stymie their expansion plans. Now they are getting it all, at the same low rent as I am charging all of you, which means that all of the plans they have made over the years can finally become a reality. I told them a few days ago, but I asked that I be allowed to tell you myself." By the time that Jeff finished speaking, Luke was in tears, and with a mumbled "I love you" he flung himself back at Jeff, holding him even tighter, as a crying Duncan looked on from where he was sitting beside Seth.

"The final piece of property was - well, it is probably easier if I show you," said Nick, getting the attention of the others back. He pulled out his laptop, switched it on, and then brought up a picture of an Art Deco house, situated in a large garden, looking imposing against the backdrop of a clear blue sky. The photo changed several times as they watched, scrolling through a series of images of the interior of the house. A rapt audience watched in silence, and the fact that even Mike was watching with as much surprise and curiosity as the others did not pass unnoticed. The pictures finally stopped with a final image of a swimming pool, surrounded on three sides by the house. "So, this is now also my husband's; a grand villa, built between the two world wars, located in the Long Island community of Port Jefferson - appropriately enough, the place is known to the locals as Port Jeff…"

There was a ripple of laughter around the room, then Mike spoke up. "This is just the icing on the cake; you guys are so fortunate…"

"No, Mike, we are all fortunate; the beach house is open to all of you, anytime that you need to escape the pressures of city life for some peace and tranquillity. By the way, Nicky, I think that your slide show might have stopped an image short," replied Jeff.

Nick nodded with a grin, and then restarted the slides, which changed to show the private sandy beach that came with the house, to gasps of delight. "Yes, so the house also has sole use of this nice sandy cove; it really is the perfect place…"

"Ok, so how do we book our place?" asked Santana. "I fully intend to enjoy a weekend there with my new wife in the very near future."

"All you will need to do is call us up, and we will sort it. We will keep a diary of who is going to be there and when, so that the place doesn't get too crowded," replied Nick. "Anyway, that is all, so whenever you guys are ready, we can set off to see the houses."

"Before that, I would like to propose a toast," said Sam. "To Jeff, the kindest guy we all know; talented, generous and all ours!" Glasses were raised, and voices called out the name of the young blond man who was once again blushing at so much unwanted attention. All of them agreed that this news was some kind of compensation for all that they had been through at the hands of the other Clarington men. It did not alter the fact that four of their number had died, three of them at their hands; it did not alter the fact that thanks to the former principal of Dalton, a certain film was still out there somewhere, which if people knew about would cause much double take and ribaldry. However, with Jeff now more or less back to the carefree young man they had all known before his life was turned upside down in his senior year, there was cause for celebration. Life had crept up on him, and dealt him a cruel blow from a twist of fate. Now he was finally benefiting, and if he did, so did they. None of them were going to complain about that.

The procession across town from the diner was lead by Artie, who had already practiced his easiest and quickest route to the Spotlight from his new place, as well as the one he would need to take to school. They headed a little uptown, but not much, which made them all content. As they walked, they all broke into groups and chatted amongst themselves, enjoying the chance just to stroll through town in good company. As they reached Seventh Avenue, Jeff sped up and made his way up from where he had been talking to Sam; they had been discussing a few things concerning the wedding next week, issues that had been raised during Thad's ex-Dalton boys Warbler group chat, a forum set up to exclude Santana from hearing what they had planned for her and Brittany the following week. He now took the lead as they approached the street in which his new home was situated.

"Ok folks, we are almost there. As you can all see, it is a pretty good neighbourhood with great shops, restaurants that cater for virtually every kind of cuisine, a couple of churches if anyone feels the need to pray…"

"…and a shop called the Pleasure Chest," announced Santana as she spotted it. "It really does look as if all your needs are covered around here!"

Jeff blushed scarlet, unaware until that moment that the store had even existed so close by; Nick cringed as the others started to giggle.

"Actually, that is not really the case, Satan," said Sebastian. "If you look more closely my friends, you will observe that there is a flag in the shop window; a flag which indicates that only two people in our party today are its target market. Still, if anyone still has to get a wedding gift to hand over to our blushing brides next weekend, you might find one in there…"

There was a moment of silence, and then a burst of laughter came from Elliott, mainly because Brittany had rushed over to look in the store's window, and Santana was now trying to pull her away. For his part, Jeff found himself giggling, whilst at his side, Nick looked in gratitude at Sebastian, thankful to him for the way he had turned everything around.

Eventually they arrived in front of the row of houses; Nick pointed out the one that he and Jeff would be living in, marked with a row of big windows at the top, which illuminated his husband's studio. Then he delved into his pocket and pulled out the big bundle of keys he had been carrying, handing them over to Jeff to dole out. "Right, so here we go. I think we will start with you, Artie; you might as well just hang on to them now. Let us know when you are intending to move in, and I am sure that I speak for everyone when I say we will all do our utmost to help you move in."

"Thanks for the offer, Jeff, but to be honest, between me and Kitty we have it all more or less covered. We will be coming to move me in on Tuesday, the only thing being that my mom is insisting on coming to help oversee the move, seeing as she did the same when I first moved to New York. She says that it is to help, but personally I think that it is because she wants to examine the place herself, and that she wants to meet you, Jeff. I know that she would like to express her gratitude to you in person."

"That shouldn't be an issue," replied Nick. "If you bring her over at about four, then I can rustle up an English style afternoon tea for her. I feel like showing off a bit in my glamorous new kitchen."

"That sounds good, but there might be one issue; your steps," responded Artie.

"Between all of us, I think that we can get you in," said Mike with a smile. "I won't be on shift or at the Lincoln Center, so I can help out."

"Moving on, you might as well have the keys for what will be your place, Mike. I know that you have no plans to move in there yet, but by giving you these, we are saying that it is a done deal. Also, I think that if we didn't let Tina see the place today, she would kill us… Right then, these are yours, Elliott, and these are the ones for the apartment underneath Ethan. I am positive that all of you are dying to get in and have a good look around, so on you go, whilst I take the boys into their new place. As for those not moving in, if you go with Nick, I am sure he can give you the grand tour of our new home." With nods of agreement, they all went their separate ways.

For the next hour, they all took time to explore their new homes. After walking up the stairs to the boy's place, Jeff handed the keys over to his cousin, who trembled as he went to unlock the front door. As the banister on the staircase was identical to the one in the house next door, a similar suggestion was immediately made, and this time it fell to Jeff to make the statement about placing a mattress or something similar at the bottom before any attempt was made to slide down it. The idea was soon forgotten anyway as they walked around the house. Every room was met with gasps of delight, particularly the room with the pool table in the basement. None of the three young men could play pool, but they could learn now they had the table. Upstairs Jeff showed off the bedroom layout, showing them how there was one larger room and one smaller room on each floor, both en-suite.

"So one for a couple and one for a single person on each level," remarked Seth. "So I can share a floor with these two, as I have grown quite fond of them over the last few months, and Skylar, Colin and Edward can share the other floor. So, all we need now is a moving in date, but for us I think that after the wedding is the best option. We will of course be moving in before the other three get here from Ohio, so that we can choose the floor that suits us best…"


	32. Ends and Beginnings : Part IX

_Yes, I decided to give you all a treat today - a second chapter! Enjoy..._

 **Ends and Beginnings : Part IX**

Jeff handed the keys over to Luke with no qualms; he knew that his cousin, his boyfriend, and the four former Warblers that were going to live in the house would respect it and take good care of his property. He left the three of them to it just as Seth finally managed to get through to Skylar back at Dalton. He had told Jeff that he would tell the other three that they had managed to find them somewhere to live at a good rent in a great location, but leave it at that; he would let Jeff tell them everything else himself when he saw them in six days time.

As Jeff made his way down the steps to the street, intending to head back to his own new place next door, he suddenly found himself being grabbed simultaneously from both sides, as Flint and Ethan pulled him into a tight group hug on the sidewalk. "Oh my God, Jeff! It is absolutely beautiful and perfect! It is all that we could have hoped for and more, and worth so much more than the rent that you are going to be charging us. You really should be taking more money from us," exclaimed Ethan.

"As I already explained to you guys, I am not interested in the money. All that I want is to help out my friends, and see that you all have somewhere nice and safe to live in the city. New York is expensive, and if I have the means to let all of you live in relative comfort for next to nothing, then I am going to do so. It is my duty as a Warbler."

"Well I'm certainly not going to argue with you over the rent if that is what you want to charge," said Flint. "I just want you to know, blondie, that I am eternally grateful to you for this gesture, and I will make it up to you somehow in a gesture that you cannot possibly refuse. I think that taking you and Nick out to dinner one night in a top restaurant would be a good start, and I will be paying. I've got a good job lined up, and this place is just the icing on the cake."

"Well, if you insist, then I will not turn you down, but you don't have to. I just want everyone to be happy," replied Jeff with a smile.

"Well I am! Home, job and girl all sorted; living with a good roommate with my best buddy right upstairs. All I need to do now is find someone for Ethan, and everything will be sorted." Ethan said nothing as Flint finished, just looked distant and distracted. Jeff excused himself, deciding on a whim to go and check up on Elliott, Beats and the boys.

Flint and Ethan followed him in, heading back into their own apartment, grinning at the happy noises coming from the place upstairs. Once they were back inside with the door closed, Flint spoke out. "Ethan, you are ok about living here with me? I just ask as I get the impression that there is something bothering you, and you aren't as happy as you might be. Is it something that I have said or done? Look, I know that I am not Drew, but if there is something bothering you, you can talk to me about it…"

Ethan sighed, then turned to face Flint. "No, Flint, you've not done or said anything, not really. It's just that there is something else going on inside of me, and it has been building up recently. It isn't something that I have ever shared with anyone, even Drew. It just starts to build up and eat away at me sometimes, and it makes me a bit down. It will pass, trust me."

"If Wes was still around, he would tell you that isn't a healthy situation; that if you have an issue, then you should talk it out with somebody. Look, if you ever want to share anything with me, I will keep it to myself. Whenever you are ready, I will be here, and I will listen and not judge. You're a good friend, and I hope that if I can help you in anyway, you will let me."

Ethan sighed, knowing that Flint was right. On the spur of the moment, he made a decision. "I suppose that now we are going to be living together, just the two of us, then maybe I should speak up - but it has to be in the strictest of confidence, okay? Just between us…"

"Of course," said Flint. "I know the bro code; whatever you tell me goes no further, although you know as well as I do that I cannot stop angels listening in."

Ethan chuckled, and moved to sit on the couch, signalling to Flint to sit next to him. "That is very true, but I haven't felt any draughts recently, so we seem to be Wes free at the moment. Ok, so I guess what I want to say is that you don't need to try and find somebody for me. I am happy as I am, and if we are being totally honest… You remember when Beats admitted that he was pansexual; well I am pretty certain that I am the exact opposite. I have been thinking back, and it all makes sense. I guess what I am saying is that I am asexual. I don't have any need or desire for a girl. I am sure that I am straight, more or less, but I just have no need or urge for sex or intimacy with anyone. Never have, even back at Dalton when everyone's hormones were raging…"

Flint looked at him, then smiled. "Oh, okay, well that's cool. I mean, as long as you are happy, then it doesn't matter to me what you feel you are. I can actually totally understand why you might feel that way. I used to think that sex was way too much hassle, with my mother and all, plus there was the fact that all those urges kept taking my mind off my work!"

"Now, I don't want anyone else to know, at least not yet. People will probably work it out for themselves eventually. I mean, I do love all of my friends, but that is as far as love goes with me. Platonic, unthreatening, nice. My parents would never understand, and every so often I will get a call, or an invite, wanting me to meet someone's daughter. They want grandchildren eventually, I guess. An heir to the family business. Well, they should have had more kids of their own if that was what they wanted, because they will not be getting them through me, unless I adopt. Maybe I will do that, one day…"

"Well, if you do, then I can promise here and now that you can count on me and the other guys for support. Until then, anytime that you need to talk, I will be here; and when and if you decide to tell the others, then I will be right there at your side."

Ethan smiled across at Flint, glad that he had finally taken the step to admit the truth about himself to someone. He had been struggling with it silently since his Dalton days. It was easy then just to say that work and the environment they were in made it too difficult for him to try and find a girlfriend; then he had resorted to telling people sadly that his parents had someone in mind for him, and that she was a lovely girl, and he felt obligated to honour his folks by at least seeing where the relationship went. The others had not understood why he took that position, but they had accepted it. Then he had taken the decision to go to school abroad, and that had been marvellous; he told everyone that he had a girl back in the States, and everyone at Cambridge had accepted it. At least they had until that fateful day when Drew had been visiting and had begun to talk about Lucy, and how lucky he was. When he had then stated that his mission now was to find him a girlfriend too, people had treated him strangely after that, wondering why he had made up the tale about the girl at home…

He wasn't actually too sure how Drew would react if he had been the person he had told. He would not have the same kind of understanding as Flint had he surmised, and would dismiss it as just him being shy and introverted. He had come close to telling him on several occasions, but it was all academic now in any case. Drew was not talking to him for some reason, and although he told himself that his best friend must have been struggling with the pressure of his own finals at Oxford, Ethan was more and more certain that their bro bond had snapped, overstretched by the distance of the Atlantic Ocean. Then again, he wasn't quite sure that the severing of ties was voluntary from the English end. There was something about Lucy that just got all his hackles up, and he was sure that Wes had felt it too when she had come across with Drew for Sebastian's re-wedding.

He had to respect Drew's choice though, however wrong he thought it to be himself. Interfering in matters of the heart was the surest way to lose his friend for good. He was grateful for his growing bond to Flint, someone whose own best bud was drawing away, although he was luckier than himself; his best friend was only going to be upstairs. He would not let himself get as close to Flint as he had been to Drew though. One day, he would get down on one knee and propose to Izzy, and then he too would vanish into the joys of coupledom. That was life though; now that college was over, his friends would inevitably start to drift apart as their lives spun them off in different trajectories. He wondered how long he could stay here, in the West Village, close to Nick and Jeff at least, and he realised with pleasure that Jeff's answer would be to stay as long as he wanted. Maybe that would not be an altogether terrible thing.

Upstairs, Jeff had found Elliott smiling broadly as his boyfriend, his brother and his boyfriend had explored their new home. As Josh had put it, his current place would fit into this one several times over; the place was a palace in comparison. Every room had brought gasps of joy, and he did not need to face the issues he had anticipated about the bedroom allocations either. Josh and Scott had immediately fallen for the two bedrooms at the back, the bathroom arrangement making them smile. They both knew that only one of the rooms would be used regularly, but at least Scott's parents could think they were sleeping apart, although they all knew that they weren't idiots and would grasp the truth anyway. As for Beats, he had virtually danced around the room he would soon be sharing with Elliott fulltime, at first at least. However, as they sat their on the bed, leaving the two younger men to make their own plans across the hall, Elliott noticed that Beats seemed distracted.

"So, what's up? You've become very quiet all of a sudden. Do you not like the place, or is it…" Elliott stopped short, not wishing to express his secret fears.

Beats realised that, and immediately grabbed his hand. "Oh, Ell, it isn't what you are thinking. I love you so very much, and that will never change! It's just that this is such a big step, moving in together. It is something that I once thought would never, ever happen to me. However, it has, and I am just a little overcome by it all. I just feel so happy at the moment; I feel as if I could burst! I want to shout and sing at the top of my voice! I love you, Elliott Gilbert. It's been a tough few months for us, but we've got there, and I've even got used to my glasses now."

"I for one love your glasses," said Elliott in a low, seductive tone. "They make you look even hotter, my sexy Preppy Boy…"

"And that reminds me that I will have to head back to Princeton soon, because Flint and I need to get ready for our penultimate show tonight," sighed Beats. "You know, when I started the act, I was so ashamed of what I was doing; felt that I had sunk almost as low as I could go. It caused me to fight with Flint, but we all know how that turned out in the end. I still can hardly believe that Flint Wilson, the food, quiet Jewish boy of the Warblers agreed to become a stripper in a gay bar. And I will tell you something else - I think that he is going to miss doing it more than me!"

"It is funny how stuff in life turns out… Of course, that was what first drew my attention to you, Nate; that big fight that the two of you had that Christmas Day."

"And it was that attraction that proceed to lead to fight number two with Flint! I guess whatever we do in life, we will just need to keep him in the loop. He will always have a very special spot in my heart."

"I know that, and that is perfectly alright by me. He is your best bud after all; your long term partner in crime."

"Yeah, but you Ell are my best friend. You are the one that I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with. I think that you and I are going to be very happy here, for a very long time…"

Elliott leaned over and kissed Beats on the lips, a kiss that was at once reciprocated. It was cut short by the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps and two younger voices chattering away with excitement. There was a knock at the door, and after a quick glance at Beats, Elliott said "You can come in now Josh, but it had better be good!"

The door swung open to reveal a grinning Josh, followed by a slightly more sheepish Scott. "See, I told you that we weren't going to be interrupting anything. Beats and my brother might well be hopelessly in love, but that doesn't mean that they are up to stuff if they're in the bedroom together with the door closed, just as we weren't doing anything when Jeff appeared. He said to say that he is heading back to his new place now, and that Nick had brought some cookies and stuff over from Bushwick yesterday if we all wanted to join them for a cup of coffee or a juice…"

"Let me guess. You two want to go and eat?" said Elliott.

"I heard on the grapevine that Nick's cookies are to die for, so based on that alone, yes," replied Josh.

"Well, I don't see any reason why we can't. We have the keys, we've all sorted out rooms and are happy, so now it is just going to be a case of deciding exactly when we move in," said Beats. "For me, that will probably be at the same time as Flint and Ethan move, just to save on expenses - and I'm guessing that won't be until the start of next month."

"Well I am fully intending to tell my dear landlord where she can stick her apartment as soon as I can. I used to like her, but since Valentine's she has morphed into a total bitch, so I just want out ASAP. I don't have that much to bring, and so I will probably move in next week sometime," said Elliott.

"Let me know what day, and I will come over and help," said Beats with a grin.

"Josh will no doubt want to be here sooner rather than later too," continued Elliott. "However, I think that we should wait until school is finally out before he moves in so he has time to get used to the place. As for Scott…"

"That will all depend on my mom and dad," came his reply. "I mean, they know that it is going to happen, but not when as of yet. Even then, there is no guarantee that they will let me move in with my boyfriend. They might say I'm too young to do that."

"I can't honestly see why they would object," said Elliott. "I will speak to them and give them the big sell; good neighbourhood, close to school, with adult supervision. Trust me, I think that it will all be more than okay with them."

"I hope so," said Scott, taking Josh's hand. "because the whole set up here is just perfect."

Whilst Jeff had been walking from house to house, enjoying the thanks of his friends, Nick had been coping with his three visitors alone. He had of course given them the full guided tour, and had smiled at the looks on the faces of Sam, Brittany and Santana. He had stood with Sam and watched with a grin as Santana and Brittany had tried out a few dance moves on the sprung floor. They had both refused to join in, despite the protests of Brittany in the main. They all had to agree that the set up had to be perfect for Mike, whose dancing couldn't help but improve all the more on such a surface. There was a lot of jealousy in their eyes though when they saw the bedrooms and the luxurious nature of the en-suite bathrooms. The view across the city from the top floor studios were also deemed breathtaking. Then Nick escorted them all down to the kitchen, where Santana stood in silence and just gazed for a minute, then started to mumble about Martha Stewart.

Nick ignored the comments, and made them drinks, bringing out a box of cookies. "I know that I am so lucky to have all of this. If I hadn't decided to go for it with Jeff; if I hadn't realised at the last minute just how much he meant to me, then who knows where I would be now. Jeff was so determined at first that he wasn't going to take anything from Gordon, and if I hadn't made some valid points, and if he had never seen that studio, then he would have told Grace that her efforts were in vain, and to hand it all over to the government."

"And then so many people would have been left in a mess!" remarked Sam. "I admit that I am jealous, because you have managed to swerve the problems of the 'L' train in one swoop. I mean, don't get me wrong, I am grateful to Blaine for leaving us our place, but now it is a liability in some ways. It leaves us rooted in Bushwick, and when the day comes when the train does stop…"

"It will not be fun," agreed Santana. "I guess that we could sell, but Rachel would see that as being disloyal to the memory of Klaine, even if the two of them came and told her that it wasn't, and that we could sell!"

"Yeah, she can be so full on…" pondered Sam. "The thing is, she will be less affected than the rest of us, because she can always ask for a town car."

"That is assuming that she is still appearing in _Funny Girl_ ," remarked Nick. "After all, there is no guarantee that the show will still be running, and even if it is, she might have moved on to another role by then, and they might not be quite so generous…"

"I shall remind her of that point," said Santana. "It might just persuade her to consider the future a little more carefully…"

Before anyone could say anymore, they heard the sound of the door opening upstairs, and then the sound of feet as the others started to come and join them. Ethan and Flint were the first to appear, carrying Artie between them, Mike and Kitty following on behind, the former carrying his friend's chair. Not long after than, everyone was assembled around the table, tucking into Nick's cookies, and ready to celebrate the fact that they all had found a new home, and could look forward to a future where they lived close together, as a circle of friends became a community in its own right.


	33. Graduations & a Wedding : Part I

**Graduations & a Wedding : Part I**

The next few days were marked by a flurry of furious activity. All non-essential tasks were set aside as there was packing to be done for the majority of the friends. They still had to work, and that did cause some minor issues, but everyone set to and helped out as best as they could. People offered to help in whatever way that they could, and such offers were gratefully accepted. On Monday morning, Caleb found himself being woken early and taken across the landing to stay with Brittany whilst inside the loft they had called home the last few items were stowed away. The last items of furniture were quickly dismantled, and then when the movers arrived, all hands set to, to help them carry everything down to the van. The most essential items would be travelling by taxi however; Mike left first with the kettle and mugs amongst other things, plus the last food items that had been in the refrigerator. That left Nick and Jeff to stand alone in an emptier loft, which had now returned to looking exactly the way it had on that day in 2013 when Santana had dragged the then newish couple across the landing to see it.

"It's odd, isn't it Nicky? A week ago, this was home, and it felt like it was ours. It had all those essential little touches in it that made it feel that way. Now, it is back to being someone else's. It has been a good home to us, this place…" said Jeff quietly.

"It has," replied Nick, placing an arm around Jeff. "We've had a lot of good times here. This is the home that we left single and came back to as a married couple. We've had the usual celebrations, and a few drunken Warbler parties. At the same time though, this has seen its share of the sad times…"

"This was the last home that Wes had. He left for Harvard from here, more or less, and never got there. We heard about that here too, in this room…"

"I can still picture it now, Jeffie. If I look at that doorway I can still see the moment that Sam lead a broken Sebastian in to join us, Mike, Flint and Beats. I can still see Mike crying his eyes out…."

"It doesn't pay to dwell on stuff like that," said Blaine, who had arrived unnoticed in the kitchen, and now stood on the threshold of the room. "I mean, I left here with Kurt the night that he died, thinking that the world was wonderful, the future was bright, and that nothing was going to stop us now… But that is in the past, and to be honest, it means nothing now. I'm happy, so is Kurt. You can't live in the past; you have to look to the future. I mean, the West Village is pretty cool…"

"And that new kitchen of yours is to die for!" said Kurt, appearing at Blaine's side. "So, it is time to go. The Bushwick chapter of your lives is over. It's time to say farewell, and look forward to enjoying life together in Manhattan."

Nick nodded, and with one last glance just to ensure nothing had been forgotten, he and Jeff headed out of the door, closing and locking it behind them, before heading next door to collect Caleb.

Two angels now went to stand in the spot they had occupied, reliving their own memories of the space, which they would now find it much harder to return to. Kurt had a sudden vision of the first weeks he and Rachel had been here; he could see the two of them cycling around the place, revelling in the space…but then he could also see the night that he had cried himself to sleep after Blaine had made his heartbreaking confession. Unknown to him, his husband was also seeing that same moment, but then he thought of the happy few weeks they had been here as a couple, sharing the space with Rachel, Sam, Santana and Brittany. It had been cramped, sure, but it had also been fun…

"Ok, you two! No dwelling on things!" came a voice they recognised at once as Wes, although he did not appear. "As you just told Niff, this chapter is over; a new one is just about to start across the East River…"

That night saw Nick, Jeff, Mike and Caleb settling into their new home. They had ordered takeout for a change, and now they sat in the kitchen, the doors to the garden wide open, just relaxing in their new environment. As soon as Nick had opened the doors, Caleb had walked over to them, sniffed the air cautiously, and considered for a moment whether he should go outside. In the end he had decided that it was not worth the risk just yet. It could be explored another day. Climbing the steps inside the house had tired him out more than he cared to admit. He contented himself with sitting at the threshold, in a beam of sunlight, looking back at his humans. They were sitting around the table, drinking homemade lemonade with plenty of ice. The air was warming up, and that was a sure sign that summer was on its way. They were all tired too, having spent most of the afternoon unpacking boxes and bags. There had been a great temptation just to leave it all for the next day, but in the end they had all agreed it was best just to get it done. After their takeout, there had been ice cream and jello, the latter at Jeff's request, although they had all eaten it. Now as they sat there, they could just relax.

In the end, it was Mike that broke their companionable silence. "It is so quiet here compared to Bushwick. There are no sirens, no loud music, no traffic noise. It is going to take a while to get used to that. That and the fact that we will all have longer in bed of a morning thanks to not having to catch the 'L' Train…"

Jeff smiled and laughed. "Yes, it is going to be strange. We will be able to walk to the Spotlight in a few minutes now as well, so we'll probably be in there more often. On the downside, we are closer to shops, but at the same time, the prices are that little bit higher here. I think that we will still end up heading over to Atlantic Terminal to go to the Stop & Shop, but at least the '2' Train goes right there. It will take time, but it will save us money, and it does mean we won't be deserting that part of the city altogether."

"I have a feeling that it isn't going to be this quiet around here for that long anyway," said Nick with a smile. "We'll soon have six younger guys living in the house next door, not to mention the others. I am looking forward to them coming though. It will be nice to see all of them on a daily basis."

The following morning saw the arrival of another removal truck on the street, and with it came a first meeting with Artie's mom for Nick and Jeff. It came earlier than they had expected it, mainly because she and Kitty had been so efficient in their packing up of Artie's old place that the movers were able to leave it far quicker than they had anticipated as they had fewer jobs to do. Mike was absent, having gone to work the early shift at the Spotlight. The two young men had spotted the van arriving, and after a quick check of their appearance, had headed out to offer to assist. Kitty had seen them approach, and signalled their arrival to Artie. Between them, they had wrestled the clipboard from his mom, and with Kitty in charge - something that the removers thought for a moment at least would make their lives easier - introductions were made.

"I have heard so much about the two of you from Artie over the last few years, firstly in general terms - I think that he used to put it that you were two of the least bad Warblers. No offence intended," she began.

"None taken," said Nick with a smile. "High school show choir can be a pretty cut throat business…"

"Then, after poor Kurt and Blaine passed, he started to talk about the two of you more and more, to the extent that when that whole terrible court case blew up; well I admit that I cried for you both when I heard what you had suffered. Still, you had to fight to be who you are and where you are now shows that you have succeeded to a great degree. I want you to know that I am so grateful that you thought about Artie when you inherited all of this. However, when it comes to the rent you are asking…"

"I am sure that Artie will have told you my reasoning there, ma'am," interjected Jeff. "For me, this is not about money, it is about spreading all the happiness that I can to reverse all the hatred and negativity that lead to me inheriting all of this in the first place. Artie is a good friend, and I take care of my friends. It is as simple to me as that."

"Well, I cannot argue with those sentiments, and the money that we will save on rent will be useful to acquire a few extras. However, if you change your mind at any time…"

"I won't. For as long as he wishes to live here, the figure that I have set will be Artie's rent."

"When my husband decides on something, then he will not be moved. He is stubborn that way," said Nick with a grin. "I think that subject is well and truly closed, ma'am!"

"Very well. Now, unless you both want me to call you Mr Sterling-Duval all the time, please drop the ma'am and call me Anna. Your Dalton manners are impeccable and impressive, but to be honest, ma'am makes me feel old!" said Mrs Arbrams.

"And you certainly aren't that, Anna," said Jeff with a twinkle in his eye, making her laugh.

"I shall take that as the compliment it was surely intended to be, Jeff. Now, if you will excuse me, I must go and see how the movers are doing. I mean, Kitty is good, but sometimes people will take advantage of someone's youth…"

She walked away, leaving Artie, who had been sitting beside her silently all the time they had been talking, shaking his head. "Those movers should be getting paid danger money. I mean, imagine having to face both my mom and Kitty in full flow. I'd best go and try to rescue them, neighbours - and you have no idea how good it feels to say that!"

"It does feel great to say that, yeah," said Nick as Jeff grinned. "So, as it is early, and the movers will probably be hurrying to escape, instead of coming for tea, come for lunch. You'll all be hungry, and Jeff has to work later in any case, so it makes more sense."

"That would be good, actually. I might have managed to wangle a couple of tickets to see _Kinky Boots_ from Cooper for me and my mom tonight, not that she knows about that yet. Rachel did offer me tickets for _Funny Girl_ , but she and my mom never did see eye to eye, so I declined politely. Cooper and my mom have never met, but he will turn on that charm of his and she will love him, just as she loved Blaine. So, see you guys in about an hour?" Nick and Jeff nodded in agreement, and as Artie rolled away in the direction of his mom's voice, Nick hastened back inside. If he was serving up lunch, then there was a savoury tart that he needed to bake…

The guests arrived promptly, not long after the movers van had roared away. Nick carried Artie up the stairs, and then excused himself to go and attend to stuff in the kitchen. Jeff, left in the role of host, offered Mrs Abrams a tour of the house, which she accepted. Caleb meanwhile put in an appearance, and promptly jumped up into Artie's lap. He was still there, quite content, when the tour ended, and it was time for his mom to meet the young cat. She, like everyone else, immediately adored him, and when Jeff related the story of how he had ended up living with them, she might have shed a few tears.

Nick returned from the kitchen to announce that lunch was ready, and he once again stepped up to carry Artie down, Kitty following with his chair. The table was set in the kitchen, with the French doors to the garden open immediately behind it. Lunch was a very informal affair; Nick's tart went down very well, receiving compliments from them all; if she was honest, Mrs Abrams' was actually surprised at just how good it was. He had served it with salad, bread home baked fresh that morning, and a selection of cheese; it was followed by a dessert of fruit mousse. Caleb had gone to his dish and happily ate the offcuts of the bacon that Nick had used in making the tart, before deciding that a nap was in order, so he headed back to his bed. By the time that Mrs Abrams left the house, she was feeling much happier. She had always worried about her son's safety whilst he was in New York, but now she felt more secure. He was living close to good friends now, and that was a positive. As for his apartment, it was ideal. She would enjoy her surprise trip to the theater that night knowing that everything in her son's life would be okay for some time to come.

The following day saw the movers in the street for the final time that week as Elliott moved into his new place. As promised, Beats had come to assist him; had used it as an excuse the previous day to come over and help him pack up his few personal belongings at his old place. The fact that it meant that they got to spend the night together was just a happy accident. They were joined by Flint and Ethan, who had left Princeton earlier than they normally would for a weekday trip into the city, and had found themselves crushed up together in the train with the hundreds of commuters that were making their way to the city for work. It was an experience that neither of them wished to repeat in a hurry. Jeff was waiting for them on his own, as Nick had a full day at the Law Library; he had left far later then he normally would have done, positively rejoicing that he only had one subway to catch. Mike was at the Spotlight again, this being part of Michelle's plan to allow as many people as possible attend the wedding in Ohio at the weekend. Jeff himself would be working the late shift that day, but for now he was free to lend a hand, and if nothing else, could provide lunch for his new tenant, although not on anything like the elaborate scale that Nick had provided yesterday.

It did not take them long to move Elliott's belongings in between the movers and the five young men. Their initial task done, Flint and Ethan went to have another look round the apartment that would soon be theirs whilst Jeff went to make lunch. This done, they popped in to see Artie, seeing as he was going to be their new neighbour, and were pleased to see that he had settled in well. Flint had decided that it was best that they let Elliott settle in with only Beats to help. He knew that his best friend had taken a couple of bags of clothes with him the night before, so that he could start to move in as Elliott did. He was also pretty sure that they would also be christening the new bed, although he could not be certain. However, when the two of them arrived at Jeff's for lunch ten minutes late and looking much less well put together than they had when he and Ethan had left, Flint was almost positive that he had been totally right.

Thus in the space of three days, three of the homes that Gordon Clarington had managed to leave inadvertently to his forgotten son were occupied once more; it would not be long until another two would be, a third had been promised to someone and there were still two available to be handed out when necessary. In the process though, none of them had lost sight that it was going to be a big weekend for all of them. For the ex-Warblers, it was time for their annual return to the nest. Their blazers had been dug out from the back of wardrobes with their ties, and they had been washed and pressed, ready to be worn at the graduation ceremony. This year would mark the end of an era in some ways; with the graduation of Colin and Skylar, the last of the Warblers that the youngest of Wes' boys had sung with would be leaving Dalton behind. Nick had pointed out to Jeff that going next year would be strange as a result, as they would not really know any of the boys graduating. They would however know one new member of staff, with Thad heading back to his alma mater, but this time as a member of permanent staff.

That ceremony would take place on Friday morning; in the afternoon, they would all be assembled at the main staircase, to witness the wedding of the only female honorary Warbler to her bride. It was something that all of them were looking forward to with anticipation. Bets had been made by some on what the brides would be wearing - there was a strong rumour that Santana would be dressed in red, seeing as she was no angel. There was also a lot of speculation as to who would be performing the ceremony, with strong suspicions that it might well be Burt Hummel; and then there was the question of what music they would have chosen for their first dance. However, those that were closest to Santana knew that behind the happy face that she showed to everyone there lay a secret heartache. She was deeply upset that her beloved grandmother would not be there to see her marry the woman of her dreams. She did not approve of her lifestyle, or of her relationship with Brittany. She had tried to tell herself that it was her loss, but that only went so far. Her nearest friends all felt a great deal of sympathy for her, but when all was said and done, there was not much that any of them could do that would change the mind of the lady in question.

They had all reckoned without the fact that there was one lady back in Ohio that had a special spot in her heart for those two young women; true, they had had their differences over the years, but she had always admired the fact that Santana took the blows, then got straight back up and out again, ready for a new day. Her undying love for Brittany was at the heart of everything that she did, and Sue Sylvester knew that when she had broken up with her at the end of her senior year, she had done so in the best interests of both of them at the time. They had reunited of course, but then had been forced to live through so much heartache and pain in the next few months; at the time, even Sue had struggled to deal with all of it. She knew that they had managed it by leaning on each other; Brittany's simple ways and Santana's tough outlook on life had combined to make them an unbreakable team; a pairing that could survive anything that life could throw at them. So when it came to choosing a wedding gift for them, Sue had opted to select one that money could not buy. She would do her best to use psychology to shock someone into changing their mind. If it worked, then they would love and revere her forever, and she was confident that it would work. Heck, she loved those girls, just as much as she had come to care about all of those kids, even the Dalton boys. After all, two of them had managed to provide her with a way back to centre stage and the world of politics.

As for the two brides to be, they had left the city on Wednesday, with the good wishes of those that would not be able to make the trip, although the thought of returning to Ohio did fill them both with a little anxiety. In an ideal world, they would both had spent the last few weeks in the state, going through all the necessary preparations for their big day. In an ideal world, they might have married later in the summer, but this was not that ideal world. School had kept both of them in New York until almost that week, and a later date had not been an option either. The school board at Dalton had decided that it was high time that the school was redecorated, and that would take place during the summer. Most crucially of all, they would be overhauling the glazed dome above the main staircase. A couple of the panes of glass had been left cracked after a winter storm, and there was now a small leak. It made sense to deal with it now whilst it was relatively straightforward, rather than allow it to deteriorate further.

So for the wedding that they wanted in that most perfect of settings, it had to be that day, the 27th of May. The scaffolders would arrive on Saturday to set up their access to the roof. In the absence of the two brides, Santana's mother had taken on the bulk of the planning. When she was told the venue, she had been sceptical to say the least, not sure if a boy's school was an entirely appropriate location for a wedding, and so had arrived at Dalton to see Principal Lefevre with a string of doubts in her mind. She found the lady in question waiting for her on the doorstep; a last minute issue meant that she would not be able to guide her around, and so Mrs Carmichael had stepped in at short notice to do the honours. She had taken her the longer route to the chosen location, in the exact reverse of the path once taken by Blaine on a run with Kurt's hand gripped in his own. They passed the door of the Senior Commons, and from within could be heard the tones of the Warblers in rehearsal; the door had been left a little ajar for a change, at the request of Mrs Carmichael. When they stepped into the painted corridor, Mrs Lopez had stopped and gasped at such beauty within a school building, and Edith had paused to let her admire it, explaining the origins of the work. She then pointed out that in previous weddings at the school, the bride had always walked this way en-route to the ceremony, as it made such a wonderful backdrop to any video or photographic record. Mrs Lopez had nodded, and walked on, absorbed by the beauty of the surroundings; so much so, that she failed to notice that they had arrived at their destination at first. Then she noticed that the light was much brighter, and looked up. The dome made the last of her doubts about the choice disappear. It would be perfect…

Since then, she had spent every spare moment of each day working hard to ensure that everything would run like clockwork on her daughter's big day. She had found a good friend and a constant source of ideas and support in Edith Carmichael; over the course of her years as the Principal's wife, she had been involved in the planning of so many marriage ceremonies that she knew the best people to ask for almost everything. As she put it, it might be the first time Dalton had seen two brides, and it had yet to see two grooms, although she was sure it wouldn't be that long until it did; but a wedding was a wedding. Brittany's mom did assist them in her own way too, although she kept expressing her disappointment that the two girls had rejected out of hand her own suggestion for the venue. To be honest, once the other two ladies had heard exactly where she had suggested and why, they were glad that the two girls had had more sense and another place in mind.

Dalton was the natural first stop when the two girls arrived back in Ohio that Wednesday. For that reason, they had chosen to fly into the airport in Columbus, rather than the usual one nearer Lima. As they were driven up the driveway of the school in the cab that they had taken from the airport, Santana could hear her heart pounding in her chest. Brittany was so excited about the fact that they were going to be getting married at Gay Hogwarts. There were times that Santana cursed that Dalton had ever been given that nickname, and also the fact that Brittany remembered them. As for herself, she was just a little worried. She had given her mom such a detailed checklist, and despite the fact that she had constantly reassured her that everything was going to plan…

Then they were at the door, where her mom was waiting for them. They stepped out of the cab, and Santana went to pay the driver. She had been accompanied on the doorstep by a young man that Santana recognised as a former Warbler, whose name escaped her at the moment, and by the older lady that she recognised at once as the wife of the former Principal of Dalton; a woman that her mom had told her was a genius on wedding planning issues. Brittany had run over to hug Edward the moment that she stepped out of the cab; he had hugged her back, and then had gone to perform the task that had been allotted to him, namely taking their luggage out of the trunk. As Santana turned back towards the door once she had paid the driver, she smiled to see her fiancée being hugged by her mom, but she did not step forward, merely standing there, nervous twiddling the Warbler pin she had attached to the lapel of her new navy blazer.

"I can understand your nerves, my dear. When I married Aaron, I was worried about every aspect of the ceremony right up until the moment that I walked down the aisle towards him," whispered Mrs Carmichael to her, having come over to stand beside her. "Now, although your mother will tell you that most of what you are about to see is my doing, I can't really take all the credit. I might have had a little help from a certain angel called Kurt…" That name was enough to instantly dispel nearly all of Santana's doubts and she smiled. If Kurt had been around and giving input, it would all be fine. He knew that her opinions did not matter nearly as much as Brittany's; as long as she liked it, it would all be ok. "He has been here every single day for the last few weeks - and there was one morning that I walked in and found that all the decorations had been completely altered. That one was hard to explain, and I'm sure that I might have heard three other angels complaining about being up all night doing it. He is waiting inside right now. He wants to see your fiancée's face as she walks in. All I hope is that between us, we've got it right…"

As they walked in through the front door - past the spot where she had stood with Rachel and Mercedes to welcome Kurt on the day that Blaine had proposed, Santana could feel goosebumps coming up on her skin. So much was riding on this moment; if it was wrong, then it was far too late now to alter it, and that would ruin the atmosphere on their special day. She need not have worried. When Brittany shrieked as she entered the room that contained that sweeping staircase it was in delight, not horror, and Santana had to admit that what she saw in front of her pretty much took her breath away too.

The room had been draped with swags of white satin, but in a restrained manner; it's presence enhanced the decorative ironwork on the landing and balustrade, rather than completely overpowering it. There were muted wall hangings too, embroidered in fine gold and silver thread in a pattern of flowers, birds, and yes, she was sure that she could also see angels and at least one unicorn, further confirmation that Kurt's hand had been at work here. The chairs had already been set out, using every possible space but still providing clear, wide aisles for people to move around. They had all been angled to give the clearest possible view of the foot of the stairs, where the celebrant would stand to perform the service. The chairs were also draped in the same patterned fabric as the wall hangings. The marble floor had been scrubbed clean, then polished carefully until it shone, but was not slippery. Carpet runners had been placed along the passageways at the sides, to ensure that the pupils that passed through the room would not mark the floor with their shoes…

Santana turned to look at her mom, who was standing there with her fingers crossed smiling broadly, and then at Brittany, whose face was aglow, here eyes moist from happy tears. "This is just so beautiful. It is exactly as I imagined it to be. Somehow I have been given exactly what I wanted…"

"Then it is definitely what I wanted too," replied Santana, relieved that her personal crisis was now over. It was perfect for Brittany, and that was all that mattered to her. It was almost perfect for her too, but for one thing; and that one thing that would have completed it for her, well that was a lost cause…


	34. Graduations & a Wedding : Part II

**Graduations & a Wedding : Part II**

The following day passed in a blur of activity for those in Ohio. It started off with last minute dress fittings; the designs had come from Kurt, of course, and had then been painstakingly copied out by Jeff in a spare moment so that they could be sent to the dressmaker. This time he had been careful not to initial them as he usually did; he wasn't going through all that again, particularly as no-one would buy the same story twice. Such had been the attention to detail in the design process that only a very few minor tweaks were required to achieve perfection. Santana had tried her hardest not to laugh as Kurt had stood there as she had walked out of the changing room to the cries of delight from both her mom and Mrs Carmichael, who were seeing it for the first time. He had looked for a moment, head tilted to one side, then had darted around her as she stood still, checking out the dress from every conceivable angle. Mrs Carmichael had not acknowledged his presence, knowing that only she and the bride to be could see the angel.

A similar reaction had been forthcoming from Mrs Pierce in the room next door as Brittany had walked out and she saw the finished dress on her daughter; in the absence of Kurt, Blaine had been deputised to walk around her and check for anything really bad, although he knew Kurt would appear at some point to check it again. Brittany could not stop smiling as her mom began to cry at how beautiful she was.

"Well, Kurt can certainly design a showstopper of a wedding dress," came a voice, and Blaine spun round to see Quinn standing in the doorway, smiling from ear to ear. Brittany almost ran across the room to greet her, but she shook her head, and carefully walked across the room past Mrs Pierce to give her friend a gentle hug. "If your bride's dress is anything like yours, then you will end up in _Vogue_ like Trent and Rory, and if you don't, then it is an outrage! Anyway, I am here to assist you in any way that I can, and to that end, I brought someone else with me…" She nodded towards the doorway, and this time Brittany squealed in delight when she saw Sugar Motta standing there. As the new arrival came over for a hug, Quinn excused herself to go and see Santana, whispering a quiet "Hey Blaine!" as she walked past the angel…

The only other guest that was on the grounds of Dalton Academy at that point was Joe Hart. He had driven across country from Idaho with Sugar; a long drive, but necessary to save costs. His close relationship with Sugar had been the source of much friction with his family, and he had eventually more or less severed ties when they demanded that he should give her up. As the Motta's regarded him in the same light, she too saw little now of her parents, and she had been cut off financially. Thus their inheritance from Blaine had allowed them to continue their education, but only if they scrimped on their living costs. It was for that reason that they had declined the invitation to attend Sebastian's wedding at Christmas; though as a trainee pastor, his excuse that he had a Christmas sermon to preach had actually been completely true. Sebastian had been understanding, and Joe thought at the time that he might actually have known the full reason behind their non-attendance, but he said nothing. The fact was that he was a partially licensed pastor now; not fully qualified, but definitely allowed to preach, and as of last month, permitted to conduct a wedding ceremony. All that was far from his mind though as he stood near the main staircase looking at the memorial to Wes. It was a very fitting epitaph for a man that had devoted so much of his time to taking care of the needs of his flock. He only hoped that one day he would be appreciated as much by his own congregation, wherever they turned out to be. Joe suddenly felt a draught, and his expression changed to a broad smile when he saw Blaine standing in front of him.

"Now you are a sight for sore eyes, Joe Hart! It's been far too long since we have seen you and Sugar for that matter at any gathering! So how is everything in your lives going?"

"Well, we are still very much in love; it still surprises me just how much given how very different we were back in high school - but then they do say that opposites attract, don't they. I guess that we have both changed a little since those days in glee club. I am far less conservative and uptight about things these days, and as for Sugar, she is a lot less…"

"Exuberant?" suggested Blaine.

"That is a very good word, yes," said Joe with a grin. "She is a lot quieter these days, and I can picture her as my wife, doing all the things that will be expected of her as the wife of a pastor. If I am being completely honest with you Blaine, just between us, I have decided that I am going to propose to her this weekend. It will help everyone if the two of us put our relationship on a more formal footing."

"That is wonderful news, Joe," said Blaine smiling broadly. "I have a feeling that there will be at least one other proposal this weekend, but that one will be between two Warblers…"

"Ah, I'm guessing the two younger ones that I saw at Nick and Jeff's wedding?"

"Yeah, I am 99% certain that they will have a proposal this weekend. Let us just say that both of them have been to the jewellers to purchase rings, and the senior's leaving song that they will be performing is just made as an introduction to a proposal."

"It is always nice to see true love in all of its glory, particularly when those concerned have the support of their family. They do have that, don't they?" Blaine nodded, and then with a sadness in his voice, Joe continued. "My parents were so proud of me getting into a prestigious bible college; so happy that I was going to devote my life to the ministry. But then I introduced them to Sugar, and told them I was in love with her, and suddenly, I was the devil incarnate. I know that her family have, shall we say, a bit of a reputation, but she is not like that at all. I told them that, but it cut no ice with them. Afterwards, they gave me an ultimatum - it had to be Sugar, or them. I don't think that they ever imagined that I would rebel and choose her. That was the last time I spoke to any of my family. Sometimes I think that they aren't quite as Christian as they claim…"

"Judge not, lest you be yourself judged kind of thing," said Blaine.

Joe stared for a moment, then nodded in agreement with a smile on his face. "Exactly. Still, the Motta family felt exactly the same about me. I half expected to wake up one morning to find a horse's head in my bed. That is one reason that we will be keeping our engagement very low key. Apparently, Mr Motta said he would rather kill me and Sugar than have me married to his daughter. I am judged to be far too dull and boring for her, and it would be better if she could be persuaded to choose someone more exciting; someone who could learn the family business…"

"So no big public celebration of your betrothal then?"

"And very few trips to Ohio, or anywhere else for that matter for a considerable time. We just can't take the risk. We are safe in Idaho, but here and in New York…"

"Well, I wish you all the happiness in the world. Everyone here would, if they knew. You deserve to be happy, Joe, and if your future happiness is tied up with the lovely Miss Motta, then so much the better. Right, so whilst the ladies and Kurt for that matter gush over wedding dresses, I will give you the grand tour; show you all of my favourite spots here at Dalton." Joe agreed readily, and the two of them headed off to explore the school.

The night before the wedding was peaceful; it was far quieter than the night before any of the other weddings in the group had been. Santana's mom had had to leave after she received an unexpected call, which left the already small pre-wedding dinner even smaller. At the last minute, Puck arrived fresh from his base, and joined Quinn, Joe and Sugar at the small gathering at Brittany's house. Mrs Pierce had pulled out all the stops, and from the amount of food that she had prepared, she had obviously been anticipating far more guests than they currently had. They were joined by Kitty, Artie, Marley and Ryder about half an hour after the official starting time; their flight from New York had been delayed. From that moment on, there was more of a party atmosphere.

"It seems a shame that there are so few of us here," remarked Artie, "but the simple fact is that as we all get older, life gets in the way all the more often. Rachel will be on stage right now, as will Cooper, entertaining the crowds on Broadway. The diner also had to be staffed, and that tied up most of the others in New York. Mike and Tina did fly back with us, but his father wanted to host a big family party for him to celebrate his success, and I don't blame Mike for agreeing to it. His dad used to look down on his dancing, but he certainly isn't doing that now…"

"Mercedes will be flying in overnight with the rest of the West Coast contingent on that private jet she gets to use. Of course, it is actually Thad that I feel sorry for tomorrow. He has the whole graduation ceremony to deal with before he can even think about enjoying the wedding tomorrow. As it happens, I think that I will be expected to show face at the ceremony too…" added Puck.

"As an honorary Warbler, I think that it is a given that you and Mike will have to show face," laughed Quinn. "I guess that Santana will be excused from that, given that she will be preoccupied with something else! At least you will not have to model your new official Warbler uniform tomorrow, unlike the others. I mean, it looks good, but with the temperatures that they are forecasting, I just hope for their sakes that the air con in Dalton is working…"

As had been predicted by the weather forecasters, the sun was shining from an almost cloudless sky when people began to wake up the following day. For the two brides to be, it was the start of a period of preparation, as they got ready for that moment when they were united for good. It was true that they had been living together for quite some time now, and nobody regarded them as anything other than a couple, but this was putting it out there to the world; to all of those that hated the idea that they could be together and happy. They would be together, and it would be written in law. No-one could separate them after this, and if they tried, well the consequences would not be pretty. Santana's reputation would ensure to that, and there was also the fact that when someone hurt her or her friends, Brittany could be quite spiteful too.

It was also a big day for Dalton Academy. Surprisingly for a boy's school where there was no tolerance of bullying, and where young gay men could be themselves and feel safe and secure, this would be the first gay wedding ever held on the premises. The law changes had come too late to allow others that had graduated recently from taking advantage of the location as a wedding venue, and everyone was in agreement that it was still far too early for Colin and Edward to be considering taking the big step. There was however general agreement that when their day came, they would choose to marry here in the place where all the bad memories of their time under the ruthless rule of Hunter Clarington had been erased by the light of all the love and affection that they felt towards each other.

The majority of the guests that had been invited would arrive at Columbus airport between eight and nine that morning. This had meant a very early start for all of those on the east coast, stumbling blearily around airports in the early hours of the morning. For those travelling from the west, things had been better, with a much more acceptable departure time, and the comfort of being able to travel on a private jet. It didn't mean that things were any easier for them; both David and Thad had their forthcoming finals to look forward to, and they had both brought books and pads full of class notes with them, so that they did not miss any opportunity that arose to study. David had also brought his laptop with him, so that he could continue with his programming work, which was a key component of his eventual degree. It was that element of his work that had secured him his post college job. He now admitted freely that it was with Google, as most had guessed, but he had also had an offer from Microsoft.

As for Mercedes, she was in the middle of laying down some new tracks for her forthcoming album. She had taken a few days off for the wedding, and had informed her label bosses that she intended to relax and get into the headspace that she needed to perform at her best. As the tracks that she had already released were doing so well, they had no issue with her doing this; the fact that she had also promised to give a brief interview with the media on arrival in Ohio had helped her case.

The group from the west had arrived first, but as they awaited for Mercedes to return from her interview, they spotted a group of familiar faces arriving on the redeye from Newark. Sebastian and Dave appeared first, the former clutching a large cup of coffee to keep himself awake; Nick and Jeff followed, with the latter being more or less held up by the former. Behind them came Beats, Flint, Ethan and Elliott, all of whom appeared to be much more awake, but then they all knew that appearances could be deceptive at the best of times. They sat down to join the others, it making sense for them all to travel in the same shuttle bus to Dalton; the moment that Flint sat down, he started to snore, leaning against Beats, much to everyone's amusement. In addition to their ordinary bags, all of the former Warblers were carrying a suit bag, which held their new dress uniform. As they all chatted, ignoring the rhythmic sound coming from Flint, they discussed the time that the others would appear; Izzy was coming later, having declined an invitation to graduation, and would arrive with Rachel, Cooper and Grace. The first two had both been on stage the night before, and would both be back on stage the following afternoon. It was one of the prices of fame; having very little time off for events like this.

The first arrivals were on their way to Dalton by the time that the next group arrived. Sam had chosen to arrive before Rachel, as he was conscious that as he was an honorary Warbler, he should try and make it to the graduation ceremony. Living as he did on the east side of the East River, it had been easier for him to catch a flight from La Guardia. He was in the company of Seth, Trent and Rory; the latter two had travelled up from Washington the day before. They had paid a quick visit to Nick and Jeff in their new home, which both of them had instantly fallen in love with. They had also taken the time to inform Jeff that having seen the house he had inherited in Georgetown, they would like to rent it from him. Sure, it needed a bit of work, but at such a low rent, they could afford to do that, and they would be living in one of the city's prime locations. They had then headed to Bushwick, where they had arranged to stay the night as they always did, long before Jeff's big news. They both agreed as the stood crushed together on the overloaded 'L' train that in future they would accept Niff's offer of a room, as there new home was in a more central location. They just hoped that those in Bushwick would not take offence with them for it. They had broached the subject very tentatively with Sam that night as they ate a takeout dinner; Sam had just laughed, and told them that he was with them on that one. If he lived out of town, he would choose the West Village over Bushwick every time.

Now as they walked through the airport, Sam felt a little worried about how he would fit in with the Warbler dynamic on graduation day. Trent had sensed this as soon as they had boarded the plane, and whilst Rory had dozed at his side, he and Seth had run through every little detail of what usually happened with him. He knew that Nick and Jeff had done exactly the same for Mike some time before, and he was hopeful that someone would have spoken to Puck, otherwise he too might feel out of place. In that area he need not have worried; Puck had, like Sam, been concerned about the whole thing from the off, and had enlisted the assistance of an expert in the shape of Wes. The two of them had gone over everything one night when Puck was alone on guard duty, and the two of them could talk freely. Having talked to the expert, it was safe to say that Puck now felt that he could handle anything that they day might throw at him with confidence.

Graduation was scheduled to commence at 10.30am prompt; by 10am that morning, all of the guests at the wedding that were also ex-Warblers had arrived, and had changed into their new uniforms. As they all assembled in the Senior Commons, they were all unusually self-conscious, worried about the way that the new clothing would look, it being far more tailored and better cut than the standard uniform that they had been used to until then. When the door opened and Principal Lefevre walked in, they all got to their feet, and stood in silence as she appraised them.

"Well I have to agree that they do look 100% better than the normal uniform. They flatter all of you, and they stand out. You will certainly be set apart from what the rest of the school is wearing in those. I can therefore see that the decision that I have made to order similar uniforms for all of the Warblers for use in competition purposes from now on was a wise one; and who knows, maybe in time something can be done to improve the standard uniform too. Anyway, back to the reason that I came in. Mr Harwood, could I have a quick word with you in private, firstly about today, and secondly about things that will take place next term? As the newest member of the teaching staff, there are a few things that I need to appraise you of in advance." Thad nodded and with a glance to David to indicate that he was now in charge, he stepped out of the room.

"It still seems so strange really," remarked Trent. "The idea that this time next year, Thad will be on the staff here; no longer just a former pupil, but a fully paid up member of the faculty."

"I think that he is having a little problem with that concept himself from time to time," David replied. "Once he is here, I am sure that he will be fine. He will adopt his full blown Wes style persona, and I think that he will have a whole new generation of Warblers just waiting on his every word."

Outside in the corridor, Principal Lefevre had first informed Thad in the strictest confidence of the names of the winners of both the Klaine Medal and the Montgomery Cup this year. She then asked him if he would be good enough to make the presentation himself; in anticipation, she had already reserved him a seat on the stage. Thad could only nod, before she moved on to practical details for the following year, namely where his classroom was going to be, and how his provisional schedule was shaping up.

"The freshman class next year is set to be the largest for several years, and we are also welcoming a number of new students into both the sophomore and junior classes. Dalton has bounced back from its troubles, thankfully, and that is thanks in no little part to yourself and your classmates being such shining examples of behaviour in your public lives. You should all be very proud of yourselves; I know that most of you would say that a lot of it was down to Wes, but now I believe that there is as much credit due to you and the others from your time for the inspiration that you have given to the younger boys. I am thrilled to be welcoming you back her to join the staff, and I am sure that you will inspire the same level of discipline and humanity in the next generation of Warblers as Wes managed to instil in your own." Thad blushed heavily, and that made her smile. "So, if you could have everyone assembled in the auditorium by 10.25, I would be grateful…"

"Consider it done, ma'am," he replied, and she nodded before walking away in the direction of the auditorium. Thad stayed where he was for a moment, taking a breath, and looking around, almost as if he was listening to the echoes of the past generations of young men that had passed that way. He was about to walk back into the Senior Commons when he heard someone calling out his name. He turned and saw someone that he had never expected to see again standing there; a young man that he had been informed had washed his hands both of the school, and of his former classmates. Now it appeared as if he was back…

"Hey, Thad!" came the voice once more, this time filled with a little more hesitation, as if the speaker was having serious doubts about whether they should carry on. He started to walk towards him, talking as he did so. "I thought that it was you. What did the Principal want with you, and what on earth has happened to your uniform?"

"The uniform that I am wearing today is a special dress version, designed to make us look good, and purpose made by hand for each of us. The Principal wanted to see me in connection to my new role here; next term I will be the newest member of staff in the History and Classics Department. Enough of me - what brings you here today, Cameron? The last that I heard, you had told anyone that would listen that you were finished with Dalton," replied Thad testily.

"Yeah, I erm, I did say that, but I was wrong. This place… it's special. I bumped into Louis last month, by chance, at the airport in Philadelphia. He wasn't exactly pleased to see me, and I don't blame him, but we ended up talking. Well, he talked, and I listened in the main. He told me that the Warblers were back on track, and that they had become an important part of his life once again. He told me how all of the guys that had been here whilst Wes was around and after for that matter had bonded, and still saw each other, and I realised what was missing in my life; the camaraderie that we had when I was part of that special group of young men. I did a lot of thinking, and so I decided that I should take the plunge. I came here today to try and find you all, and then to try and make amends for all the things that I did and said when the whole situation was going on. The Senior Commons seemed like the most obvious place to start my search…."

Thad nodded, but he said nothing. He was in a bit of a quandary, if he was being honest. There was still quiet a bit of resentment amongst those Warblers that he was closest to with regards to the stance that some former members of their brotherhood had taken over the steroid scandal. They had been upset that their alma mater had been linked to one of the worst forms of cheating, and the assumption was made that those that had been present at the time had been complicit; willing to take the drugs of their own free will. Even Thad had to admit that he and David for that matter had harboured those doubts until the day that Wes called them on Skype, and had asked them if they seriously thought that Nick would have taken them out of choice, or Jeff for that matter, if there had been another option for themselves. Wes had been right of course when the full story emerged, but even now there were some that did not know the full extent of the horrors that had been perpetrated here by Hunter. Thad had a strong suspicion that Cameron fell into that group…

As he always did, Thad tried to think what Wes would have done had he been the one stood where he was now; he knew at once what the response of his boyfriend would have been. "Well, Cameron, I am going to be completely honest and frank with you. For some time, a lot of us were very hurt by what we saw as the desertion of the team by those that had been active members just a few months earlier, and those hurt the most were those boys who were now in the senior class. I know that first Trent and then Wes himself tried to reach out and explain what had gone on quietly; then of course, the whole sorry tale came out in court… Up until that trial, some of the worst horrors had been kept back as people tried to move on with their lives and forget. However, I am still hopeful that everyone will do what Wes himself would have done in these circumstances; forget the fact that you ignored the pleas for support and unity, and start afresh, the past forgotten - but they might not. The fact that you expressed your opinions on those involved far more vocally than most will not help your case…"

Thad stopped as he looked at Cameron, whose head was bowed, unable to meet his eyes. "What I did was wrong, Thad, and I accept that now, but at the time… The fact was that I was having a really hard time at college, and when everything blew up about Dalton, people used it as a weapon to attack me more than they already were. So I decided to lash out at my true friends, in the hope of keeping the few so-called friends I had made at college… It wasn't enough, and all the pressure built, and it culminated in me being kicked out of school, and that was the final straw. Things really fell apart for me, and I suffered a total breakdown; I ended up in hospital for a few months…" Cameron paused, and looked up, to see the sympathetic look on Thad's face. "I'm still taking meds, but I am back at school, taking the classes that I really wanted to, not the ones that my father thought I should, and I am doing well. As well as the meds, I am still seeing somebody on a regular basis, and one of their suggestions was that I needed to face up to my mistakes. Cutting my links to Dalton and the Warblers was one of the biggest errors; just being back here right now is making me feel happy. But I am a realist; if the guys can't forgive me, then it's ok. Just being here is great, and seeing you Thad, well that was a bonus. By the way, the new uniform is really great…"

Thad smiled, and then said, "Right, come on then, let's go and see what the guys say. There is no point in you coming here and not finding out."

There was a buzz of happy chatter in the room as Thad walked back in. Photographs were being taken as they all showed off the new uniform for the first time, and as he entered, Sebastian and Trent had just struck a pose, much to general amusement, as they pretended to be catwalk models. Thad felt the eyes of most of the room turn to him for a second, before they flicked back to the two young men larking about in the middle of the floor. As Thad then noticed that Mitch and David were sitting on the council table, he saw the latter's eyes widen as they observed who was standing behind his friend in the doorway, and for a second, his smile vanished, but just as quickly it returned.

"Gentleman, can I have a bit of hush please!" yelled Thad, his hand poised to extract Mr Bangy from the pocket of his blazer. As the noise died down almost instantly, he continued. "Three things. Number one, this is not the set of _Zoolander_ , nor a backstage area in Paris or Milan, so can we please all act with our usual decorum. Number two, just because Wes is not here and I had left the room, that does not mean that anyone can sit on the council table; and number three, we have a visitor that we all need to listen to before we pass judgement. Cameron, the floor is yours…"

As Cameron stepped into the room, there was a stony silence. Looks were exchanged, and not all of them were friendly. Trent left Sebastian's side, and headed over, David joining him as he walked across. "Hey Cam, it is so good to see you. Welcome home to the madhouse," said Trent, before he pulled the other man into a hug.

Thad sighed inwardly in relief, as he saw David proceed to copy Trent; a quick glance around the room showed him that there was still a lot of hostility out there towards him. Thad knew what he needed to do, and with Cameron's permission, he explained the circumstances of his moving away from their group. There was silence as he did so, and he watched as faces softened; he also heard a sniff, and saw a sympathetic glance from Jeff towards the man standing head bowed beside him. Jeff had suffered a breakdown himself, after all, but his had only seen him confided to hospital for a couple of nights. That had been long enough…

After Thad had finished, there was an unspoken agreement in the room. Although Cameron's rejection of them had hurt deeply at the time, he had had his reasons. Now that they knew them, they could not bear a grudge towards someone that had been one of the most liked and popular Warblers they had known. When Thad asked the question, as a tense Cameron waited at his side, he was accepted back into the fold without a single objection. Thad was delighted with the decision, and knew that Wes would be so proud of his boys…


	35. Graduations & a Wedding : Part III

**Graduations & a Wedding : Part III**

From a discrete position near the door, Wes and Blaine had stood and listened to the entire exchange. When Blaine had first spotted Cameron, he had immediately called for Wes, expecting fully that he would intercede in some way. He had however chosen not too, as he had every confidence that Thad would be able to deal with the situation and not for the first time, his confidence in his boyfriend and indeed his entire flock had not been misplaced. After hearing the result of the conversation, Wes smiled to himself. "It is at moments like this," Wes said quietly to Blaine, "that I feel that little glow of pride that I helped to shape these young men into the good people that they are. Life has not been kind to them, but that has never changed their actions. Poor Cameron has suffered in the last few years by the sound of things, and it takes real courage to actually admit that. Jeff never talks about his brief sojourn in hospital after his own breakdown as we both know, but when he heard about Cameron's plight, you could see his sympathy growing. If those two end up alone somewhere, then I can see Jeff opening up about his own experience, as it is something that only the two of them have shared, at least so far."

"The only problem that I can foresee here is that Cameron cannot see or hear us. From what I can recall, Cam was always good at picking up vibes in the room, and on working out if someone had a secret. If he thinks that he is the odd one out in the group, then that can't be a good thing, can it?" pondered Blaine.

"No, but there is a quick fix available for that; with Mitch we had time to prepare, to pre-warn him of our presence if you like. I don't want to do it, but we could if necessary activate the emergency protocol…"

"You mean use the 'dream state?' That's not great…"

"No, but we might have to. If we leave him thinking that he dreamed the entire day after this, it will worry him, but if we have to, we do. We needn't worry about that now though; he hasn't picked up on anything, and hopefully, on this one occasion, he won't. I don't want to have to use that final resort, so just now, we need to get out of the way. They will all be heading to the auditorium any moment, and if they don't see us, then there will be nothing for him to pick up on." Blaine nodded at Wes, and they vanished from the corridor, heading to the auditorium to stand to one side, able to see but not to be seen; after all, they did not want to miss out on the days events.

Graduation that year was quite straightforward compared to those of the previous few years. There was much chatter about the far more fashionable appearance of the Warblers alumni when they took their spot alongside the current group of boys on the stage, and all of it was favourable. Opening songs were sung, and the first of the speeches were made. Colin, as the valedictorian that year, made a passionate speech in which he praised both the staff and his fellow students, then segued onto a discussion of the times that they were now living in, with the effect of those changes being felt around the world, with things that had once seemed steadfast falling aside.

"It is nice to know," he said in conclusion, "that in these fast changing times, Dalton is still here as a beacon of hope; a stable place on which we can depend. In this place, we will always find a home, and from this place, we will all take away friends that will stay with us forever. As they say, once a Dalton boy, always a Dalton boy. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Class of 2016 will always be grateful for everything that we take from here, but we will be most grateful for all of that friendship in a cold and at times confusing world." With those final words, he finished, then took a bow as the applause echoed round the room. He rejoined the ranks of the Warblers, and they sung the school song with the same gusto that it had been sung with for over a century.

Then it was Thad's turn to speak. He was less nervous about it than he had been the year before, but he still felt the palms of his hands become moist as he stepped up onto the podium. "Ladies and Gentlemen, it has now been four years since I stood on this stage as a new graduate of this school, and prepared to leave these hallowed halls for the next level of education - college. In a few short weeks, I will finish my degree at UCLA, which means that I will once more stand on a stage in a cap and gown as I mark the end of that chapter. My next step, as some of you will already be aware, brings me full circle; this time next year, the newly graduated seniors will know me as Mr Harwood, one of the staff in the History department, and the faculty advisor to the Warblers. The four years that I have been away have altered me; so much in my life has been lost or changed. In my deepest moments of despair in these years, it was those friends that Colin mentioned in his own speech that pulled me through and saved me from myself. The role that I now have as the Head Warbler gave me a purpose, and the strength to fight through my darkest days."

"In times of trouble, we need our friends, and I'm afraid that one of those troubled times may well be coming to our nation as a whole. The divisive election campaign that we are seeing with our own eyes just now is in the interests of no-one on either side of the political spectrum. We need to put our differences aside and work together to make this great nation of ours a home for all, united in our common goals. That is the ethos of Dalton Academy, and it is a great pity that the rules and standards that are observed here cannot be applied nationally. Until the day that they can be, I promise that I will do my best to instil those concepts and values in the mind of every boy that I have the privilege and indeed honour to teach as a member of the faculty of this our beloved school."

Thad's carefully considered words went down well with everyone that was assembled in the auditorium. He had been careful to ensure that he did not cause upset to anyone that had sympathies for the position of Mr Trump, knowing that even at liberal minded Dalton, there would be parents and pupils that had a more right wing stance than the others. Most people had seen exactly what he had been stating, but his words, like those of Colin before him, could be interpreted in a number of ways. Still, it was not until Principal Lefevre gave him a nod of approval that he felt able to relax a little. After all, his next task, giving out the Montgomery Cup for the first time, would be no great hardship.

"It is now my duty and indeed pleasure to hand out for the first time a new award. Most people in this room will have heard of Wesley Montgomery, former Head Warbler, valedictorian of the class of 2011, and one of the most universally popular students that this school has ever known. His tragic early death in a road traffic accident in the late summer of 2014 shook us all, and was a reminder of the fleeting nature of our time here. This cup was created to reward the boy, or indeed boys, that have done the most to ensure that the welfare of his fellow man is protected; to ensure that all people are respected, and that tolerance is promoted and encouraged in our all too fractured society. It is my great delight to award this trophy to someone that was not merely selected by the Principal, or even by the faculty, but was nominated by his fellow students an overwhelming number of times. He is a young man that puts his own needs last at times; who has worked tirelessly to support his fellow students; participated in several clubs, one of which he lead; and in his spare time, regularly volunteered to assist at the soup kitchen in Columbus. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is highly fitting that the first Montgomery Cup should go to a Head Warbler; please put your hands together for Mr Skylar Willetts!"

There was immediately thunderous applause from around the room as a blushing Skylar stepped from his spot amongst the Warblers and headed towards Thad to accept his trophy. What was most gratifying to him at that moment was the fact that the loudest of the cheers came from the lacrosse team, whose captain he had tutored in both math and Spanish; the dramatic society, where he had lent his voice to a highly successful performance of Shakespeare's _Twelfth Night_ ; and from the school governors, in their spot at one side of the stage, all of whom had witnessed his charity works in person. When the noise died down, the cup now in his hands, he stepped up to the lectern, and spoke.

"I would firstly like to thank every person that nominated me for this honour. I am sure that there are others here who are just as deserving of this award as me, and so I would like to dedicate it to them too. I am also aware that there is a small financial reward connected to this trophy; I would ask that it be donated on my behalf to the Salvation Army, who run the soup kitchen where I volunteer, so that it can go to helping ensure that the essential service that they provide can be continued. My only hope now is that the boys that I encourage to accompany me there from the lower years can still carry on my good work now that I am leaving for college." With that, Skylar stopped, and after a moment to compose himself, left the stage. Thad followed him, making a mental note that one of the first things he would do in his role as a teacher here would be to volunteer to escort those other boys to Columbus, and then encourage others to join them in following in Skylar's footsteps.

The time for the official ceremony was drawing nearer, but there were still a handful of other cups and indeed medals to hand out. The last of these was the Klaine Medal, which this year was handed to a student that had spent the year battling a long term and debilitating illness, but through all of that had still managed not to miss a single coursework deadline, had gone on to excel in their exams, and had still found time and energy to assist with the yearbook. At the back of the room, the two angels after whom the award was named were enthusiastic in their applause, in complete agreement with the choice that had been made.

Then it was the moment for the certificates of graduation to be handed out, in strict alphabetical order, as was the norm. This meant that those assembled in the room did not have long to wait to hear the call of "Colin Kenneth Baxter" from Principal Lefevre, and then witness the smiles of his parents and the not quite so restrained cries of encouragement from Edward in his spot with the other alumni Warblers. It did then seem like forever before Skylar's name was announced, but the applause for him was every bit as warm and gratifying. From his spot at the back, Wes suddenly found that his eyes were moist, and both Kurt and Blaine knew why. With the graduation of those two senior boys, the last of the boys that had sung with his own flock had finally come to the point where they flew the nest. It was the end of an era in some ways, but the start of something new and wonderful too. As of next year, the graduates would have worked under the tutelage of Thad, and through him, there was still a connection to those days of the past.

As the majority of those that had attended the graduation ceremony headed into the grounds to take the usual graduation photos, the Warblers made their way through the school, as soon as politeness would allow, to go and assist with the final preparations for the day's other big event - a wedding. Whilst the graduation ceremony had been taking place, the rest of the brides' closest friends had arrived, as had the two ladies in question, of course. They would not don their wedding outfits until the last moment; for now, they were all sat in the modest surroundings of the Junior Commons, a room normally used for the meetings of the bulk of the non-sporting societies at the school. It had been transformed into a room for the brides to relax in as they awaited their big moment. Santana's dress was hanging up in a small ante-room off it; Brittany's was hanging up in the cloakroom of the Principal's office, so that she could approach the stairwell from the opposite direction to her future wife. Quinn and Sugar, as the two official bridesmaids, were in charge of the room; they had now banished Ryder, Jake, Joe and Artie from the room, sending them to join the Warblers, former, current and honorary, as they gathered in the Senior Commons nearby.

The atmosphere was convivial as the two ladies from the beauty parlour that had been recommended by Principal Lefevre worked their magic on the two brides-to-be, with both of the bridesmaids already done. Kitty was flipping through a pile of wedding magazines that were in the room, claiming she was only doing so as there was nothing else she could do; Marley had her suspicions though that Kitty was already starting to plan out her own ceremony in however many years time it came. Rachel and Mercedes were comparing notes career wise, and for once they were not fighting, mainly because no-one was mentioning two words; private jet. There was no sign of either of the bride's mothers, but that might well have been down to Edith Carmichael, who had, with assistance from Carole, organised a quiet luncheon just for the ladies.

All was calm and going to plan - until the moment that a shadow fell across the room from the doorway, and Sue strode in. She had been invited to the ceremony, naturally enough, but no-one had expected her to appear this early in the day. "So this is where you are all hiding from the preppies and the mothers. I am glad that I was able to track the two brides down, as there was something I wanted to say to you before the actual ceremony. I know that we have had our differences of opinion over the years…." She paused briefly as Rachel choked at that statement, and Tina scoffed. "…but I have come to realise that the two of you are the nearest I will ever have to daughters; well you and all the other Cheerios. I wanted to get you something special as a wedding gift. I considered an all expenses paid vacation to Lesbos, or even a portrait of myself to remind you of me in your marital home - lifesize naturally - but my campaign for Congress has left me with too little time to pose, and I have never had patience with travel agents. So I had a moment of inspiration. I would get you something that would make your day totally complete; something that you had wished for, but had felt was impossible to obtain. It wasn't easy to get, believe you me. Anyway, I'm afraid that it would not stay still long enough for me to gift wrap it, so I will just have to hand it over to you as it comes…"

Sue returned to the door, opened it, and revealed what she had concealed. For a moment, Brittany had hoped for a unicorn, but what she saw standing there was so much better. As for Santana, she could only gasp as she saw the figure of her Abuela standing there, dressed in her best clothes, and wearing what she had always called her wedding hat…

Afterwards they would all find out exactly how Sue had persuaded her to abandon her decision not to attend, and make the first repairs to her relationship with her only granddaughter. There would be those that would gasp in abject horror at the things she had said; those, including Wes, who would admit that Sue's use of reverse psychology had been textbook. Sue asking her if she would like to come with her to join in stoning the two brides, or setting fire to Dalton Academy so that it burnt to the ground, had left the older woman horrified. She had protested at once, telling Sue that she loved her granddaughter, and that she would never wish her, or anyone closely connected to her, harm. That was when Sue pointed out that there was only one person that was causing Santana any sadness or harm in the whole wedding business…

They had ended up having a discussion over tea and cake, and now, although she still did not really approve of two people of the same sex marrying each other, her grandmother saw that she was causing Santana distress. Plus there was another truth in all of it, one that was inescapable; she still loved her granddaughter, and she missed her being in her life. It was clear from the way that the two woman embraced in that room at Dalton that the feeling there was entirely mutual. With perfect timing, Santana's mom also walked in at just that moment, and she also could witness the unexpected reconciliation. It was with great happiness that Santana would leave that room to get dressed next door, in the company of Quinn, her mom, and her beloved Abuela.

The appointed hour finally arrived. Those Warblers that were closest to Santana and Brittany had agreed to act as ushers for the ceremony; they had greeted the guests at the main entrance as they arrived, and then had guided those that had not visited the school before through the corridors to the staircase. The Warblers had been as much in awe of the transformation of that part of the school as the two brides when they first saw it. At the staircase itself, the job of chief usher had fallen to Sebastian, at the request of Santana. He could charm the birds from the trees if he needed to, but at the same time, could deal calmly with pretty much any crisis that arose. He cut a very dashing figure in his new, tailored uniform, and he knew it - the hungry glances that he kept getting from Dave, sat near the back with Elliott, were ample confirmation of that. He was being assisted in his task by Trent; he had decided that Nick and Jeff would be better deployed in ensuring that people did not get lost between the front door and the venue. He was also pretty certain that they would not have been able to control themselves and would have ended up having a fit of the giggles when they had been informed that Brittany's dad's first name was also Pierce; he was having a hard enough time himself, as was Trent, but those two goobers would have laughed hysterically at the idea that someone had seen fit to give him that name.

Sebastian was as pleased as everyone else when he was informed of the last minute addition to the guest list; he had turned his full charm on the lady in question when she arrived, complimenting her on her clothes and hat. Behind her, Mrs Lopez had rolled her eyes, and shook her head, but she was smiling nonetheless. In doing so, it meant that he left Trent to deal with the formidable Mrs Pierce, but now that he had met her, Trent was suddenly able to explain a lot of things about Brittany. The mothers were the final guests to be seated; the celebrant, a young woman, was already in her spot, three steps up. Nick and Jeff appeared, with David and Thad, who had been manning the front door itself, and whispered to him that the brides were on their way. Sebastian glanced down one corridor to see Santana approaching on the arm of a proud looking Puck; she was looking more radiant than he had ever seen her, as did Quinn walking right behind her. He turned his head in the other direction and saw Brittany, looking every inch the fairytale princess, walking towards him with Mike on one side, and Sugar, looking fit to burst, bringing up the rear. He smiled to himself, then hastened to join his fellow Warblers at the foot of the stairs.

The two brides entered the room to music, of course. Mercedes and Artie performed a beautiful duet of _At Last_ , which touched all of them, pulling on every heartstring, and also making some laugh at how long it had taken them to get here. As Santana passed her grandmother, the lady in question had to pull out a tissue, as seeing the beauty of her granddaughter got the better of her emotions - and seeing her doing so almost set Santana off in tears too. Instead she let her eyes wander around the room, heading towards the back where Sue was now sitting next to Shannon Bieste and the Schuesters, and mouthed the words 'Thank you!' at her, which was acknowledged with a small nod. She then turned to look at her bride, her smile radiant as she took the final steps down the aisle to arrive at her side. The dress she had chosen suited her exactly, and all Santana could think was that this was the best moment of her life so far. Then the music had stopped, and the moment had arrived… But then she saw that Sebastian had broken ranks, and was holding up his hand for silence. All she could think was if that meerkat ruined her big moment, then she was going to end him…

"Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the Warblers, I would like to extend to you all a warm welcome to Dalton Academy. As many of you will be aware, one of the final acts of the late and much missed Head Warbler, Wes Montgomery, was to confer on Santana the title of Honorary Warbler. She is the first woman ever to be given that title, and that is the reason why we are gathered here to witness this marriage, and not in a barn… Anyway, that also means that she falls under the strict rules and traditions that exist regarding Warbler weddings at this school. Santana, you told us that we did not need to sing for you. That is true, but we are obliged to do so by a tradition that dates back to the earliest date of this choir's existence. There was a great deal of debate about song choice, but in the end we all agreed that based on what we know about you, there could be only one choice…"

"If he starts singing _Devil Woman_ , then we will all need to restrain her," a voice was heard to whisper at that point, causing some hastily stifled laughter as Santana glared in the correct direction.

"Trust me, that was suggested in jest, but swiftly rejected on the grounds that these new uniforms were expensive, and blood stains are hard to shift. Instead, we all agreed on my initial choice, which goes something like this…"

A chorus of dum-dums began as the Warblers began on an acapella version of the classic _Make Someone Happy_. Santana's eyes began to get moist as the song went on. It fitted absolutely perfectly; after all, her world was built around Brittany. The fact that Jimmy Durante was her Abuela's favourite singer meant that the older woman was aglow with happiness too. Santana then noted that it was not just the Warblers that were singing; all of the former New Directions had joined in too. By the time the song reached its end, Brittany was crying, her own heart was bursting, but then came the final coup de grace. Sebastian pointed up discretely, and on looking above, she saw four angels hovering there, singing the final lines of the song in a high pitch that was easy for Kurt, but a struggle for the others. As the room erupted in applause, she stepped forward and pulled Sebastian into a hug, whispering the words "Thanks, Meerkat" in his ear.


	36. Graduations & a Wedding : Part IV

**Graduations & a Wedding : Part IV**

The wedding ceremony itself was beautiful, and went off without a single hitch. There were moments when people were moved once more to tears; moments of smiles and laughter; and a moment when some people just watched open mouthed as Lord Tubbington strolled in, heading straight for the two brides, with a couple of ring boxes strapped to his back. That was certainly a first for Dalton. The cat then proceeded to curl up contentedly at the foot of the stairs for the remainder of the wedding, only getting up again when there was applause as the celebrant finally declared that the two young women were now legally married. The legal side of the day over, the guests remained where they were as the two brides climbed up the stairs to the upper level for another of those great wedding traditions; the tossing of the bouquets. When they were thrown into the throng below, one was immediately caught by Sugar; the other was just missed by Tina, and fell with a thud into Colin's lap. This was thankfully not noticed by many as the young man blushed, and quickly passed it on to Tina instead. Mike had noticed, and looked mightily relieved that she had not grabbed it; Nick suspected that this was because he was nowhere near ready to actually marry her.

The expression on Joe's face as Sugar had caught the bouquet was also observed by Nick, and it left him confused; he looked almost guilty as he saw her catch it, and for the life of him, Nick could not work out why he would feel that way. Then Nick realised that Joe had caught him staring at him, and he hastily turned his attentions elsewhere, hoping that the other man would forget what he had just been doing. After all, it was now time for the lengthy business of photographs, and the wedding guests had risen from their seats and where now mingling happily as they waited for their moment to appear in one of the snapshots.

After his own moment in the spotlight, Nick found himself alone for a moment, Jeff having been asked by Thad to follow him for a moment as he wanted a private word. He was not alone for long; Joe strolled over and spoke quietly. "So, you seemed to find me very interesting for a moment there, Nick? Any particular reason?"

"No, not really…" Nick began, then thought the better of bluffing. "Well, to be honest, I was just very curious about the expression on your face when Sugar caught the bouquet. I just would not have imagined that being an issue for you here, amongst friends. I know that you love her, and even if your families are not on side, if she makes you happy there is no reason why the two of you shouldn't be next."

Joe smiled, and shook his head. "Now, I do like the reasoning there. You are right; we should be together, even if others disagree. The thing is that the bouquet was not necessary…" Joe suddenly pulled Nick further into the corner in which they were standing, away from prying eyes. With his back to the rest of the room, Joe unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt, which revealed that he had a black cord around his neck, hanging on which was a gold ring.

Nick looked at it with curiosity for a moment, and then his eyes widened slightly as he realised what it symbolised. "It was too late for her to catch the flowers, wasn't it? She is already Mrs Sugar Hart…"

Joe nodded, then spoke again. "We got married last week. I was advised that it was for the best for us, particularly with my path in the ministry. It also gives us the added security of having a certificate if her family found out she was here today. Her dad once said that he would kill me before he let me marry his daughter; now, I think that he would kill both of us. That's why we don't come back often, and stay away from the big events. We couldn't miss today, but I am constantly looking over my shoulder. My biggest fear now is what will happen to us when and if all of it comes out. It might not happen today, but it will one day. It is inevitable. It keeps me awake some nights, worrying about the future. I mean, Sugar and I both want a family, and I worry what would happen to our kids if anything happened to us. If it did, I would not want them going to either of our families."

Nick shook his head at the whole horror of the situation. "Look, if there is anything at all that Jeff and I can do, ever, then just ask. We both know only too well about parental disapproval. I mean that; in fact, if you do have kids, and something happens to you, then Jeff and I will take care of them."

Joe smiled, and placed a hand on Nick's arm. "That is actually good to know. You and Jeff will be great dads one day, and if you're certain, and Jeff is too for that matter, then I will take you up on that promise. Hopefully it will never come to that point, but it is good to have something in place if it does. Ok, I seem I am being summoned by my wife for a picture. Just now, let's keep what we just discussed between us. I'll tell Sugar, and you tell Jeff, but no further…." With that, Joe walked off, as Nick nodded in agreement.

Across the room, Jeff had found himself between Thad and David, the two of them with serious expressions on their faces. It was Thad that spoke up first. "Right. So, Cameron. I'm pleased that we have him back, but at the same time, it does give me cause for concern. I think that he is holding back a few things, and that isn't good for him. He is unlikely to share those things with either myself or David. We both agree that he might open up more with someone that has been in the position that he has found himself in themselves. Someone that has been over the edge, so to speak, themselves, albeit very briefly in their case…"

Jeff looked at Thad quizzically, and for his part, David just sighed. "Thad is trying to be diplomatic here, but sometimes… We are both of the opinion that Cam would benefit from a proper discussion about all the issues surrounding his mental breakdown with somebody that has also had one - and that would be you, Jeff. We would like you to take a little time out today for an one on one discussion with him, so that he feels less like the odd one out amongst us because of what he has been through."

"Those couple of days that I spent in the hospital are not something I like to think about, let alone discuss, if I am honest," replied Jeff. "However, I can see your point, and I have always kind of liked Cam… If you can set it up, in one of the little study rooms by the library, then I will talk. Bear in mind though that Cameron might not wish to do so."

"We know, Jeff, but we would like to give him the opportunity," Thad replied. "We will set it up for sometime after the wedding dinner, but before the Warblers' senior party, ok?"

Jeff nodded in reply, but he felt nervous about the whole thing, and couldn't help but wonder exactly what he had just got himself into.

The wedding reception was being held in the main dining room at Dalton; to those that had not been a student at the school, the room was a revelation, with historic grandeur, tables covered with crisp, white linens, and a group of well attired waiting staff, ready to offer the kind of service people would expect in a fancy hotel. The Warblers did nothing to disabuse the notion that this was how they had eaten lunch every day. They didn't point out that beneath those white tablecloths were the same old, battered tables they had eaten off, day in, day out, and that behind the line of wooden shuttering was a lunch counter not entirely dissimilar to that at McKinley. "It always did scrub up well," David whispered to Thad as they made their way to their allotted table, where they would be joining Mercedes, Flint, Ethan and Matt Rutherford. His inclusion on the guest list had been a surprise to some, but Brittany had reminded Santana that he had been a core member of the New Directions right at the very start, and so it was only fair that they invited him.

The Dalton boys had of course seen the room dressed up this way before for other weddings and events; on those weekends in their boarding days, they had been allowed to order takeout, within a strict budget; they still all had their memories of pizza nights in the Warblers' dorm, or of them all sitting in the Senior Commons, eating the food they had ordered from a variety of outlets, whilst Wes shared a Chinese banquet with those at the council table. Back then, a lot of the younger boys had declined his offer to share; now, thanks to the fact that Trent had ordered it whilst they were recovering from the damage that Hunter had afflicted, they would all quite happily have ordered from the same restaurant as their leader. The food that day was of a far superior quality to that which emerged from the kitchen on a day to day basis, and so the meal was enjoyed amongst the happy noise of voices in conversation.

The speeches when they came were kept brief at Santana's request; indeed, she had sat an egg timer on the table to ensure that. Puck pointed to it the moment he began to speak, and said that the brides' were of the opinion that most people just wanted to get the speeches over and done with, so that they could move on to the dessert or the dancing. He contented himself to saying that the two brides had been beautiful; that Dalton had done them all proud; that the Warblers impromptu song had made Santana cry, and that was an achievement; and then asked them all to toast the newlyweds. Mike got an even bigger laugh when he stood up, and said "Thanks Puck. I give you the brides!" and sat down again. Once the laughter stopped, he stood up again, and made a short speech about how love could conquer anything; that the newlyweds were inspirational, and that he wished them both a long, successful and happy life together.

It was at that point that Brittany's mom got to her feet, totally unplanned, and made a short speech about how she had gained a daughter, and how wonderful that was. Santana did not let her mask slip, smiling as she talked, just praying that she would not mention that barn, as if she started to talk about the circumstances of her daughter's birth, her Abuela would have a fit. Fortunately, Mr Pierce pulled his wife down before she could start, and Puck stood up and quickly moved things on by announcing it was time for the first dance.

All bets were off on what it would be this time. The unpredictable nature of the choices at previous weddings amongst the group had left everyone wary of selecting anything. If they had been expecting a classic romantic ballad though, they would have been out of luck. Brittany had prevailed, and had chosen a song by an artist that she had first heard when a young Irish exchange student had stayed with her family. Thus Rory was overjoyed when the opening bars of _Spinning Around_ by Kylie Minogue were played. The tune was catchy and upbeat, and there were smiles at the line ' _And did I forget to mention that I found a New Direction._ ' Naturally, Rory dragged Trent up to join the brides on the floor at the first chance he got, but the rest of the dance floor soon filled up.

Watching from the back of the room as Kurt and Blaine danced in front of them, Finn and Wes smiled happily. Everything had gone off without a hitch, and the appearance of Santana's grandmother had been the icing on a very fine cake. Kurt's dress designs had been a sensation, and they were now showing the practical nature of their design as the two brides could dance in them without any kind of constraint.

"I have to say that I like this song, and the lady is a good singer too," remarked Wes to his friend.

"I guess," said Finn.

"You would probably like the video that accompanied this song, Finn. All I will say is little gold lamé hotpants…" Wes stifled a laugh as Finn's eyes widened. "It did cause quite a sensation at the time." Finn nodded, and Wes knew that as soon as he got a chance, Finn would be searching out that video online. "It is nice to finally see those two make it official. I kept telling Santana to propose when I was living in Bushwick. It does seem strange to think that my boys are no longer living across the landing from them. Still, that is the way of the world. Everything changes, and we all hopefully move on to better places in the end…"

Several dances later, Thad gave Jeff a look, and he remembered what he had promised to do for him. Cameron had been spending the afternoon chatting to the Carmichaels, and talking to other old friends, but had told Thad that he would head to the Senior Commons and wait there for the start of the Seniors' leaving party. He leant over and whispered in Nick's ear "I have a secret mission to undertake for the Head Warbler, Nicky, so I have to leave for a bit. In the meantime, tell Thad that I said that he was sure to fill in for me if you wanted to carry on dancing."

"I will not ask what the mission is, my love, but I will definitely drag Thad up here and make him dance," replied Nick. "Dancing is more or less compulsory at a wedding, so I feel it would be remiss of us if he missed out on his opportunity."

By the time that Jeff made it out the door, he could feel Thad glaring at him as he was made to dance with Nick; admittedly, his husband had been assisted by both David and Ethan in getting him there. He looked back briefly, and smiled at the sight of Mike waltzing round the edge of the dance floor with Santana's grandmother; they were completely out of synch and style to the music playing, but he was making the older woman smile broadly, and that was all that mattered. That was the thing that you had to do at weddings' try and achieve a balance which left all the generations attending comfortable. Jeff hastened away down the corridor, passing through the stairwell, where the decorations were already in the process of being dismantled in readiness for the arrival of the scaffolding the following day. He came to the door of the Senior Commons, and paused for a moment to take a breath, then opened it. He was relieved to see that Cameron was there, and better yet, that he was alone. That would make his task a lot easier to achieve.

"Hey Jeff! What brings you here, and alone at that? I have been reliably informed that since the two of you got married, it is now nigh on impossible to find you anywhere without the company of Nick," asked Cameron.

Jeff laughed, and responded, "That is usually true, but I have left my husband dragging our reluctant Head Warbler around the dance floor. Since our wedding, he just tends to sit on the sidelines at these kind of things. He misses Wes, and weddings bring things back for him; after all, the only time he ever danced publicly with Wes was at our big day…"

"It was such a tragedy, Wes dying when and how he did. I was told at the time, and I was determined that I would come back for his memorial; but when the day dawned, I just couldn't do it. It depressed me so much even thinking about him being gone, and my parents were worried that coming here then might bring on an 'episode', so I stayed away, and ended up sitting in my room sobbing my heart out."

"Wes would have understood why you couldn't come. There are so many memories here, particularly in this room, for all of us Warblers; some of them good, some of them bad…"

"Most of the memories I have here are good, but I guess that for you and the others that were here when Hunter was - well it must have spoilt your Senior year." He paused, as Jeff nodded, his eyes downcast. "Do you know something? I have been sitting in here for the last half an hour, and I had the feeling that something wasn't quite right in here; something was missing. It was just as you opened the door that I finally realised what it was. The fire irons are gone. Summer or winter, they always sat there at the side of the fireplace. I wonder what happened to them?"

"Trent had them removed…" said Jeff quietly, and then a little shudder went through him as he recalled that night. He realised that this was his way in with Cameron, and so he carried on. "I don't know how much you heard about the events of Hunter's trial?"

"Nothing to be honest with you. That all took place when I was in hospital, and my folks told me I didn't need to know about it…"

"Hunter used the fire irons on me and Nick," Jeff said quietly. There was a gasp of shock from Cameron, and then silence. "I won't go into too much detail, but let us just say that what he inflicted on us was the final straw that broke us, and lead to the truth coming out. He left us scarred for life. The wounds were mainly physical, or at least, that was what we thought at the time. That was until the day that someone dropped the poker on the hearth, just as he had done after he had finished with it, and I just lost my mind. I had a complete breakdown. I was punching Nick, hitting out at Trent and Sebastian… So, you see, you aren't the only one of us that ended up in hospital…"

Cameron looked at Jeff, and nodded in sympathy. He could understand why Jeff had fallen apart - the 'scarred for life' and 'poker' had been enough for him to work out in his head exactly what Hunter had done. Jeff now reached forward, and took Cameron's hand. "I was lucky, I guess. I was in for a few days, not weeks. Nick came and saw me every single day, but what I still remember clearly is how totally helpless I felt on that first night when he had to go. I have never told him this, and I think that he believes that I did not hear him sitting outside my room, in the hallway, just sobbing his heart out. That noise broke my heart in two, but it gave me the strength to fight. I knew that I was loved, and that even if Nick only saw me as a friend, that was more than enough for me. I had to get better for him."

"In that, you were much more fortunate than me. By the time that I was committed to the hospital, I had no-one around that I could really count on. I had alienated myself from all of you, and I had no friends at school. Yeah, I had my parents, but it isn't the same. Nothing is quite the same as having a good circle of friends."

"Well, you have friends now. You know the Warbler motto, and we try to stick to it. I guess what I am saying here is that I am your friend, and if you ever need to talk about anything, give me a call. I know a little more about what you've been through than the others, because I have been where you were." Cameron nodded, and smiled happily at Jeff. It had been a risk coming here today, knowing that he could be rejected. As it happened, he had found he was more than welcome, and better yet, one of his fellow Warblers knew from personal experience exactly where he was coming from.

As the time approached 5pm, the ex-Warblers began to make their excuses and leave the delights of the wedding reception for a party of their own in the Senior Commons. It was part of a long standing tradition that the graduating seniors would sing to their cohorts, and to those alumni who had returned. In a reflection of the year when only Wes, Mitch and Cameron had graduated, the senior group this year was small; in fact, it numbered only two. Only Colin and Skylar had managed to stay the course after the events of Hunter's reign in their freshman year, the only other young man that had been in their age group having left at the end of the previous year when his family had moved overseas. As a result, no-one was expecting the group numbers of the past, although they all knew that Edward would no doubt step in to help them with whatever song they had selected. Sure enough, he made his way to the front with the two new graduates, but behind him walked three juniors, the newly elected council that would run the group the following year under Thad's watchful eye.

Then came the shock, the break from tradition. Skylar went to join the three new councilmen at the back, allowing Edward to stand front and centre with Colin. If they were all honest, it was no great surprise that something like this would happen, given the closeness of the two young men, but it was a break with convention. There were a few grumbles about it from some of the older alumni, but Thad quickly pointed out that the class that had graduated in Hunter's year had performed with Blaine, no longer a Warbler, and Sam, who never was a Warbler; and it was widely accepted that their performance of _YMCA_ had been one of the best ever senior leaving songs. Those that had seen the video evidence had to agree…

When the music started this time, it was another surprise; they had not chosen a contemporary song, but had gone instead for the old Kalin Brothers track _When Will You Be Mine._ The lyrics did of course fit the two singers perfectly, and the two of them flirted outrageously with each other as they sang in perfect harmony. The backing vocals from the others were pitch perfect, the dancing was spot on, and all things considered, it was a great performance. They could all have predicted what was going to happen next, but not the way that it happened. Virtually everyone was expecting that at some point, Edward would get down on one knee, and announce that now Colin was graduating and they were leaving Dalton behind, he wanted them to enter into a formal engagement. So it was a shock when the moment that they finished the song, Colin was the one to get down on one knee - and from the look on his face, it was a shock to Edward too. Skylar came forward, and handed Colin the ring box he had been carrying all day, so that Edward would not find it.

The young man then proceeded to ask Edward for his hand in marriage, hoping that by proposing in the room where they had some of their saddest memories, they could wipe them out and replace them with the happiest one of all. Naturally, Edward agreed, and there were loud cheers from every corner of the room as Colin slipped his ring carefully onto Edward's finger, and then kissed him. Edward had been planning a proposal of his own, and so when he pulled out his own ring box, and slipped a ring on Colin's finger, nobody was surprised. It was the first time that two Warblers had proposed to each other in the room, but all of those gathered there were quite sure that they would not be the last.

The last people that congratulated the happy couple personally in the general round of well wishes afterwards were Nick and Jeff. They had held back for a reason; Seth knew this and he stayed rooted at their side, keeping Skylar with them too. Seth had been asked not to say too much about his inheritance to the three young men in Ohio who would soon be joining them in New York. He had told his three friends that he had managed to find them somewhere to live, but that he could not say any more until he was back at Dalton with them. All day he had managed to evade their big questions about cost, size and location, telling them that he would talk to them later, after the senior party, when they would have an opportunity to find a quiet space so that he could show them photos. They had reluctantly agreed to wait until then, but Seth had been finding it hard not to blurt it all out when he was there with them in person, and the waiting had been hard on the others too…

"So, Jeff and I would like to offer you our warmest congratulations as you start on the road to marriage," said Nick.

"As the longest married couple in the Warblers, it will also be our great privilege to watch over you as you find your feet as an official couple in New York City," added Jeff.

"Thanks guys," said Edward. "It means a lot to us to know that we have your support. You have been an inspiration to us. However, I don't know how closely you will be able to watch us. I know that we will be studying in the city, but by the looks of it, we will be living in New Jersey, whilst you will be on the other side of the metropolis in Bushwick. That's right, isn't it Seth?"

"Actually," said Seth, "I said that I had found somewhere, but it isn't in Jersey City after all. It is somewhere much, much better. The thing is, it would be best if I left all the explanations to Jeff…"

All eyes were at once on Jeff; he almost laughed at the intensity of the looks that he was getting from Skylar and the newly engaged couple, but kept his composure. "I asked Seth to keep quiet about all of this whilst the last of the examinations were taking place, as I did not want to distract you from your studies. Basically what happened is this; when Gordon Clarington died, he left a will in which he bequeathed everything to his son, but failed to use a name. So my mother, with the help of my lovely sister-in-law Grace, went behind my back, and argued that as his son, it should naturally come to me. My inheritance included a row of five townhouses in the West Village of Manhattan, all of them vacant. Nick and I have moved into one with Mike; Beats, Flint and Ethan will also be moving into parts of it soon. Now between us and them there is a house, with a plethora of bedrooms - and I might have put your names on it…"

There was silence for a moment as the three young men stared at each other, then at a smiling and nodding Seth, before turning back to Jeff. "So let me get this right; you have sorted us out a place to stay in the West Village? But isn't that a very expensive part of town," sad Edward. "I mean, it's not that we aren't grateful, because that would be so handy for everything, but we are on a budget…"

"Yes, it is so handy for everything," mused Nick. "Just a couple of blocks from the subway, on a direct line to Colombia for Skylar, and a short walk to NYU for the two of you Edward."

"And as for the budget, well the rent I am charging for the entire place is $10 a month," added Jeff nonchalantly.

There was a squeak from Colin at that point, and looks of shock and disbelief from both Skylar and Edward at that statement. "Okay, so I think that I misheard you there Jeff," stammered Skylar eventually. "I thought that I just heard you say that you would be charging us $120 a year in rent, and that is absurd!"

"Nope, it is what I said. I am sharing out my father's wealth, and to that end, every bit of property I am renting out is at the standard $10 a month. You will have to pay for heat, light, water and taxes, but yeah, it will work out at $20 a year each, as Luke and Duncan will make it six of you sharing. I mean, you don't have to accept my offer; you could go and live in Jersey City if you want…" said Jeff.

"We're not mad!" exclaimed Colin all of a sudden. "We accept, unless it is a total slum, in which case, it's a no!"

"Trust me on this guys," said Seth. "It is in no way, shape or form a slum. It's a palace. We'll be right in the heart of everything; we'll have excellent neighbours, and there is even a hot tub in the garden. It is quite literally the stuff dreams are made of."

Colin leapt forward and hugged Jeff, Skylar quickly following suit. Edward was still frozen in shock as Seth pulled out his phone, and showed his friend the picture he had taken of the outside on his visit, then started to quickly flick through those he had taken inside. "It really is a palace," Edward gasped, as he tried his hardest not to cry tears of happiness. Nick saw that and walked over to him, his arms held open. Edward fell into them gratefully, as he could then hide his face and the tears that were falling from the others in the room; after all, he did have an image to protect.

In the end, the Seniors leaving party merged with the remains of the wedding reception in the refectory. Some of the guests had already left, as they had to be back in New York the following morning; Rachel and Cooper had shows to appear in; Grace had a desk to return to; Elliott had a shift at the Spotlight. Sam had chosen to return with Rachel, and they all understood why; she did not want to be alone in the loft in Bushwick now that there were no neighbours across the landing. It wasn't a bad thing, as it meant that Sam could decorate the loft for the return of the newlyweds the following day; their honeymoon trip to Paris, courtesy of François, was not due to begin until the following week.

The others would all be returning home the following day on early flights. Nick, Jeff and Mike all had late shifts at their respective places of work; Sebastian had to sit backstage at the theatre for the evening show, just in case; and the younger boys had to return to prepare for their house move. The Princeton crowd had to return home to prepare for Tuesday, when they had their official commencement ceremony to attend. Beats and Flint also wanted to check up on how their young protégés had performed at the bar in their first solo show. On top of all of that, they had packing to do too for their own big move to New York as they prepared to say goodbye to study and hello to work.

Thad and David would be heading back to L.A. to a world of final exams, then after their own commencement ceremony, they would be embarking on a cross country road trip as they took the bulk of Thad's belongings to Dalton. He had brought some things with him on this trip, taking advantage of Mercedes having access to a private jet, and they had been installed in what would soon be his new apartment at the school, that came with his job as housemaster. It was a strange feeling for Thad as he watched as everyone enjoyed themselves in that big room; he knew that very soon, he would be back here to stay. It was even stranger to think that the next time he attended a graduation here, he would do so not as an ex-student, but as a member of the faculty…


	37. Graduations & a Wedding : Part V

**Graduations & a Wedding : Part V**

Before he left for New York that Saturday morning, Nick had an early meeting with his mother and Sue Sylvester. He had been concerned when he had heard that they would be working together that the two of them would clash, or that his mom might have succumbed to the pressure that Sue could exert on those around her. Instead, he found his mom looking more energised than she had since the time that the family had moved to Ohio from Illinois, and fully in control and up to speed with everything that was going on. As Nick stepped into the campaign office she greeted him warmly, offered him a coffee, and when he declined, ushered him at once to the door of Sue's office to show him in. Having done so, she made to leave again, but not before she reminded her that she had another meeting in ten minutes with a representative of the Women against Trump campaign. She then walked out, making a call on her phone, and as she shut the door, she had started asking about the latest polling numbers.

"Your mother, it turns out, is a powerhouse when it comes to organisation and motivating people. She has been out there, all day, every day, kicking ass on my behalf since my candidacy was confirmed. I think that the fact that it is your low life father that we are fighting against is an excellent motivating factor. She knows all of his weak spots; only last week she snuck into a venue where he was due to be having an important session with his key backers, and removed all of the Demerara sugar sachets…" Sue began.

"Because she knows that he will only drink coffee with Demerara sugar; he refuses point blank to use white, as his mother was of the opinion that only poor people did so, and they, the Duvals, were above that. I am guessing that it was a morning meeting, so he would not take tea. He would have reacted pretty badly, so it was a shrewd move on my mom's part," Nick replied, with a slight grin.

"From what my sources tell me, Smythe had to physically restrain him, and his language was pretty choice. The fact that the media might have shown up uninvited just before that, and that a couple of their microphones picked up the whole tirade was unfortunate for him as well. What is a pity is that so far, neither of the organisations in question has had the guts to broadcast the tape, but I will persuade them in the end."

"I have no doubt that you will, when the time is right and when it will boost your polling numbers most favourably."

Sue smiled and nodded. "Sweet Porcelain was right when he said that you had a smart head on those diminutive shoulders. He said that you had the ability to see when a small personal sacrifice might be necessary to ensure that your father loses a little bit more of his support. Thanks to your mother and her parents, I have a good group of volunteers going door to door. The fact that a few of them have been pretending, unknown to me, to be from your father's campaign, is getting us a good cross-section of opinion out there. Now before you worry yourself about the legality of that, they are all wearing badges that say 'Republican' on them. I am a Republican candidate, so strictly we are not lying to anyone, are we?"

"No, I guess that much is true, but I don't imagine that Smythe senior would see it that way…"

"If he starts to complain, then I might just have to hint to him that I know that marriages two and three might not have been strictly legal…" Sue smiled as Nick's jaw dropped. "I have a source, and they have given me the leverage that I need; albeit actually using that one will be the very last resort. I'm taking it by the expression on your face that young Sebastian has not shared anything on this with you? In that case, neither have I…"

"Okay, I guess we will just leave that one there for now. I am more curious about what you said about personal sacrifice…"

"Our surveys have shown us that there are a large number of dedicated supporters of Mr Trump, therefore quid pro quo your father, that agree with all of the homophobic rubbish that some people spout, but are totally opposed to violence against young people. They are mainly women, and we think that we could swing those votes to my campaign if they found out about the violence in your father's past."

Nick tensed up, and his face fell. "You mean what happened on the day that I came out, don't you?"

"It has been mentioned to me, yes. At this point I have to say that both your mother and your grandparents were opposed to my even bring this up with you. However, I believe that you are a realist, and you are strong. It would be a last option move again, but if it meant the difference between him or me winning that seat in Congress, would you consider doing it; telling the world that for all of his claims to be a good family man, that has been betrayed by a wife and children brainwashed by the liberals and their agenda, he actually engineered the destruction of his own family by lashing out at his son, whose only crime was to fall in love with another boy… As I said, our research shows that around 20% of your father's voters would come over to me, and with polling the way that it is, those votes could be enough to secure the seat in our favour."

Nick closed his eyes, took a breath, then replied. "I would need to speak to Jeff, because doing that would place both of us under the media spotlight. I'm not saying no straight off, but it is just hard… We could consider coming clean about something else to the media however. I mean, wouldn't it be terrible if the media found out that it was his son that nearly broke Twitter when he kissed his husband in Times Square, live on national television, on New Year's Eve…"

Sue laughed in spite of herself at the way that Nick's eyes had twinkled as he had uttered those words. "Ah, yes… That was of course what caused all of this to happen in the first place; when he recognised you and decided that he wanted to deal with you once and for all. If you are happy for me to use that little bit of information next time we are at a meeting together, then I could use it to give him a bit of a showing up. In fact, given that the clip of that moment is still available online, I could even arrange for there to be a large screen in the room, on which I could play that clip over and over on repeat…"

"That should be ok; Jeff and I both knew that when I asked you to challenge him we would be exposing ourselves to the whole media circus. If we can keep my husband as far out of the spotlight as possible though, I would be grateful. He handled all of the stuff that came with _The Judging Angel_ well enough, but if we started to get into the more personal stuff; if they dragged up events in his past, then he could get hurt, and that is the last thing I want."

"Yes, I had heard about his drawing. Porcelain showed me the piece about him in the _New York Times_ and I have to admit that you married a man with real talent - and you can tell him that from me. You have my word that I will do everything in my power to see that he is protected. After all, the two of you are every bit as a adorable as Klaine were; it is sickening to watch sometimes, although I have to admit that your kiss was the highlight of New Year's Eve for me. Your father, however, will probably try and find some way of dragging you both in, and use you as an example of everything that has gone wrong with this country."

"I know that… If he does manage to hurt my Jeffie, then it will be my mission to ensure that he is destroyed personally."

"If he takes the gloves off, then so do we; but until he does, we will try and keep you, Jeff and your sister out of it. Your mother is worried that he will attack her and Cooper too, and I think that she might well be right about that…" At that moment, the lady in question knocked on the door, and pointed at her watch. "It would appear that our time is up, Nicholas. I wish you a safe trip back home to New York. I will keep you updated on both our progress, and on anything that our opponent attempts to do."

With those words, Sue walked out of the room, leaving Nick with his mom. "Her heart is in the right place, most of the time, and she is not nearly as scary a person to work for as I anticipated; in fact, I would say that I am feeling more energised about everything in my life at the moment than I have done for some time. Now, I must go and get on; give Jeff my love, and tell him that your grandparents and I will be making a trip to New York next month to see his creation in person." She leant forward and gave Nick a quick hug, then was gone, leaving Nick shaking his head and smiling.

He checked his watch, and realised that he needed to hurry to the airport if he was to make his flight in time. Jeff and Mike had gone ahead at his insistence, so that if he was delayed and missed it, they would be on time for work at least. He had called a cab in advance, and it was waiting for him outside Sue's campaign headquarters when he stepped outside. He climbed into the back, and as the driver already knew his destination, relaxed as they sped off into the traffic.

"So, that woman, she is the second Republican candidate for this congressional seat, right," asked the driver as they drove along.

"Yes, she is. She is quite the lady," said Nick in reply.

"So I've heard, and given that the other guy, Duval, sounds like a complete douche if I am honest with ya, and the Democrat is just an idiot, I will be voting for her."

"That's good to hear. She needs all the support she can get."

"Well, my nephew just came out as gay; he is getting a hard time at school, and that douche seems to think that is ok? If I ever meet him, I'll punch him. You ever met him?"

"Unfortunately, yeah - he's my dad." There was a moment of awkward silence, and then Nick spoke again. "He has never forgiven me for being gay, so feel free to hit him. I often want to, trust me… Best thing you can do is vote for Sue; encourage your friends and family to do so too. And if you'd like a poster or anything, just call up her campaign manager - my mom."

The cab driver just stared at him in the rear view mirror for a moment, and then laughed out loud. "You know kid, I think I will. If his family aren't backing him, then nobody else should be." Nick nodded, then sat back and let the town roll by…

He made his flight by the skin of his teeth, running down the air bridge at the last second, apologising to the cabin crew as he walked on board. "Don't worry about it," one stewardess whispered. "Your husband told us what you were doing - and for the record, most of us are with Sue…"

Nick took his seat next to Jeff and fastened his seat belt as the plane prepared to leave. He glanced across to the window seat where Mike sat, and when he did so, Mike saw something in Nick's eyes that told him he was worried about something. He made a note that they should have a quick chat about things soon, when Jeff was otherwise engaged. He would do whatever he could to help Nick out…

As the plane carrying Nick, Jeff and Mike back to New York took off, Flint, Beats and Ethan were just preparing to leave Dalton for the airport. They had woken up to discover that Niff had been and gone. They had shared breakfast in the refectory with Jasper and Brad; the two younger men had arrived together, and many made the assumption that they were a couple. As they were quick to point out, they were just very close roommates. Jasper might well be gay, but he had his eyes firmly set elsewhere; he was currently seeing a med student that he had met in a bar one night, and had just immediately clicked with. Brad had been there at the time, and had approved of the young man too, announcing to everyone that was listening that he was the perfect match for his best friend. A few months later, he had been introduced to the med student's younger sister at a party they had all been attending; and well, things had progressed from there. For her sake, Brad had finally managed to wean himself off the cigarettes he had been smoking secretly since before his arrival at Dalton; although he still had terrible cravings at times, he had not smoked for the last three months. He had managed to give up before that, but the stress of the top secret mission to disappear Wes' birth data at New Year had caused him to crack.

The news that he had given up had been greeted warmly by all of his fellow Warblers; it had been an open secret in any case after Wes had graduated. The fact that everyone knew about it had given him the courage to stand up to Hunter when he had tried to blackmail him with the information, and he had walked away from the Warblers; his lead had given Jasper the courage to follow him out the door, his last act being to out himself to the other boys in the Senior Commons. The only thing that troubled both of them about their lucky escape was that they had not noticed that things were going badly wrong with their friends in those dark days; they had only realised to their horror that something was badly wrong when they had been dragged into the chaos of the night when Nick and Jeff had been attacked, and everything had come spilling out thereafter.

The fact that they were now dating a brother and sister between them had brought them some laughs, but it pleased them too. Whilst their relationships lasted, it meant that another of Dalton's bromantic couples remained connected, and if things went long term, as they both hoped, then their connection would be cemented by marriage vows in time. At the breakfast table that morning, the topic for discussion was the incredible generosity of Jeff, and the way that he had provided so many of their friends and acquaintances with a new home. "You guys are really fortunate that you are able to take up his offer of a new place now you are graduating. It's moments like this that make us wish that we had elected to study in New York too," said Brad as Jasper nodded in agreement.

"Trust me, if you did live in the city, then he would have offered you somewhere too," said Flint. "That is how our Starling is; he wants all of his friends to be every bit as blissfully happy as he is with Nick. If either of you in the future do come to live in New York, then I am certain he would offer you a place to stay. If you want to come and visit, then he would offer you a room. Heck, if Gordon had owned a property in Chicago, he would have offered you it; he did that with the house he owned in DC for Trent and Rory." Beats and Ethan nodded in agreement with their friend's statement.

"Well, who knows where life will take us?" said Jasper. "For us, a lot will depend on what our partners want. The same goes for most of us though. All of us seem to be pretty loved up these days, except for Thad, obviously, and well…"

"Me?" said Ethan. "I am quite happy on my own right now."

"The only thing that would have made yesterday better would have been if Drew had been here, but then I guess that it is a long way to come from England, just for the day," mused Brad.

"Yes, yes it is," said Ethan, "and I think that he and Lucy will have quite a bit on their plates right now in any case. Now, if you'll excuse me for a moment, I need some more coffee."

Ethan got up and walked away, leaving the others to stare at his rapidly retreating back. "Was it just me, or did he sound rather touchy there? He more or less hissed out her name…" whispered Jasper.

"No, it wasn't just you… Between us, I don't think that he has spoken to Drew in a few months," said Beats quietly. "Reading between the lines, I think that Lucy might be the reason why all communication has broken down; I think she is the cause of the problem. I mean, she wasn't exactly friendly towards any of us at Sebastian's wedding…"

"Downright rude would be a better term to be honest! I tried to chat to her, and she just looked at me like I was rubbish, then got up and stomped off to where Drew was talking to Ethan," confided Brad.

"I guess that we are all very close to each other, and that is a lot to get used to for an outsider," reasoned Flint. "But yeah, I am sure that Drew isn't nearly as close to Ethan as he was anymore, but that is a fact of life as we leave our school and college days behind. I mean, in a couple of weeks, Beats and I will be living in separate houses…"

"The difference is that we will still see each other every day as we are living next door to each other, and that will make the separation easier. At least Ethan will have you around to keep an eye on him, and stop him from getting too down." Flint nodded as Beats stopped talking; he had noticed that Ethan was on his way back, but all of them spotted that he was not bringing coffee back with him. Their earlier conversation must have touched a raw nerve, and he had just needed to get away. Flint's heart broke at the thought of what his friend had to be going through; he had known that he missed Drew - they all did - but it was obvious now that his sense of loss was far greater than he had thought, and had been exacerbated by being around so many other people that were so happy with their closest friends.

"I changed my mind about the coffee when I got there," Ethan said as he returned. "I decided that I could just get one at the airport; after all, we will have to head there very soon…"

"I suppose so," said Beats with a sigh. "We do have a very busy few days ahead of us. We have to pack up the house, and of course, Flint and I have the newbies Preppy Boys to check up on too…" With that, they all quickly finished up their breakfasts, then said their farewells. They had to leave the place that all of them saw as a second home to head back to their lives, at least until next year…

After they had watched Alan and Callum perform on Saturday night as if they had been doing the job for years, and not for just over a week, Beats and Flint headed home in the early hours of that Sunday morning knowing that they would have to get up again after a few hours, to start making serious inroads into the process of packing up the house, and begin the hard work of deciding how to divide up those items they had accumulated together. Beats was of the opinion that as Elliott had pretty much everything they would ever need, Flint should keep the majority of it, but he said that he would only do so if Beats allowed him to pay for them. As the two of them bickered, Ethan shook his head, musing that this must be what it was like to be around a divorcing couple.

In a way, it was like a divorce from each other, after a long time together. He refused to get involved in the dispute, even though he was tied in; after all, anything that Flint acquired for his new home would be there for him to use too. His own packing was well under way; he had less to sort out after all, as he had travelled lightly on his way back from England, out of necessity. He did it methodically, and he was glad of the fact that it kept his mind off the fact that whereas the Harpers and the Wilsons would be in town on Tuesday for their son's graduation, his own folks would not be; as was usual for them, they had another more pressing engagement. There would have been a time when such a snub would make him cry, as he had done in Drew's arms when they failed to show up to his graduation day at Dalton, but not now. He was far tougher these days. As he said, he had come into this world alone, and if he had to go through life on his own, then that was ok; he would survive. In any case, he was sure that Wes at least would come to watch the moment that he finally got recognition for all of his hard work.

Beats and Flint had found a nice hotel for their respective parents to stay in, although it was in New York, not in Princeton. The hotels in town had been either fully booked or trying to charge them prices that made their eyes water, given the quality of the accommodation that they offered. In the end, it had come down to either Philadelphia or New York, and the latter had won out; they could get them tickets to see a show on the evening of graduation after all, and that had been a big selling point to both sets of parents. The hotel they had chosen was well known, and as such, they did not have to head to an airport to meet them on their arrival. However, their packing had gone well and so they ended up heading to Newark in any case; the flights from Kansas and Ohio would arrive within a few minutes of each other by chance. Both sets of parents were delighted at this surprise, and were also happy to meet with each other again. It was suggested that they could share a cab into town to save expenses, and they readily agreed. At the last minute, Beats and Flint decided that they would follow them into town, albeit taking the train, and would collect them from the hotel and escort them to the Spotlight for dinner that evening. The Harpers had seen the place back in February, when they had come to New York after Beats was admitted to hospital; but for Flint, this was his first opportunity to show his parents the business that he had invested in. He wasn't quite certain what they would think of it, and he found himself calling up to warn them that he was bringing his folks in. Michelle had laughed, and has promised him that all the staff would be on their best behaviour, had agreed to put a reserved label on one of the best tables for six, and had guaranteed him full availability on all the kosher items on the menu. She knew better than not to do so; the reputation of Mrs Wilson proceeded her….

As it turned out, Flint's mother was so pleased with the fact that the hotel had given her a full upgrade to a mini suite, with a kitchenette and a view towards the Chrysler Building, that she was all smiles as they arrived at the diner. Flint looked in through the windows to see all was well; he caught the eye of Jeff, who nodded, and ran off to warn the others. It was the young man himself who ended up coming to meet them as they walked in the door, and then escorted them to their table. Mrs Harper recalled Jeff from meeting him at Dalton, and when Beats casually mentioned that he was making a name for himself as an artist, largely thanks to a little drawing entitled _The Judging Angel_ , he suddenly found himself the centre of attention; his fame had spread even to Kansas, and Mrs Wilson was full of praise for the image he had created, which she had seen in a copy of _Vogue_. Eventually Jeff managed to find time to hand over the menus, although by then he was crimson, then beat a retreat. He was barely out of earshot when Mrs Wilson gasped as she saw just how many kosher items there were on the menu. Things had got off to a very good start….

By the end of their meal, Mrs Wilson was singing the praises of everyone and everything about the place. She had been introduced to Michelle, and had spent a good few minutes telling her how excellent the food was, that the atmosphere was spot on, and how she would return home to Kansas and urge all her friends to come and visit the place whenever they came to the city. As she went on, Mr Wilson leant over to Flint and whispered in his ear "I think that your mother might like your choice of investment; I know that I think that you made a very wise choice in this place; a very wise one indeed." Such words from his father left Flint grinning from ear to ear.

After they had finished their meal, the party was just about to leave when the door to the diner opened to admit Rachel, who had arranged to meet Sam there before they headed back to Bushwick. As Flint had decided that _Funny Girl_ would be more to his mother's taste than _Kinky Boots,_ it was her show that his parents would be seeing the following night. It was obvious that his mother had done her research into the show as on seeing Rachel enter, she had gasped, and turned to Flint to whisper urgently "That's her! The talented young lady we will be seeing tomorrow night! So you actually get real Broadway stars in your diner. I am so pleased…"

Flint decided it was best not to point out that technically it wasn't his diner, or that Rachel was actually one of several people that he was partner in the business with. Instead, he contented himself with saying "Hey Rachel! Have you got a minute to say hi to my folks? They are coming to see you tomorrow night."

As Rachel came over, always happy to greet someone that was coming to see her performance, Mrs Wilson's day was made complete, particularly when Rachel produced a spare playbill from her bag, and signed it for her on the spot. She then arranged that they could all come backstage after the show and meet the rest of the cast…

Flint was overjoyed at the look on his mom's face, until Beats leant forward and whispered in his ear "You will be in debt to Rachel for this one for a long time. Sooner you than me…" Mrs Harper overheard every word, and had to try hard not to laugh at the expression that appeared on Flint's face.


	38. Graduations & a Wedding : Part VI

**Graduations & a Wedding : Part VI**

The following day dawned warm and sunny; it made the fact that the three of them had to don shirt, tie and long trousers bad enough, but the prospect of then having to put on a heavy gown and scholar's cap as well was verging on the stuff of nightmares. The three young men had risen early, and knew there was nothing else to be done but grin and bear it. The first of their guests arrived in excellent time; admittedly, Izzy had only had to walk a few blocks, and was also able to get away with wearing a light linen jacket over a summer dress. She immediately begun to fuss over Flint's appearance, and he indulged her, as she was far less critical than his mom would be. He hoped that as long as Izzy was about, his mother would leave him alone for the first time in his life before a big event. Elliott arrived next, dressed in his best suit, as he had not wished to let the man that he loved down on his big day. He just told Beats that he looked gorgeous, which made Ethan laugh, as Izzy was currently brushing at Flint's hair with abandon, much to his chagrin. "I swear that if she gets out a handkerchief, spits on it, then starts scrubbing at his face, I won't be able to stop myself laughing," Ethan whispered to the other two.

Just then there was another knock at the door. No-one else was expected yet, so Ethan went to open it with curiosity, leaving a loved up Beats and a struggling Flint behind. His expectation by the time he arrived at the door was that the parents had left New York early and were here well before time; it was a shock therefore to find Principal Carmichael and his wife on the doorstep. He looked at them quizzically for a moment before he recalled his manners and invited them in. "You are probably wondering why we are here," his former head teacher said as he closed the door behind them. "Well my sister lives not too far from here, and last night we paid her a visit. It was convenient as we wanted to be here after a certain angel informed us that someone's parents would be letting him down again today. I therefore made a quick call to the commencement organiser; I might have told them that I was your father, and that my wife and I would now be able to attend the ceremony, and were there still tickets available? A terrible lie I know, but surely considered a white one? Anyway, my wife and I will be in the crowd to cheer you on Ethan. You have done Dalton proud with your grades from what I hear, and everyone needs someone flesh and blood to support them on the day that they finish their formal education. It is our honour and privilege to be here…"

"I am going to kill Wes…" Ethan muttered, realising at once the problem with his statement. "However, it would be great to have someone in the crowd that is there for me, and I would like to thank you both here and now from the bottom of my heart. It's not that my mom and dad don't care, it's just…" Ethan stopped as his emotions began to overwhelm him. He knew that the family's business interests kept them both fully occupied, but surely he, as their only child, was worth one day at some point; a day when someone might say how proud they were of their son…

"Now Ethan, don't over think this my dear!" said Mrs Carmichael, handing him a tissue discretely. "Now I take it that Flint and Nathaniel are here too? Maybe you should let them know that we are here?" Ethan nodded and proceeded to escort his former Principal and his wife to the lounge. His roommates were every bit as shocked to see him as he had been, but they both recovered quickly. The Carmichaels had met Izzy and Elliott at the last two Warbler weddings, so there was an immediate burst of chatter and the sharing of news. They had moved on to the subject of Jeff's good fortune by the time that the two sets of parents arrived, and the three older couples made each other's acquaintance once more. It was a happy group that headed out to the ceremony. Beats and Flint were both secretly overjoyed that Ethan would have someone in the audience, and the man himself was delighted with that fact too…

The actual ceremony passed in a blur for all three of them. There were all the usual ceremonial rituals; long, slightly dull speeches from senior members of staff, and more interesting ones from a couple of guest alumni, both of whom had left the hallowed halls of Princeton and gone on to great places in the world, to make a name for themselves in the fields that they had chosen to pursue. Then it was time for the solemn procession of graduating students to collect their certificates to say that they had passed their course, and that they could now put letters after their name, if they wished. Alphabetical order was naturally in force, so it was Elliott and the couple that he now called mom and dad at their own request that applauded loudly first as a degree was conferred on Mr Nathaniel Harper; then it was the turn of the Carmichaels to clap loudly as the name Mr Ethan Mackenzie was announced.

Last, but by no means least, there came the turn of Mr Flint Abraham Wilson, who had only asked for his middle name to be called as it would satisfy his mother greatly. By the way that she stood up and clapped madly, it certainly did that. Flint was left feeling a little bit mortified and red in the face as he walked on stage and accepted his certificate from a very sympathetic Dean. He finally had a face to put to the name of the woman that had sent him that letter all those months ago that had nearly ended her son's college career. As for Mr Wilson and Izzy, they just smiled at each other, pretended they had no idea who the mad woman was, and knew that if nothing else, they could do their best to avoid all the people that were staring at them in the reception afterwards.

On such a warm day, everyone was grateful that the formal reception was being held in the college grounds, which were shaded by mature trees, and much cooler than the hall normally used on these occasions. Polite introductions were being made all round by students between parents and faculty. The Dean had resigned himself to the fact that he would have to meet Mrs Wilson, and had decided that it was best to get it over with right away. To his great surprise, and that of her husband and son, she immediately apologised to him the moment that Flint introduced them, for the misjudged letter she had sent to him about her son. He accepted it without reservation. The woman was typical of so many parents that he had come across over the years; her only concern had been the well-being of her child, but she had gone about ensuring that in the wrong way. He still felt exceptionally sorry for Flint and Mr Wilson though…

He was also pleased when Flint introduced him to the Carmichaels. It showed him that there were still decent people out there who could not bear the thought of any student graduating without someone there to cheer them. It turned out that he knew Aaron Carmichael's sister. He was still disappointed to say the least that the Mackenzie parents could not have made the effort to be here for their son, but he understood too how hard those at the top in the business world had to work these days to keep afloat. He realised that this focus on work had left its mark on Ethan, and it explained why he had made few friends outwith the close circle of boys he had been to school with. It was a sign of how good Dalton was that those friendships lasted and if anything had strengthened in recent times. The love the boys had for their friends and their school was obviously down to one thing in his own opinion; a good man at the helm. That was proven by the fact that Aaron Carmichael had made the effort to be here for his former student today…

As for the Harpers, the Dean assessed that they were an ordinary, hard-working couple that were so proud of their son, and rightly so in his opinion. In his four years here, he had been forced to deal with so much; more than many had to deal with in a lifetime. He had witnessed the murder and death of close friends; had endured financial hardships; and then had suffered the problems with his eyesight. He had come through it all, and had triumphed. He had graduated in the top percentile of his year, as all three young men had. Now he was all smiles, standing there proudly with his parents and the young man that he assumed must be the boyfriend he had heard about… As he took his leave, and headed off to great other parents, the Dean was satisfied of one thing. Those three Dalton boys had been an asset to the college, and whatever path they took in life now, he was positive that they would excel, and deservedly so. He would have to keep an eye out for their names in the media; they were sure to crop up someday…

After lunch, the Carmichaels accepted Ethan's invitation to join them all on a trip into New York. As well as escorting the two sets of parents back to their hotel prior to their theatre trip, it was also the time to show off their new homes. Izzy was unable to join them; as a medical student, she still had to work during the vacation. She said her farewells to her future in-laws, and promised that she and Flint would come and visit soon. Everyone pretended they did not see the look of horror on Flint's face that she would say such things without asking him first.

The train back into town was an express, and not busy, so they quickly reached Penn Station; there the group made their way through the station and onto the subway, heading south towards the West Village. Mrs Wilson did not like the busy underground train one bit, and looked most relieved when they alighted from it at the correct stop. On reaching street level, she did wrinkle up her nose a little at the scene that confronted her. The busy avenue was not what she wanted for her son, that much was certain. However, she said nothing as she was lead down the street, and then into the narrower street her son would be calling home. Her face lit up a little as the noise of the city died down, and when she was shown the house, she beamed brightly. She had not been expecting anything that looked so refined.

At the street door, the group split up. The Harpers headed up to the top two floors with Elliott and Beats, whereas the others all followed Flint and Ethan into their apartment. Flint had been watching the not so subtle changes in his mother's expression as they had headed here, going through the whole gamut from revulsion and disgust to happiness and pride. Now he watched as she glowed as she saw all the period features in her son's new home. If her son did have to live here in this much less godly Manhattan than her own back in Kansas, then at least she could tell everyone that he was living in an exceptionally nice home, fit for a gentleman. Her camera did appear every so often, as she proceeded to take a picture or fifty of the place whilst the others just watched, slightly bemused. Mrs Carmichael could not help but think as she observed the other woman that it was a miracle that Flint had not turned out to be totally neurotic. She put that down to the fact that he had made strong friends at Dalton, and they had provided him with a refuge away from the whims of his mother. Then again, it was clear that he was loved by both of his parents, in their own way; she just wished that she could say the same for poor Ethan…

The party in the apartment were still looking around as Mrs Wilson continued to take photos, admire design ideas, and ask questions about the neighbourhood in terms of crime statistics, amenities, and the proximity of the nearest synagogue when there was a rap at the door. Ethan excused himself to answer it, praying to whatever God was listening that it was Beats and he had come to rescue them. He was surprised to find Nick on the threshold instead. "I was looking out of the window when you all arrived, and I saw the Carmichaels, which was a bit of a nice surprise, and I was just wondering if you would all like to come for coffee? Jeff will be heading off to work at the Spotlight soon, and I know that he'd like to have a chance to say hello at the very least. I mean, maybe you have other plans, but I have been testing out new sponge cake recipes for the diner, and as a result I have several freshly baked cakes that could do with a varied testing panel," Nick said, and on spying a spot of flour in his friend's hair, Ethan knew he was telling the truth.

"There is always time for cake; why don't you come in and ask everyone in person," came the response, "although you might want to get rid of that flour first," Ethan added, pointing at the spot. Nick smiled, and glancing into the hallway mirror, he rubbed out offending powder. His appearance was greeted with a smile by both of the Carmichaels, and politeness from the Wilsons, and his invitation to coffee was accepted. Nick had already been upstairs, and Beats and his parents would be joining them. Elliott had declined as he had to get ready for work like Jeff. As the group made their way along the street, everyone heard Mrs Wilson remark to her husband that it was nice that Beats' new roommate had made time to come to graduation. The Harpers had been warned and the Carmichaels knew better than to correct her assumption by pointing out that he was actually Beats' boyfriend. Mrs Wilson had lightened up a lot recently, but that whole area was still a thorny one. Likewise, nobody was going to mention that Nick and Jeff were married…

As it happened, the party would receive a bit of a surprise. Nick had shown them all into the dining room where Jeff was waiting along with Mike. Mrs Wilson recalled Jeff at once on seeing him, remembering him from an event she had attended at Dalton in Flint's sophomore year. "It is nice to see you again, Mrs Wilson. This is our other roommate, Mike Chang. He has just graduated top of his year at Julliard, and is the newest member of the corps with the City Ballet."

"An artist and a dancer two doors down from my son's new home! This is certainly a refined neighbourhood. I think that it is so important to have artistic and creative friends," replied Mrs Wilson. She then attached herself to Mike as Nick served coffee, and the young man in question answered all her questions fully, with no complaint whatsoever.

"Well Flint…" began Ethan quietly.

Before he could finish, Flint whispered back "I know, I know. I owe Mike too now…"

After they had had coffee and cake, Mike was more than happy to demonstrate a few of his moves to the ladies; they along with Principal Carmichael made their way upstairs to the living room. They were all left speechless by the fact that there was a sprung floor in the room to begin with, and then the graceful moves that Mike performed for them all upon it kept conversation to a minimum. When he finally finished, he was applauded loudly by all those gathered to watch…

It was then that it happened. Mrs Wilson noticed the photograph in the frame on the mantelpiece. The one of Nick and Jeff, in their matching suits, on their wedding day. "Are those two young men together?" she asked, leaving everyone in the room in silence for a moment.

"Yes they are," Aaron Carmichael eventually replied. "That was taken on their wedding day, at a ceremony here in the city that my wife and I attended, along with all of their fellow Warblers. It was beautiful to witness the friendship that those two boys had always had blossom into love, and trust me when I say that I have rarely seen a couple as devoted to each other as they are."

"Well," said Mrs Wilson. "I have to say that it is so nice to see two young people that believe in this kind of commitment! I am still waiting for my son to even propose to Isadora, and these two younger men are already married. Good for them I say!"

As they made their way back downstairs, there was surprise amongst all of them that her reaction had been so favourable. There was even more surprise in the dining room when she walked in, went straight over to Flint, and asked him why he hadn't proposed to his girlfriend when his two friends were already married, had a beautiful home and looked so happy… There was a moment of stunned silence, broken by Nick asking if she would like another cup of coffee, and a second slice of cake. She accepted, and then went on to compliment Nick on his baking skills…

In the end, the little party went well, and only broke up when Jeff had to head out to work. Flint and Beats realised the time, and knew they had to get their folks back to the hotel to prepare for their theatre trip. As for the Carmichaels, they both expressed a desire to head up to the art show at Columbia, if it was still open, and see _The Judging Angel_ for themselves. Ethan was only too happy to offer to escort them, and then suggested that they go to the Spotlight for dinner afterwards, something they happily agreed to.

After they had all left, Nick let out a breath in relief. "Well that went better than we could have hoped! I was honestly expecting the reaction from Mrs Wilson to me and Jeff being married to be totally different."

"I think that we all were, particularly Flint," agreed Mike. "Then again, the two of you are so nauseatingly sweet together that it would be like hating kittens not to like you…" Mike's quip earned him a smack on the wrist, but he only laughed, knowing that it was in jest.

The group that had been at Princeton made their way back in the direction of the subway station, Mrs Wilson now looking at the neighbourhood in a new light. As they walked, Ethan quickly did a check on his phone into the opening times of the exhibition at Columbia; a check on his watch revealed that by the time they reached it, it would be about to close for the night. He broke the news to the Carmichaels; they were disappointed, but as they had plans to head into the city the following day with Aaron's sister to visit the Met Gallery, they decided they could just head there en route tomorrow. Thus they went their separate ways at the subway entrance. Ethan mouthed the words 'Good Luck' to his two roommates as they headed down the steps. A moment later he heard his former Principal say "I think that they might well need it…" and he found himself laughing as Mrs Carmichael, desperately trying to keep a straight face, scolded him.

They headed then along 14th Street, in the direction of Union Square and ultimately the Spotlight diner. As he listened to the two older people talk, Ethan suddenly realised that this was for them a trip down memory lane. He realised that his former Principal had been a student at NYU back in the turbulent days of the 1960s, and that it was in a store just off Union Square itself that he had first met the woman that now walked at his side. This became all the more clear as they started to point out the buildings as they strolled on, often complaining that the current tenant was not a patch on the one that had been there in their day, lamenting the stores that had vanished as the world moved on. They both shook their heads in disbelief when they saw that there was a pawn shop solely for sneakers on the south side of the street. "I mean, who on earth would actually want someone else's used training shoes, Aaron?" exclaimed Mrs Carmichael. Ethan had to agree on that one. Then they reached Union Square itself, and once again, they found themselves lamenting some of the things that had gone, but as they both had to admit, that was progress.

"We thought that we would see a world that was always getting better, when we were young," Aaron Carmichael said to Ethan, "but in so many ways, it hasn't happened. We managed to eliminate one form of prejudice, and a new one sprung up. That is the way that things have always been, I guess, since the world began." He turned to the south side of the Square and pointed out the big screen on the building. "I look at that clock, counting up the national debt, and I wonder how on earth it got so big, and what we have to show for it. The truth is, I think that many people forgot how to work hard. Yes, everyone wanted higher pay, more holidays, and better working conditions, and rightly so, but they got out of control and destroyed the competitiveness of so many businesses. There used to be so many trades and services here in Manhattan, but so much of it got cleared away, moved to somewhere cheaper, and in my opinion, the city has never really recovered from losing so many blue collar jobs…."

"Now, Aaron, that is enough politics for one day. This is supposed to be a day of celebration for Ethan, remember!" interjected Mrs Carmichael. "Why don't we remember happier times, and the day we met? Let's head to the store we bumped into each other in all those years ago? I know that it is still there, and better yet, one of our boys works there, or at least, he did…"

Those words told Ethan exactly where the Carmichaels had met all those years ago. "So you met at the Strand! Sebastian does still work there, but only on a Monday; he is at the theatre the rest of the time."

"Now that is a pity, as it would have been so nice to catch up with him too whilst we were in town. Still, he has done well for himself, and he has certainly shown his father that he is no-ones fool!" said Aaron. Edith nodded, and then the two of them linked arms, and with Ethan following behind, they headed in the direction of the last of the book stores in this part of town where the streets had once been so full of them.

It so happened though that Sebastian had been given a night off at the last minute, and as Dave had other plans, he had decided on a whim to head down to catch up with his former colleagues that he now saw a lot less of. He was just about to head out when the door opened to admit Ethan and the Carmichaels; he turned on his heel, and went over with a broad smile on his face to greet them all. The Carmichaels were also overjoyed to see him, and after a round of hugs and warm handshakes, Ethan was left to repeat to Sebastian what he had found out as the older couple made their way through the store to try and find the spot where they had met, when a young man had nearly tripped over a young woman who was knelt down with her head buried amongst the stacks of books.

"We are here by chance, actually. We had planned to go up and see Jeff's drawing, but they were closing the exhibition early tonight, so we came for a walk down memory lane instead. It's been interesting. They are such good people, and I can't tell you how pleased I am that they came all this way for my graduation, given that my parents were, as usual, unable to attend."

"That experience sounds a lot like mine," sighed Sebastian, recalling how his father had been a no show at his graduation from Dalton.

"Of course, they said that this was planned; Principal Carmichael's sister lives near Princeton, and they were coming to stay with her for a few days anyway, but I don't buy it. I sense the hand of Wes in this - or maybe even just Thad - but whatever the truth, I am just so grateful that they were there."

Sebastian nodded, then noticed that Mrs Carmichael was beckoning to him; he left Ethan, and headed in her direction. It turned out that Ethan was not alone for long, as suddenly Aaron Carmichael was at his side. "She was the most beautiful, vibrant girl in the world to me that day, and she still is now. I was lucky, but not all of us are; some of us are destined to go through life on our own, with just a good circle of friends." He paused, and looked pointedly at Ethan, who just nodded sadly. "Then there are those that think they have found that special someone, but those of us around them can see that the person in question is completely wrong for them; toxic in a way. We can't say anything though, because that would destroy our relationship with them. It is very hard to do, particularly when they are our oldest and best friend, but what other choice do we have?"

Ethan smiled wanly, and said "Lucy is okay, really she is… She just doesn't like him to dwell in the past, and we should always be looking to the future, shouldn't we?"

Aaron nodded, then replied "I don't think you believe a word of what you just said to be honest, but there we are. All we can do is wait; all you can do is be ready to be there when it all blows up. I know that you will be there for him, day or night, when he needs you again…" Ethan nodded, trying to blink the dampness out of his eyes as he did so. He marvelled at just how perceptive his old headmaster was - and then saw him looking at his watch. "Well, I think we have lingered in my past long enough. It is time for dinner. How far away from here is the Spotlight? I could just do with some of their good, honest, simple fare…"

It was late by the time that Ethan returned home that night. He had travelled back on the train to Princeton from New York with the Carmichaels, and had then seen them safely on their way back to his sister's house in their car, the words of love and congratulations still ringing in his ears. He walked back home with a light heart; he had woken up dreading the prospect of the day, fearing that he would have to stand and watch alone as around him people introduced family and friends. The idea had been killing him inside. Instead, he had spent most of the day having quality time with two people that he had always admired and respected. He had taken the words of Aaron Carmichael to heart; he could not interfere with Drew's relationship with Lucy, no matter how bad he thought it was for his friend. Drew had made his choice and he had to respect that, no matter how much it hurt him. As long as he was happy, that was all that mattered after all. He just had a sneaking suspicion that his best friend wasn't, and that he was too scared or proud to admit that fact.

It was at that moment that he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out, and his face lit up momentarily when he saw the name on the screen - Drew. He opened the message carefully, now standing on the doorstep, and all thought of heading inside forgotten. _'_ _Hope Commencement went well, old friend. Wish I had been there to see it. Congratulations!_ _'_ It was short, but it made his heart light; Drew had not forgotten about him after all…

The euphoria lasted only a few seconds. He went to reply, but then he realised it was just after 10.30pm. That meant that Drew had sent the message to him at 3.30am over in England. Why on earth was he sending him a message now, in the middle of the English night? He took a deep breath and ignored the dampness that was accumulating in his eyes as he began to fear the worst. He composed a quick reply; _'_ _It did, yeah. All ready for my new life in NYC now. All the guys send their love. Take care and be safe. Remember, I will always be here_ _…'_ Then as his phone told him the message had been delivered, he fished out his key, and let himself in. He fixed a smile on his face, and headed to the living room, where Beats and Elliott would be waiting. He couldn't change anything; he would continue to worry though, and pray that at least one angel would keep a close watch on his friend. He did however know that if Lucy ever hurt Drew, he would hunt her down and destroy her…


	39. Moving On : Part I

_A quick update about updates! I will be on holiday next Sunday, so the next update will be on Thursday, followed by an extra on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading!_

 **Moving On : Part I**

In Princeton the next few days were marked by hurried packing as the three young men prepared for their move to the West Village. On top of that, Beats and Flint had to rehearse for their final gig as the Preppy Boys. To their horror, the night had sold out, guaranteeing them a full house of people desperate to see them strip. Ethan had just laughed at their faces, and had smiled secretly that he and Izzy had already managed to secure themselves tickets and would be there, watching. Even better was the fact that they would not be alone, but with a group of their friends…

In Bushwick, Luke, Duncan and Seth had managed to complete all their packing by Tuesday night, and on the Wednesday they had assisted with the loading up of the movers' van, and had then proceeded through the Midtown Tunnel to their new abode in the West Village. This time Jeff was there to assist his cousin with moving into his new place, and it was greatly appreciated by the three younger men. Nick and Mike both had to work, and this time, there were also no anxious mothers in sight; they had agreed that they could come and check out the new house later, when they were settled. It would be another two weeks or so before they were joined by Colin, Edward and Skylar, so for now the three of them rattled around a little in the much bigger house, making the most of the space. Seth did dread the fact that he had to go to work the next day, as he had a horrible feeling that his two roommates might well christen several of the rooms whilst he was out of the way. Having moved in, they joined Jeff on an expedition on the subway through to Brooklyn, to stock up on supplies at the big supermarket at the Atlantic Terminal. They returned laden, and tired, but the money they had saved by making the trip justified it in the end.

Elliott had also come to an arrangement with Josh over the date that he would move in with him. Beats had finally settled on the Wednesday of the following week, so Elliott had asked his little brother to move in with him on the Monday, so that they could have a couple of days of brotherly bonding with just the two of them in the house. Josh had agreed, and had then gone to break the news to Cooper and Grace. They would both be genuinely sorry to see him leave, as they had become quite fond of him, but the choice of date was ideal; it meant that they could fly out to London with a clear conscience.

Now that matter was settled, the two of them could move on to a plan that they had decided on a couple of weeks before. They went to speak to Mason, told him that Josh would be moving out just before they left for England, and then asked him to invite Roderick to stay. This took the young man aback, and he replied that whilst he appreciated the sentiment, he would be more than ok on his own for a couple of weeks. On hearing that reply, Grace laughed, and made things more clear. They did not want him to ask Roderick to move in whilst they were away; they wanted him to ask his friend to move in permanently, as a replacement for Josh in a way. There would be an empty room, and it seemed a shame that it would be left empty… Mason had at once called his friend, now on his own more or less in the dorms, as people moved on. To no-one's shock, he agreed to move in at once, and a date was agreed on; he would move in the day Josh moved out.

Back in Princeton, everything was building up to one major event. The final appearance of the original Preppy Boys was being anticipated and dreaded in equal measure. It held out so much promise to the regular audience, but it also marked the end of an era. The two new boys, Callum and Alan, had made a favourable impression with the crowd on the previous weekend; Callum had come along and exploited every ounce of geek chic that he had going for him, whilst Alan had worn an old jockstrap under his uniform, which had driven the crowd into raptures. Their respective tips that weekend had been big enough to allow them to pay for a month's food shopping and still have cash left over to pay some of their other bills. Everyone was certain that if they kept going the way they had, it would not be a one off occurrence either. However, everyone at the bar, patron and staff, would miss the two young men that had created the act in the first place. It was acknowledge that whilst Beats had created the concept, it had only been when Flint joined him that the thing had gone into the stratosphere.

The few days that had been their own between commencement and their last show had been busy for them, and not just with packing. Flint had heard back about his interview for the vacancy at Izzy's father's firm; he had been successful, and he was reassured that he had been so on his own merits, not just because of who he was. The job itself did not start until the beginning of August, which gave him more or less two months of vacation. He made plans at once for that time, most of it to be spent getting his new home just right, but there would be time for a trip back to Kansas to see his family, and hopefully, at least one weekend in a beach house in Port Jeff. On the Thursday, it had been Beats' turn to receive a long awaited phone call. He was asked if he could attend an interview the following day in New York; he had agreed and had left early, as the interview was first thing in the morning. It was a long one, and it was just before lunch that he was able to get away. Hungry, he made his way towards the Spotlight. He had just sat down with some food when his phone rang; he had not expected to hear back from them so soon, but it was a call to offer him the position. He did not even need to think about it. He beckoned frantically to Elliott, and he was at his side as he accepted the job; there to pull him into a hug as he ended the call. He would start work with the MTA at the end of July.

As Ethan had already taken a job before he had even graduated, the future was now mapped out for all three Princeton graduates. However, as Beats and Flint headed down the familiar route to the bar on what would be their final night, it seemed as if the past had come sharply back into focus. Normally as the walked together, they would have chatted, but that night they did it in silence, both deep in their own thoughts. Doing the work that they had been would have been a test on many friendships, but theirs had strengthened because of it. They know knew everything there was to know about each other, more or less; there could be very few secrets when you spent so much time together naked in a dressing room. As they rounded the final corner and came in sight of the bar on what would be their last visit there, at least as performers, Beats stopped suddenly, and a moment later, Flint did too.

"I just wanted to stop and take one last look at this place," Beats explained. "The first time that I walked up here, for my interview, I was a bag of nerves. I was about to strip in front of a stranger, for the first time… I can also recall the first time that we made this walk together, on your first night, and I felt so guilty that I had pulled my best friend down with me into such a seedy world. Now, I feel pride. I had to support myself, and I did it, with your help. When I start work, I will be on a higher rate of pay, but not getting those tips is going to be weird at first. Anyway, tonight I am not going in there with my best friend, my co-conspirator. I am going in there with the man that I see as my brother in all but birth. I love you, Flint Wilson, and I am not ashamed to admit that, in a purely fraternal way…"

Flint smiled, and said "And I love you too, Beats. Just so you know, had I been differently inclined…"

Beats nodded, and replied, "Yeah, it would have been the same here. Ok, so are you ready to head in there and shake that darn fine ass of yours one last time?"

"Yeah, let's do it. Let's go and end our stripping career on the highest note possible…"

As Flint and Beats headed in, they still had no idea that Ethan had been conspiring behind their backs with Izzy. As they were sat in their dressing room, putting on their stage make up one last time, they did not witness the two of them arrive at the door to the bar, and then stand and wait for a car to arrive. The people carrier, when it did arrive, brought seven special guests to the show, all of whom did wonder if they were doing the right thing by being there. As Ethan welcomed Nick, Jeff, Sebastian, Dave, Santana and Brittany to the bar, handed them their tickets then escorted them inside, he was every bit as worried. Trent and Rory had been invited, but they had declined. Trent did not want to risk causing embarrassment to his two friends. Sebastian had had no such qualms, but Nick and Jeff had been fretting about it since they had agreed, and had almost cried off that night; then Santana and Brittany had appeared at the door, and before they had known what was going on, they had been bundled into a car and where being driven into New Jersey.

The driver of the hired car, and the seventh member of the party, was Sam. He had also had doubts, but he had made a decision that only he could of all of them. He had discussed the matter with Rachel, and she had agreed that he could not only go, but carry out his plan. Ethan had been shocked when he suggested it, but had willingly phoned the bar, and spoken to the manager, and he had eventually agreed. Tonight, the Preppy Boys would be proceeded by a special guest act. Tonight, for one night only, White Chocolate would be making a return to stripping for the public on stage.

In their dressing room, Beats and Flint had been told that there was an extra act that night; all they knew was that they were a guest star from Kentucky, but neither of them had put two and two together on hearing that. They had no idea what was going on when Sam walked in to join them, until suddenly they both got it. There was a moment of silence and confusion, the two former Warblers just staring at the younger man, until he spoke. "Hey guys! So, you should have been told by now that there is a one off special act on the programme tonight…"

"Someone tell me that this is all fiction, a crazy dream, a figment of my overactive imagination," exclaimed Flint. "Beats, please tell me that this isn't happening…"

"I wish that I could, but no. Sam Evans is standing in our dressing room, and I am guessing that White Chocolate is coming out of retirement to make a dramatic return to the stage. I guess that it is quite appropriate really, seeing as he was the one that taught me my initial moves, and honestly, he did inspire the costume we wear with his act at Niff's bachelor party… I do have one question though; does Rachel know that you are doing this? The last thing we need is a screeching Rachel Berry at our door at some point in the future…"

"Yes, she does know, but I have also been told that no matter how much money I am offered, it is a one off, never ever to be repeated show. She said to wish you guys good luck by the way, and that she would have been here herself had she not been tied up with work," replied Sam.

"Thank God that she isn't! I do not think I could have handled that. The idea that any of our closest friends were going to be here watching us… Well, I don't think I would be able to go on, trust me!" said Flint.

"Same goes for me! I don't know how you kept your composure at Niff's party. If that happened to me - well, I'd freeze up, and then run!" added Beats. "It's bad enough that Izzy and Ethan are here. I mean, Flint doesn't mind Izzy being here, but the very idea of even Elliott sitting out there is a no-no!"

Sam nodded, and then pretended he had forgotten something, and headed back into the corridor backstage. He pulled out his phone and sent an urgent text to Nick - _'Sit at the very back in a dark corner guys! I think that if they see that you are here, they will run, and this place would riot if that happened!'_

The bar was crowded now, and noisy. Nick was never more grateful that his phone was on vibrate than at that moment, as he never would have heard it over the music, and the shouts of encouragement for the current act from the crowd - and one of the people being most vocal was Santana. He blanched as he read Sam's words, feeling guilty about being there. He tapped Sebastian on the shoulder, and showed him the message. He nodded, and whispered in Dave's ear. Nick did the same with Jeff, and then they between them dragged a struggling Santana away from the front and into a darkened recess, Brittany following them with no complaint. They could still see the stage, just nowhere near as well.

"Would someone mind explaining why we have just left the excellent spot I fought hard to obtain us at the front for this dingy hole, where the floor appears to be very sticky?" Santana snarled at them when they pushed her into a seat.

Nick shuddered as he thought of several reasons why the floor would be sticky, and prayed that it was from spilt drinks. He was going to speak, but Sebastian beat him to it. "Much as I have to agree with you that the eye candy is nowhere near as clear from here, dearest Satan, it appears that White Chocolate has discovered that the Preppy Boys would run for the hills if they discovered we were all here. We have to hide at the back as a consequence. Ethan and Izzy can stay at the front, as they know they are here."

"Well, if seeing me would make them run, then I guess I can live with this. I mean, I would hate to be here if the show got spoiled; I think that they would want the people that made the Preppy Boys leave to step up to replace them, and let's face it, Britt and I would not fit the bill for that at all…"

"Which is why we are staying here, in the dark," exclaimed Nick, as beside him Jeff nodded.

Then it was time. The visitors from New York all cheered when it was announced that an old friend of the Preppy Boys had stopped by to help them out on their final night, and that they should all put their hands together for White Chocolate. Once the crowd saw Sam, they all did the same. His routine was much less tame that the one that he had performed at Niff's party almost two years ago. Santana was left speechless, and the others just watched open-mouthed. The music was exactly the same though, and by the time he had finished, the hat he had been wearing at the start was all he had left to cover his modesty. The applause was thunderous, and the amount of cash that was being flung at the stage made Sam blush. He just hoped that he had not cleared out the crowd's pockets before his friends stepped out to perform their swansong. He made his way over to the microphone at the side of the stage, ensuring the hat stayed in place, and then, with his best country accent on, he spoke to them all. "Why thank you kindly folks for that reception. I was, however, just the warm up act… Now it is time for you all to welcome two good friends of yours and mine to the stage for one last time. The stars of the show… Folks, give it up for the Preppy Boys!"

The noise in the room at that moment was so loud that people were forced to cover their ears until it had died down again. To the strains of the Keane song _This is the Last Time_ two blazer clad boys stepped onto the stage, backlit, and proceeded to rock the audience's world. Every tiny movement was well judged, well timed, and executed to perfection. Buttons were undone in perfect synch; items of clothing were thrown aside in unison. Their bodies moved in time to each other, mimicking the movements of the other. It was all just a build up to the final moment, the last thing they would ever give their loyal fans. At the climax of their stripping career, they stood, side by side, then turned to face each other and removed the last tiny piece of fabric. That was when the lights usually went down, but not that night. That night they had added a final twist. After a few seconds of seemingly staring at each other, naked, they stepped towards each other, leant forward, and kissed…

Jeff would later describe the noise at that moment as like being inside a massive firework when it exploded. They had thought that the applause for Sam was loud, but this was deafening. The loyal fans that had come to see them, without fail, twice a week for so long had been rewarded with a moment that they had all hoped for, for so long, but had never even dared to hope might become a reality. At the front, Ethan was left completely gobsmacked, turning to face a grinning Izzy, who was yelling as loudly as everyone else at the sight before her. He realised then that she had known that this was going to happen; indeed, at the very second their lips had touched, she had snapped a picture on her phone, and was in the process of forwarding it to Elliott as he watched. He too had been asked and granted permission for the moment.

The kiss itself had lasted mere seconds, but for those in the room watching it, time had slowed down. As their lips parted, they turned their back on the baying audience, Flint draping an arm casually around Beats' shoulders. The latter turned his head back to face the crowd, and then, with an oh so suggestive wink, the two of them made their way off stage, as around them, money rained down thick and fast. Sam was waiting in the wings with the other performers to give them a high five as they walked off. At his side stood Callum and Alan, dressed in their blazers, ready to step onto the stage and perform their own take on the Preppy Boy routine, but stunned at what they had just witnessed. "I think that we have warned them up nicely for the two of you," quipped Beats to the two boys as they passed. "Go out there and make them scream again!" The two boys nodded as the MC, seeing that the stage had finally been cleared of cash, announced that whilst the older generation had just graduated, the new one was still in school, and asked for a warm welcome for the new Preppy Boys…

As Flint and Beats headed to the dressing room with Sam, they swore that the ground shook as the crowd roared. Sam had already popped his clothes back on before he came to watch, and so having seen his two Warbler friends back to the safety of their dressing room, he congratulated them on their show, then left them to it. Normally after a show they would both quickly remove their stage make up, and leave the glitter behind for the normality of student life. Tonight though they both just sat down and looked in the mirror in front of them.

"Well, that's that. Our totally unexpected career as gay bar strippers is over," said Beats.

"Yeah," replied Flint. "You know, it feels kind of strange… It's funny, but I am really going to miss all of this. It was ours, the unique thing that united us, and now…"

"This chapter might be over, but Fleats, that will never die. Heck, we are going to be living apart, but with only some joists, plaster and floorboards between us."

"I am still going to miss this…"

"If I could go back in time, and bring the Flint Wilson I knew at Dalton in 2011 into this room right now, he would collapse in shock! He would never have done something like this, and he would never have imagined his best friend doing it either."

"I think all of us Warblers at Dalton in 2011 have changed so much since then. I mean, everything that happened with Hunter; all the deaths; the way the whole world is heading has made all of us very different men to the boys we were. I am certainly not that slightly boring, goody two shoes Jewish boy anymore!"

Beats laughed, then turned to look at his friend. "That's very true. You're the straight Jewish boy stripping in a gay bar, who stood up to his mother, who then got the girl, and has surprisingly soft lips…"

"Flattery will not get you another kiss, Nathaniel! It was definitely a one time thing only. Although I must admit it wasn't so bad from my end either," replied Flint, his voice softening at the end.

Beats blushed, then laughed again. "Right, enough of this. Let's get this greasepaint off, and go and find your girlfriend, before she starts to think the two of us really had a moment and have run off into the sunset together. Also, I think that we might have broken Ethan, and she would probably appreciate a hand with fixing him." Flint laughed again, and then reached for the wipes. As the make up came off, they both realised that like all good things, this chapter of their lives had now come to a more than satisfactory end.

As they headed towards the bar, fully clothed, the manager stopped them, shook them both warmly by the hand, then gave each of them a bulging envelope. "Your final set of tips, boys. That was quite the stunt you pulled at the end there; earned you the big bucks, and helped your replacements earn a good lot of tips too. It had been a pleasure having you work here, and if you ever feel like a return for old time's sake…"

"We will let you know. After all, never say never…" responded Flint, making Beats stare a little in surprise. If he was honest, that was the last thing he had ever expected to hear his friend say that night. That surprise was nothing compared to the one now waiting for them both in the empty bar, the crowd having headed home. There they found Izzy, Sam, a still shell shocked Ethan - and six other very familiar faces…

As the two of them stared, rooted to the spot, it fell to Sebastian to break the silence. "Well, that was certainly eye opening. You two are really, really good at that! It got me hot under the collar, that's for sure, and as for that final moment - well, what can I say but…"

"Wanky! Definitely wanky!" said Santana.

Beats looked at Flint, who was now crimson, and then couldn't stop himself. He burst out laughing, realising that although the fact that all these people had now seen him in a way they hadn't before, it wasn't so bad. In fact, they were probably more embarrassed than he was…

It took Flint a moment, but then he too started to laugh. He had nothing to be ashamed of after all. He had just been doing his work, and when they came here, they had known what to expect. The fact that neither Nick or Jeff could quite meet his eye let him know that they felt every bit as awkward about things as he did. Well, that was their own fault; he guessed that the others hadn't come because they had known they wouldn't be able to handle it. He was sure Niff would bounce back soon enough… He also knew that every other Warbler in their circle would know within the hour that he and Beats had kissed, if not from Sebastian, then from Santana. The fact was that he didn't really care, because these days, Flint Wilson was a man of the world…


	40. Moving On : Part II

**Moving On : Part II**

The start of a new week on Monday marked a number of departures and moves amongst the circle of friends; events which would continue throughout that week. Strictly of course things actually began late on Sunday night, when Santana and Brittany headed to the airport for the flight to Paris and their honeymoon. They had managed to secure themselves an upgrade, although they were not getting quite the luxurious treatment that François had enjoyed when he had come to play the part of the ghost of Blaine for a few days. It was nonetheless a luxurious way to travel. For the first time, Sam and Rachel found themselves home alone for a whole fortnight; they had not realised that this had never happened before until that morning. With the other loft still vacant following Niff and Mike's departure to the West Village, it did feel a little lonely up there. As for the two setting off to Europe, they carried with them everyone's warm greetings to François and his friends, and a letter from Sebastian that Sam had pushed into Santana's hand as they had been getting into their cab.

It was only as she sat in the departure lounge waiting for the call to board their flight that Santana took a moment to look at the envelope properly, and that was when she discovered that it was not addressed to François Girard, but to Mrs and Mrs Pierce-Lopez. Intrigued, she opened it at once, and enclosed found a short letter from Sebastian, which read

 _Dearest Brittany and Satan,_

 _We, the Warbler brotherhood, decided that as well as performing a song for you, against all of your instructions to the contrary, to push our luck even further, and club together to buy you something really special. Many suggestions were made, but in the end, we decided that the enclosed was the best choice. If nothing else, you can buy me some **Custard Creams**. With all of our love and affection to Brittany, and our only Warbler sister,_

 _Meerkat._

Santana couldn't help but smile at the fact that he had signed off using her nickname for him, and then proceeded to pull out the remaining contents of the envelope. She gasped as she saw two return tickets for the Paris to London Eurostar, a confirmation receipt for a three night stay in a suite at the White House Hotel, by Regent's Park, and admission tickets for the Tower of London. Her shock then turned to laughter when she saw that Sebastian had carefully written the words 'Custard Creams' on all of them in his neat handwriting. She supposed that they might be able to buy him some…

The two moves that took place on Monday both impacted on the household in Murray Hill, as Cooper and Grace saw the changing of the guard in one of their spare rooms. Josh had no problem in getting his things packed up, although he had far more of them now than when he had arrived in New York on Christmas Day; then his entire life could be packed in two bags. This time he had a number of boxes to go with the three bags that he had packed, one of the bags borrowed from Elliott. Cooper had volunteered to hire a car, and so it was that just after 9am, the last of Josh's belongings had been carefully stowed, and it was now time for him to say goodbye to two of the three people that he now saw as family. He hugged Mason first, telling him that he and Roderick would always be welcome in the West Village for a game night. Then he moved on to Grace, producing a small thank you gift as he went to hug her. She was almost at once even more upset than she already had been. She reminded him that he could call her at anytime if he needed something; that nothing would change even though he was no longer living under her roof. Then he was off, to travel with Cooper the relatively short distance to his new home. The traffic in Manhattan meant that it still took them half an hour to get there, to find Elliott waiting patiently with Mike on hand to help out. It did not take long to get everything unpacked, and then it was the turn of Cooper to bid his farewells. A tight hug from Josh, and profuse thanks and a handshake from Elliott later, and the Gilbert brothers found themselves alone together under the one roof at long last. Josh had to unpack, but after that was done, their plan was just to chill together for the next two days and enjoy some brotherly company.

Cooper did not have far to go to the spot that he had arranged to pick up Roderick after that. He parked the car, finding a space by some miracle near the door, and headed into the dorm block. He found Roderick waiting for him in the hallway, surrounded by his small pile of belongings. It did not take them long to get the car packed up, with the assistance of a friendly caretaker, and then they were off again, heading east. The traffic was no better in this direction, and it was closing in on eleven by the time they pulled up in Murray Hill again. Cooper was tired from just the two short drives, and wondered once again why anyone in their right mind would attempt to drive around the city on a regular basis. The prospect of having to take the car back to the rental lot later filled him with dread…

Grace and Mason had been busy whilst he was gone, cleaning out the room, changing the bed linen, and generally tidying the house up. It would not have mattered to Roderick if they had not done so; he was just glad to be moving out of the dorms and into a nice place with an old friend. He was eternally grateful to both Cooper and Grace for having this opportunity, and he fully intended to show them that gratitude for as long as he lived under their roof.

He would not have the opportunity that evening however, as his new landlords were leaving for London on the overnight flight. This would be the first time that Cooper had been to Europe, whereas Grace had travelled to Germany many years ago in her first summer vacation from law school. It was no great secret that the Duval family had ancestors that hailed from the region of Alsace, on the French/German border; war and geography had given them a French sounding surname but decidedly German roots. She had not had the opportunity to explore more of the continent, but now at least she could make a trip to England. She and Cooper were fully aware of the extra gift that the Warblers had given to Santana and Brittany, and would make arrangements to meet them for at least a meal one evening whilst they were all in London, on their second free week in the city.

What Grace did not know, however, was that she and Cooper would be taking the train across to Paris themselves that weekend, spending Saturday night at the Girard's apartment, and then returning back to London on the last train on Sunday. It had been suggested to Cooper by Sebastian, who thought it would be a nice idea given that they were going to be so close; a quick chat with Nick had confirmed that his fiancée would love it, and the rest had been simple to organise. It was the least he could do for her, given that for the first three full days of the trip, he would be tied up with the show, and indeed he would be taking Grace to see it the following night, albeit as an audience member. He then had a series of meetings lined up with key members of the cast and crew, both past and present. He had also promised to pay a visit to the London company of _Kinky Boots_ , just to say hello. Grace for her part had sat down with guide books, and then with the almost too eager assistance of her brother and his husband, had planned an itinerary for herself on the three days that Cooper would be unavailable. She had time set aside for shopping, as she knew that he would prefer not to be dragged round stores; a day for visiting the V & A in Kensington, and the Tate Gallery in Pimlico; and a day trip by train to the ancient city of York, which Nick admitted he would have chosen to visit had there been time on his own trip. The idea of a city with medieval walls and an ancient cathedral fascinated her, and she had also heard that there was good shopping to be had there…

After an early dinner, Cooper and Grace said their goodbyes to Mason and Roderick and headed out to board the car that had been sent to take them to the airport. The two young men where joined on the doorstep by Sebastian, who had been asked as he was older to keep an eye on them, as he was deemed to be more trustworthy by the virtue of age. That he was thought of as such just made Sebastian realise how much he had changed since he had thrown that slushie at his landlord's brother. It also made him feel a bit old, but he didn't mind that. It wasn't as if he would actually be at home all that much anyway, as he would be on standby at the theatre most of the time. He had by now mastered most of the script, and had enlisted the help of Nick and Jeff one night to perfect it. He had opted to run through it in the part of Elder Price; even though he had pretty much zero chance of ever playing that part on stage, it was the biggest role after Elder Cunningham, and he did not think that he had the characteristics to take on that part. He had been left close to corpsing though that night as his two friends had hammed it up as they played all the other cast members. He had also gone through a lot of the choreography and with the assistance of Mike, who had actually seen the show, he could now dance all of the main numbers with a degree of accuracy and confidence.

So far he had not even had a sniff of the stage though, but that was okay. The holidays were now beginning in earnest, and that gave him an increased chance of being called upon to take up some minor role. His dedication to the job and all his efforts to learn the script had been noticed by those in charge after all.

As the car pulled out of the street, he turned to the two younger men, and said "So if you are going to have a party, just promise me please that you will keep it small, and that you will ensure nothing gets damaged or broken. I mean, I would be very surprised if someone hadn't invited at least his girlfriend to come and visit for a start…"

Mason felt the colour run into his cheeks, and then replied, "Yes, Jane is coming for the weekend, but so are Spencer, Alistair and my sister. It's a New Directions reunion of a sort; Cooper and Grace know all about it, and have okayed it. We don't intend to have a wild party, we are just all going to get together and relax."

"Good," responded Sebastian. "I mean, I do not want to have to call people in Europe and tell them that you've been having wild bacchanalian parties; at least, one's that I wasn't invited to…" With that, Sebastian winked and walked away, heading back downstairs to his own place, leaving Roderick laughing.

That night, as Roderick settled into his new life in Murray Hill by sharing a pizza at the kitchen table with Mason, across in the West Village Jeff was spending his evening with the three younger men next door, helping them to get the house ready for the arrival of their three other housemates. Seth was naturally more comfortable with the whole thing than Luke or Duncan, who knew the other three boys solely from encounters with them at Warbler weddings. Seth had been talking to them about the others, naturally, letting them know all of the foibles of his old schoolmates, just as he had e-mailed Edward a list of all the things that they needed to know about Luke and Duncan. Jeff had come to help them set up the bedrooms, and also to ensure that the house did not look like a disaster zone when the new guys arrived the next day, particularly as they would be accompanied by Colin and Skylar's moms; they had opted to come with them to see exactly where their sons would be living. They both had expressed doubts about how nice the house could be, given the unfeasibly low rent. Both ladies had made a booking for the Holiday Inn the next night, so at least they did not have to provide them with a room for the night as well. One of the things they did was set up a room for Colin for his mother to inspect. Jeff was pretty certain that Mrs Baxter knew full well that her son would be sleeping in the same bed as Edward from the moment that he arrived, but just for appearances, it didn't hurt to have her think otherwise.

The evening was also a good excuse for Jeff to catch up with his cousin, and the topic of conversation quickly turned to events in Vermont. "Mom is still in shock, although she will never admit it, that thanks to you all of their plans can finally go ahead. Aunt Sarah is a powerhouse at these kind of things, and she is already organising all the tools and equipment that they will need to get the land back into a viable state, and to restore the buildings. The biggest issue now isn't money, but finding people that can do the work. Flora is at home for the holidays, and she is looking forward to the challenge, and she has also managed to recruit a few of her college friends to assist. Mom did ask if there was any chance of Duncan and I coming home for the holidays, but I told her we couldn't; we both have our jobs for starters, and then there is the new house to organise, new roommates to get to know… Admittedly, she did suggest that I could bring them all to Vermont. I don't think that any of the four Warblers we have here would be up for doing it though. Anyway, take this as a warning; next time you call your mother, be careful if she invites you up. It will be because she wants to use you and Nick as cheap labour…"

Jeff laughed, knowing that as much as he loved the peace and tranquillity of rural Vermont, there was no way that he and Nick would wish to spend their entire summer mending broken buildings and working fields. It was then that it hit him; if the buildings in question were like the ones at his aunts' farm, then they would require the services of a carpenter to make the repairs - and as it happened, he knew someone that was not only good at woodwork, from what he recalled, but who was now at college studying for a horticulture qualification…

When he returned home later, he made a call to his Aunt Moira, who was delighted to hear his voice. She started the conversation by thanking him once more for his unparalleled generosity, and as he had done so many times now, Jeff told her that it was nothing. He then moved on to the purpose of his call. "I hear on the grapevine that you are looking for help with getting the new land in shape. Now before you get overexcited, it isn't me and Nick I am talking about, because for as much as I love the countryside, I don't know the difference between weeds and wheat. On top of that, the carpentry master at Dalton had Nick and I barred from his workshop - he said that we were both a liability with a hammer or a saw." He paused as his aunt laughed, and then continued. "I do know someone that might just fit the bill though. His name is Cameron Gillen; he is another ex-Warbler, and he is studying horticulture. He is also the recipient of the most merit badges for woodcraft in the history of Dalton Academy. The thing is, he had a breakdown about three years ago when his parents were trying to force him through law school, and it threw him a bit off kilter. He is fine now though, or I wouldn't be suggesting that he might be some use to you. He loves working with his hands and the outdoors, and I have a feeling that this would be a dream summer job for him."

"Well all the help that we can get would be appreciated Jeff. He has a past, but so do we all; it's the here and now that matters. So call him up, and tell him about the job, and if he wants it, tell him to call me. We can have a discussion and then it will be up to him; from my perspective, he sounds ideal."

Jeff thanked her, and after a quick chat, he rang off. He immediately called the number that he had been given by Cameron at Dalton. His friend answered quickly, and after a few pleasantries, Jeff came straight to the point. He explained everything that was going on in Vermont, the scale of the task, and what his aunts would need. He could hear the excitement in Cam's voice as he described the place, and once he had finished, he was told with eagerness that he wanted the job; being at home with his parents for the summer was driving him crazy, as he was stuck in the middle of a city, and he had no opportunity to do what he loved easily. Jeff gave him Moira's number, and laughed as having repeated it back to him, Cam more or less hung up on him. He had a funny feeling that a phone in Vermont was about to start ringing at any moment…

Tuesday saw a removal truck arrive once more in the quiet little street in the West Village. Knowing that this would be happening a lot for the first few weeks, one of the first things that Nick had done on moving in had been to go and introduce himself to the neighbours across the street, not that this had been an easy task. The majority of the residents of the divided townhouses across from them worked all day and had jobs which meant they worked long hours. He had made the acquaintance of an elderly widow who lived more or less opposite his own home, however. She had known the female artists that had lived there very well, and she was glad that after the houses had been sitting empty for so long, under threat of demolition and replacement with a monstrosity, that they would once again be occupied. She like many of the other older residents had been vehemently opposed to the condo plans, and when the last of the ladies had died, they had expected that they would have to try and fight a last ditch effort to save the neighbourhood. She hadn't held out much hope, given that the city had approved it. Now the threat was gone, and she was content. Nick had apologised to her in advance for the disruption that would be caused by a string of movers' trucks, but she had shrugged, and said that a few hours of disturbance was a small price to pay for the pleasure of looking out of her front window and seeing lights on across the street once more. The following day she had come across to see Nick, the name Sterling-Duval having clicked in her mind the previous night. Nick had invited her in and introduced her to Jeff of course. She shook his hand warmly, and informed him that she was even more delighted that it was a young artist of his calibre that had moved in to what had always been known in her younger days as the artist's row. She had stayed for coffee, and had also met Mike. When she heard what he did for a living, her face had beamed all the more, delighted that such a collection of talented young people were coming in to her street. Thus when she saw all of Artie's camera equipment being moved in later that week, she had clapped her hands in delight at the idea of a film maker joining the artist and the dancer.

As the van that had travelled from Ohio pulled up early on that Tuesday afternoon, Nick was waiting to greet the new arrivals, and he was sure that he had seen the curtains on the other side of the street twitch as he greeted his friends. He was sure that when he told her in passing later that the three young men were all fellow former members of his high school glee club she would be satisfied. Then again, who would not be pleased by the arrival of young men studying pharmacy, dentistry and architecture.

The van had been followed by the car carrying three young men and two mothers. As it pulled up, the door to their new place swung open to reveal Luke, Duncan and Seth, the first two being more cautious in their approach. The mothers of course remembered Seth and Nick, and it fell to the latter to introduce the other two as Jeff's cousin and his boyfriend. The whole meeting was very formal, with Luke on his best behaviour, remembering all of his P's and Q's. He was the one that offered to show the two ladies around whilst the others set to in helping to unload the van, and they accepted. They were both instantly overwhelmed by the grandeur of the property from the moment they set foot through the front door. It was the polar opposite of what they had been anticipating. It did help that the three young men already resident had deep cleaned every inch of the place that morning, and as such the floors were spotless, the surfaces gleaming and a pleasant floral smell pervaded the whole house. This latter was down to the fact that Kurt had turned up, after they had finished the cleaning, and pointed out that the whole place looked good, but smelt of boy. A slight mustiness that they would never pick up on, but that a mother immediately would. There had been a rush to the store for scented candles, which had all now been extinguished and hidden from sight. All in all, by the end of the tour the qualms the two women had had about their son's living arrangements had been put to one side.

Nick had invited the two ladies for coffee next and they had accepted, both curious to see inside another house. They also knew that they had to give their boys a chance to settle in without the watchful eyes of a mother on them. This allowed Colin to move the majority of his belongings into Edward's room, rather than his own. The latter they intended to use as a study space. As such the shelves were filled with his books; a few items of clothing he rarely wore were placed in the drawers and the wardrobe. The rest of his personal items were placed in the room that he would be sharing with his fiancé. The door closed behind them for a moment, they had taken the chance to lie side by side on the big double bed, which was much larger than the single bed at Dalton they had shared from time to time before.

Across the landing, Skylar and Seth had observed the closed door as they carried up the last of the former's belongings between them and had shaken their heads. Skylar laughed moment's later as having set down the final box, Seth handed him a pair of earplugs. "Thanks Seth, I could use a new pair. The one's that I had at Dalton might well have got lost in the move!"

"And if it does get really bad, there are two sofas in the kitchen, down in the basement, where we will not hear a thing," added Seth. He knew though that it was unlikely they would hear a thing in any case; like Luke and Duncan, Colin and Edward were well versed in the art of quiet sex…

The new arrivals, their roommates and the two mothers ended up at the Spotlight diner for dinner that evening. It gave the two women a chance to thank Jeff in person for his extraordinarily generous gesture in providing their boys with such a high quality home at such a low rent. Jeff naturally told them that it was the least that he could do for them after what they had all suffered at the hands of his brother, but neither woman would accept that, with Mrs Baxter informing him that he was a saint. They then proceeded to eulogise his drawing, which they had seen online, and which they would be making a visit to with the boys the following day, before they drove back to Ohio. By the time that Jeff was able to get away from the table with their order, his face was glowing red from all the blushing that he had done.

Matters had not been helped by the phone call he had received from Cameron that morning, who had called him excitedly to tell him that he had spoken to Jeff's aunt, and he would be taking the job in Vermont over the summer; in fact, he was already on his way there, so glad was he to have a reason to not stay the summer with his parents. For their part, they had insisted on speaking to Moira, and she had told them all that they needed to hear. He had left with their blessing, both of them knowing that he would be okay.

"I am so grateful to you Jeff, and so glad that we had that chat at Dalton," Cameron had begun. Then he had added "Although to be honest, I guess I should also be grateful to Thad, because I think he might have had a hand in that. Will you tell him how grateful I am next time you speak to him? I would call him myself, but I know that he will be busy with his finals, and I don't want to disturb him. Your aunt is going to put me up at the house, which is really good of her, and it means there will be folks around to keep me company, which is excellent. So I need to go, they're calling my flight. I'll maybe see you at some point over the summer?" Jeff wasn't sure about that, but maybe he and Nick could head up there one weekend before school started up, or they could even ask Cameron to come and visit them in the city.

With the Law Library closing earlier all summer, Nick was at home alone with only Caleb for company. Mike had been invited to a meeting with the rest of the corps du ballet, and he had felt that it was vital that he got to know the people that would soon be his colleagues. After the meeting there would be a meal, and then probably drinks, so he would be back home late. Nick took full advantage of having the quiet house to make himself at home in his little study and started to collect the data that he would need for his project at college next year; a study of the Montgomery trials. He was intending to look at it not just from the usual angle of a discussion of the fraud and arson charges, but also at the human rights aspects, particularly in light of what had been done to those poor young women caught up in the whole saga. He had made up his mind to make contact with the law firm that had represented them as a group in court, to see if they would be willing to have a discussion with him on behalf of their clients. He was anxious not to cause any hurt or upset to the young women themselves by being too intrusive, as they had already been through enough. The case was however been hailed as a landmark one in terms of getting justice for female victims of abuse, and Nick felt that it was an important story to tell. He also wondered just how many other people there were out there that had not been brave enough to tell their story to the court. There was a rumour circulating that the list of names that had been given to the judge had been shorter than the number of clients that they represented, as some of the ladies had wished to protect their anonymity. Part of him also wondered if any of them had accepted the payment, but had then failed to do what was asked of them. The idea that somewhere out there, there might be a child that would call Wes their brother was fascinating to him, as much as he imagined that it would be to Wes himself…

His thoughts were interrupted as something furry, and no longer as small as he once had been jumped up into his lap, and miaowed. Contrary to their expectations, as cats so often are, Caleb had not been the least bit phased by the stairs, and was quite happy to run up and down them at will. This in itself had nearly caused a disaster as a half asleep Nick had almost tripped over him on the main stairs one morning, and only the fact that he had a firm grip on the handrail had prevented him from falling headlong down the length of the stairs. Naturally, Caleb had looked at him as if he was in the wrong… Now the last person to head upstairs at night made sure that Caleb was in his bed, then shut the door to the kitchen firmly behind them; at all other times, they kept their eyes peeled for his presence.

"I am guessing that somebody is feeling hungry," said Nick with a chuckle as Caleb rubbed his head into his stomach lovingly, and made little noises. As he said the word hungry, Caleb miaowed, and shaking his head, but smiling all the same, Nick lifted the cat off his lap. He got up, and set him down, and made his way to the kitchen, Caleb running along behind him. Nick placed some food in Caleb's bowl, and poured him some milk, then decided that he could do with a glass of juice himself - and maybe a small slice of the chocolate cake he had made earlier that week. His work could wait a little while after all…


	41. Moving On : Part III

**Moving On : Part III**

Wednesday morning saw Elliott waking up with a huge smile on his face. It was not just because he had been given the day off by Michelle, although that did help his mood greatly. No, today was the day that his Nate would move in, and their lives together could truly begin. Elliott knew what a massive step it was for his boyfriend to move in with him, given that he would have denied even having feelings for men until this time last year. Now he was open about his pansexuality, and about his feelings for Elliott; he took pride in the fact that he had found the soul that balanced his and now felt complete for the first time in his life. Moving in together was a big step though, as it meant sharing the same space day in, day out, not just for a few nights each month. Today was the day that things took on a sense of permanence, and for the last few days they had both been feeling a growing sense of excitement.

Josh was also looking forward to having Beats around, which was a great help. He saw him as another brother, and although he had enjoyed the last two days of just being the Gilbert brothers, it would be great to have him on hand. Even better was the fact that the following week, his own boyfriend would be moving in. Scott's parents had listened to the arguments, and had been forced to agree with Elliott, that given how strong and stable the relationship was between the two young men, it did not make sense to insist that they should live apart during their college years, at least to begin with. They did support the idea that he had his own bedroom, although they were fully aware it was unlikely he would ever use it. They liked to imagine that he would though, and it would make an excellent private study space for him if nothing else.

In Princeton, three other young men were also up early in a house that had lost all traces of them in the last week. Everything had been neatly boxed up, well labelled, and was set ready to placed in the movers' van in such a way that there could be no mixing up of their property. Beats' boxes had been labelled with little green stickers and green writing; Flint's with blue and Ethan's with red. The organisation process had been clinical, and Flint was quite proud of himself in the way he had set it up. Breakfast that morning was pastries and coffee, purchased at the local coffee shop to ensure that there was no last minute packing or washing up to be done. Flint had spent the previous night going through the landlord's inventory, checking off every cup, spoon and cushion to ensure that they would not be sent a letter with charges. They had also cleaned the place to an industrial level for the same reason, so that there was nothing to be found out of place.

It was for that reason that Beats had suggested that they eat breakfast in the garden, just to ensure that a rogue crumb did not make it to the floor; he had initially meant it as a joke at the expense of the borderline neurotic Flint, but as he sat there in the sun, he could see why his best friend had gone with it. He had also heard the horror stories about the landlords that had landed students with a hefty bill for cleaning after they moved out. They had finished up and were carefully shaking their clothes free of crumbs when Izzy arrived in her friend's car, ready to drive them all to the West Village. She laughed as she realised why they were sitting outside, but secretly she was glad that she had fallen in love with a man that knew how to clean. She had barely had time to greet them all when the movers' truck arrived, and they had to begin the process of loading up.

Whilst they were doing that, two unexpected visitors arrived. Alan and Callum had come to say goodbye, and to thank Flint and Beats yet again for getting them the jobs at the bar. Callum blushed as he admitted that he had been wolf whistled by a random man as he walked down the street the day before; Flint could sympathise there, as it had happened to him and Beats once or twice too. Then it was time; the last box was loaded. Flint hurried from room to room, ensuring that nothing had been missed and that no marks had been left on the walls or floors. As had been decided before, Ethan jumped in with the movers to help direct them. As the truck drove off, Flint and Beats bade a fond farewell to the new generation of Preppy Boys, extending them an invitation to come and visit them in New York, which they both accepted. Then Izzy drove them off, and after a stop at the letting agency to hand in the keys, they left Princeton behind for their new life in New York.

They reached the city a few minutes after the van. Ethan had begun to help the movers unload the van, with assistance from a beaming Elliott. As he stepped out of the car, Beats found himself engulfed in a hug from his boyfriend; then with the whispered words "Much more of that later…" they had returned to the task in hand. It did not take long, thanks to it being so well organised, and soon the movers were on their way back to New Jersey with a handsome tip. Izzy then had a quiet word in the ears of Ethan and Elliott. She knew that the moment had now arrived, and they needed some space. She escorted Ethan into the apartment he would be sharing with Flint, on the pretext that she wanted to help unpack, while Elliott ran up the stairs, saying he would be making coffee. Thus Beats and Flint found themselves alone in the hallway.

"Well, my friend, this is the moment that we have been dreading; the moment that our ways part," began Beats. "After nearly eight years of sharing accommodation, we are going to be living apart."

"Not that far apart, but it will be odd, I grant you that. I am going to miss you being around, even if at times…" started Flint.

"Yeah," Beat chuckled, "we have had our moments, but I would say that mostly, it has been good. So, Fleats forever?"

"Forever," replied Flint with a sniff.

Then he felt Beats wrapping his arms around him, and they both stood there and let a few tears fall. That was more than okay. In the end though they pulled apart, and Beats said, with a smile, "Come up for lunch. I'm sure that Ell won't mind." Flint nodded and then headed into his new home as his best friend walked up the stairs to his.

When he arrived at the top of the stairs, Beats found Elliott waiting for him, and the first thing he did was pull him into a tight hug. Beats relaxed into it, glad of the warm arms around him. He didn't quite know how to describe what he was feeling at that moment. It felt a little bit like a bereavement; as if a little part of him had died a few moments ago. He was also pretty sure that at this moment downstairs, Flint would be in Izzy's arms, feeling exactly the same kind of bewilderment.

"It is going to be strange for both of you, at least for a little while," Elliott said, understanding in his voice. "You and Flint have been living with each other for so long - all of your adult life when you stop and think about it. Now you have parted, and although you are still in the same building, you're no longer in the same apartment, or in the other bed in the room. It is naturally going to feel so strange for both of you, at first… On the plus side, he is only downstairs, at least for now. I mean, one day, he will move uptown to Izzy's place… I just want you to know that I get it, and I will never try and come between the two halves of Fleats."

"I know that you wouldn't, Ell - and Izzy would say the same. It's just going to be different now. For a while, I need to concentrate on Belliott, for want of a better couple name for the two of us. I'm just so used to being part of Beats&Flint, and now it is going to be Beats and Flint, if you know what I mean…" Beats replied.

"I think that I get it; the two of you had a very bromantic friendship, with a couple name, but now you aren't quite so close; you've grown into adults and forged your own relationships. He will always be your best friend, your partner in crime, the person that features in so many of your memories, good and bad. I would never attempt to change that; I love you far too much to even try."

"Good, because I kind of invited him to come for lunch," said Beats sheepishly.

Elliott chuckled. "It's just as well, as I made enough for all of us! I had a funny feeling you would, and I already asked Izzy and Ethan to join us. It will be nice if we can all get to know each other a little better, given that we are going to see a lot more of each other as neighbours."

"Thanks, Ell. I don't know what I did to deserve you…"

"I could say exactly the same myself, Nate. Now, before they all arrive, why don't we go and make a start unpacking your things - and maybe test our new bed for size…" Beats blushed, but then followed Elliott upstairs. Yes, he was going to miss Flint desperately at times, but he had a funny feeling that having his Elliott around would help him cope a lot easier…

Downstairs, Flint was by now also in the process of unpacking, albeit with Izzy's help. She sorted out his clothes as he unpacked his books and the decorative items, such as the photographs that he kept by the bed. Izzy was glad to observe that there was a big one of her, but not surprised to see the other two were a group shot of the Warblers, and one of himself with Beats, arms round each other's shoulders, grinning from ear to ear. By the bowties they were wearing, she was guessing it had been taken at Nick and Jeff's wedding. They worked in silence; they did not chatter incessantly as some couples would have done. Like Elliott, she knew that her boyfriend was dealing with a fairly traumatic event in his life, and he would need some time to overcome it. She was fully aware that if Flint Wilson had been wired up slightly differently, then neither she or Elliott would ever have stood a chance; he and Beats would have been another pair of Warblers heading to the altar. She knew that through the course of her life with Flint, Beats would be a constant presence, and she didn't mind that at all. When you have had so much shared experience with someone after all, it never left you and it told in so much that you did.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Flint speaking. "I'm sorry that I am so quiet today. It's just that it has been a bit of a day emotionally, and although I am ok, and will be ok, it's just so strange that he isn't here…"

"It's ok, my love, I understand. I have always known that in going out with you, I would gain a Beats, and I know better than to ever try and come between the two of you. What the two of you have is every bit as special as what we have, and it doesn't concern me in the least. Fortunately, Elliott also understands that, and for that reason he invited us to come up for lunch last week, as he had a funny feeling that Beats might ask you…"

She laughed as Flint nodded. "I am so glad that you do get it, as not everyone would. I will be fine once I get used to it. As you have said, it's not as if he is thousands of miles away. That helps a lot…" Flint came over to stand beside her, then in a low voice went on. "I have seen a lot of change in Ethan since Drew decided to stay in England. He tries to act strong, and from the outside, he is the same, but I can tell that he misses him so much. I know that I will never be a complete substitute for Drew, but I am hoping that we will be closer now that it is just the two of us. I would hate to think that he was lonely and in pain…"

Down the hall, Ethan had finished his unpacking. The last of his books had been placed on the shelves, and he had even had time to hang a few pictures on the wall. He too had photos by his bed - the same group photo of the Warblers, and one from Niff's wedding, albeit of himself and Drew in a similar pose to the one next door. He had sent a text to his best friend to confirm with him his new address, but he had received no reply. He was resigned to the fact that it might never come. Drew had Lucy and a whole life in England; he had new friends. Living in New York, he could not easily be a part of all that. He had a suspicion in any case that if he had taken a job with a bank in the City of London, then he would not have been warmly received by some people in any case. At least, thanks to Flint, he was not facing the world alone, at least not for a little while longer. Even when he did move on, he was sure that Jeff would let him stay here, close to the people that he knew and loved. He was grateful for that; he was not sure if he could have managed to be all on his own.

The bulk of their unpacking done, Flint, Izzy and Ethan were about to make their way upstairs when the former's phone started to ring. He pulled it out, but did not recognise the number that was calling. He decided to answer it anyway; if it was a salesperson, then he had a script that he knew off by heart that was guaranteed to make them hang up. He would pretend that he could not speak any English, scream at them in gibberish a few times, and then all but the most persistent would give up. He said a cautious "Hello?" as he waved to Izzy and Ethan to head on up without him.

"Hey, cousin, how are things in the big city?" came a familiar voice.

Flint smiled, then replied "Hey Leo! Things are great, and I'm doing fine; I've just moved in to my new place. How's things with you?"

"Pretty ace, thanks. I just found out this morning that I got the grades that I needed to get into college in the fall; it will be Kansas State, here in good old Manhattan, but even that is much better than it might have been. I mean, this time last year, who would have thought that I would ever achieve the grades that I needed to go to school and study for a civil engineering degree?"

"I hate to say this, but that last statement is very true. I am so glad that you turned it around though, and to be honest, I am proud of you!"

"Thanks Flint. To be honest, most of it was down to your dad and his advice. Anyway, so point of this call. I don't start school until the middle of August, and you and the lovely Izzy did say that if I did well in my finals, I could come and visit you in the big city…"

He paused, and Flint suddenly recalled what he had said to him at Thanksgiving, when he had expected him and Izzy to be living in that big house on the Upper East Side by now. The problem was that had all changed… "Yeah man, I remember. Look, can you give me a second whilst I just check something?"

"Sure…" Leo responded, and Flint could hear at once that the tone of his voice had changed, as if he was now expecting the next words he heard to be "I'm sorry…" He put his phone on hold for a second, then hurried to catch up with the other two.

"Ethan? I have a big favour to ask. On the other end of the phone is my cousin Leo. Back at Thanksgiving, Izzy and I kind of promised him that if he did well in his exams then he could come and spend a few weeks with us over the summer her in New York.."

"Oh, Lord, we did! I had forgotten all about him…" gasped Izzy, her face falling.

Ethan shook his head, then smiled. "Flint, we have a third bedroom; it isn't the biggest, but I'm sure he'd be comfortable enough in there. So, yes, he can come, no problem." He had not even needed time to consider his answer.

"Thank you so much Ethan. I promise that I will make it up to you."

"Too right. I mean, that is you on washing up duty for life…" Ethan joked.

Flint just shook his head, then took his phone off hold. "Hey, Leo, sorry to keep you waiting like that. It will be no problem to have you come and stay, but it won't be at Izzy's place on the East Side, as it is being refurbished just now. Instead I am living in the West Village, and I had to just check with my old friend and roommate Ethan if he was okay with you coming, which he is."

"That's so cool, thanks man. I admit, for a moment…"

"I know. I heard it in your voice. Anyway, just let me know when you will be coming!"

"How does next week sound? Your dad has already said that he will drive me up to Topeka so I can get the Greyhound right through; the only drawback with that is that it does get into New York about 4.20am…"

"Well, I will just need to get up early then! Let me know the day, and I will be there at the Port Authority, waiting for you." Then, after a quick bit of family chat, Flint hung up, and he headed upstairs. He was sure that between them all, they could manage to keep his cousin amused for a few weeks. The bonus was that he was of the same age group as the guys that were living next door, so he could encourage them all to mix…

Lunch was a cheerful affair, with both Beats and Flint both now over the immediate moment of grief at their separation. They deliberately chose to sit in sight of each other, but not next to each other, as they always had done before. The topic of Leo also allowed them all to avoid the subject of the move, with suggestions from all around the table of the sights and attractions that he should definitely be taken to see whilst he was in the city. They all agreed that he had to be taken up the Empire State Building, and that he needed a trip past the Statue of Liberty on the Staten Island ferry at the very least too. Museums posed a trickier question, as Flint had no idea if his cousin had any interest in art, but he could leave guide books lying out, and just let him take his pick. Going to see a show was another tricky option, but they all agreed that it might be best to see if Sebastian could get them a good price on seats to see _Book of Mormon_.

"Now if he is from Kansas, and unlike you, he has never lived anywhere else, then a day at the beach might be a good idea; take him to Coney Island, or even for an overnight stay at Port Jefferson, if Niff agree, which I am certain they would," mused Elliott.

"That is not such a bad idea. I don't know if he has ever seen the sea; I have a feeling that he won't have, as they have never had a holiday as a family, as much as I know. It is an awful fact to say, but there are a lot of folk in Manhattan, Kansas, that have never seen the sea…"

"From what I recall, you once informed me that some folk in Manhattan think that the earth is flat," Beats teased, making them all laugh.

"That is sadly true - and they are the kind of people who will probably be decisive in deciding who our next President will be," sighed Flint, shaking his head.

"If that is the case," said Ethan, "then may the Lord help us all out of the resultant mess…"

After lunch, everyone began to go their separate ways. Ethan announced that he was going to head downtown to visit the offices of his new employer, firstly to confirm his new address with them, and secondly so that he could plan out the best route from the subway to the office. The company sat almost midway between the Wall Street station on the 2 & 3 trains, and Rector Street station on the 1 train. He had decided that he might head to work on the former, as it would be faster in theory, but come home again on the latter, as Rector Street was the second stop on the train's journey north, and at South Ferry only part of the train was in use due to short platforms. It would also give him a chance to clear his head, and deal with the fact that Drew had not been in touch to wish him all the best in his new place. He could not help but wonder sometimes if their relationship would have been stronger had he stayed in England for that final year, but he realised now that it probably would not have been. After all, he would still have been in Cambridge, and Drew would have been with Lucy in Oxford. If anything, such a decision could have left him worse off, as at least for the last year he had been living with the close company of old friends. He had also resolved that he had better call his parents and let them know where he would be living, just in case. He might even get to speak to one of them, but if he was lucky, he would find himself speaking to one of their assistants instead. Sometimes, those people felt more like a family to him than his blood relations.

Beats had plans too, as it happened. Josh had made arrangements to go and visit Mason and Roderick for a gaming session - after all, they had a whole townhouse in Murray Hill to themselves at the moment. He would be joined in his journey by Skylar; he was keen to get out of the house as Luke, Duncan and Seth were all working that afternoon, and he did not want to have to sit with earplugs in or with his headphones on for the entire afternoon, just in case Colin and Edward decided to make the most of the space. When he told Josh that, he had laughed, and admitted that was the reason why he was heading out too.

If Elliott and Beats had overheard Josh's statement then they showed no sign of it. It did not take a genius to tell what they had planned though, and Flint could certainly tell by the way that they kept glancing at each other. He knew that he would not be welcome to hang around after lunch. That would leave him at a loose end, as Izzy had to head back to Princeton with the car, and was working later too. He decided that he would take a stroll down to the Spotlight rather than hang around in an empty apartment. He knew that Jeff was on duty, and he would gladly accept Flint's offer to man the coffee machine for a few hours. Standing there making coffee after coffee made so many of the others bored, but for him it was a good form of stress relief. It would also be a good chance for a catch up with Jeff, as if it hadn't been for him, then he had no idea where he would be living, and he had the horrible thought that it might well have been back in New Jersey. He would also have had to turn down his cousin's request to come and stay…

He let Ethan and Izzy leave first, bidding each of them goodbye whilst nursing the last of his coffee. Josh was not far behind them. That left him in the room with Elliott and Beats. He decided to wind them up, just a little. He handed his coffee cup over to Beats, who took it into the kitchen where Elliott was now washing up. He then asked, in a loud voice "So, what are the three of us going to be doing this afternoon? Josh said that you had an afternoon of games planned. I'm at a loose end, and if there is room for a third player, I'd happily join in." He heard Beats having a coughing fit in the other room, and Elliott muttering about throttling his brother. Then, with a laugh, Flint got up and poked his head round the kitchen door. "Don't worry guys! I know it's a game for two players you're playing. I'll be heading out now. I will give your love to everyone at the diner…"

At the door, Beats caught up with him, shook his head, then hugged him. "Don't do that again, Flint," his friend whispered. "After all, one of these days we might just decide to let you play with us…" Beats laughed as Flint went scarlet, then pushed him out the open door, mouthing the words "Love you, Flint!" as he did so. Then he shut the door as his best friend hurried down the stairs.

Flint arrived at the diner to find Jeff and Michelle checking out a Facebook post from Santana. She had arrived in Paris on Monday morning, and after dealing with a day of jetlag from the six hour time difference, had woken up on Tuesday morning with an eager Brittany at her side. She went on

' _My wife and I were escorted to the Louvre by François, and he knew the fast way to get us straight to the Mona Lisa. Her smile is described as enigmatic in all the guidebooks, but in my opinion it's just ok; my lovely wife's smile is far more radiant - and Jeff's drawing is far more lifelike. From there we went on a shopping trip to what François called the Grand Magasins and I have to admit that the French do know how to impress with their department stores. Macy's and its ilk look dull by comparison. We had lunch in one of the stores, in a restaurant that overlooked the Eiffel Tower. Of course, that was where we ended up next, as you can tell by the photos. Then it was off to the Moulin Rouge for dinner, and yes, we saw the show. I do warn you all now; Brittany will probably want to attempt the cancan on the stage at the Spotlight. Can you all get your heads together and find a very good reason why she shouldn't? It isn't because I don't want to see her do it, far from it; it's because she will need a whole line of dancers to do it. She is convinced that Mike should know how to do it, and that she could show Jeff. On that note, I sign off for now. P.S. François sends his love to everyone in New York.'_

Flint couldn't help but laugh as he saw Jeff shaking his head repeatedly and muttering the words "Never going to happen. Not in a million years." Michelle tried her best to keep a straight face as Jeff dived onto the computer to send a reply to Santana's post, no doubt to inform her that he had no intention of ever high kicking his way across the stage at the Spotlight, not even for Brittany.

"So Flint, what can we do for you on this fine afternoon?" said Michelle, turning her attention back to the new arrival.

"You can let me make coffee," came his simple reply. "Today has been both a happy and a sad one for me; I need to do something simple to keep my mind occupied, so that I don't end up dwelling on things."

"Be my guest; we are a little short on staff at the moment, to be honest, especially as the afternoon rush is about to kick off. It is only going to get worse as well; Mike will be giving up his job shifts, so to speak, given that soon he will be required full time at the City Ballet, and there are a couple of the other staff that have graduated and will be moving on. It's a shame that you will be working full time soon, or I would have you here manning that coffee machine permanently. You are easily the best of the bunch on that machine, but I will never admit that I said that!" Michelle replied.

"Said what?" responded Flint with a laugh. "Well, if you are looking for staff, don't forget that we have three new Warblers in town. I would suggest that you don't even consider employing Colin and Edward at the same time though. Now Skylar is your best bet I guess; he was Head Warbler, so he can hold a tune, and from what I recall, he used to spend his summers helping his aunt out in her hotel up at Lake Ohio; he should therefore actually have the skills needed for a job in the hospitality industry."

"So you think that I should offer him a job then?" said Michelle. "Very well; speak to him, and if he is interested in working here, tell him to come in and speak to me. Mike will be off the rota as of next month, and it would be good if we had someone trained up and ready to replace him." With that, she handed Flint an apron, and he took it before heading into the back to hang up his jacket. He also pulled out his phone and quickly typed up a text to Skylar, telling him to head down to the Spotlight at some point, as he was there and would like to have a chat with him.

In the end Flint had been at his post, dispensing cup after cup of coffee for nearly three hours before the door opened to admit the young man in question. He had enjoyed every moment of his wait though; he had watched from his spot as Jeff and Luke had served and from time to time sung to the crowd. He had happily joined in with the words more than once, but he had stayed firmly behind the counter, also helping out with the register. He didn't know why, but he felt that if he jumped up on the stage today he might forget where he was, and go into one of his routines from Princeton in error. That would not do the diner's reputation any good at all. He was singing along as Skylar walked up on his own, having left Josh with Mason and Roderick; he had called Elliott, and when the call went unanswered he had left a message, telling his brother he was going to stay the night in Murray Hill, and that Beats could consider it his house warming gift. Flint laughed out loud as Skylar repeated those words, but all the same blushed, as he knew exactly what Josh had been implying by it.

"So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about? If it is how the two of us can avoid the attentions of loved up couples, then I am all ears; likewise, if it is to offer me sanctuary at your place if Edwin are being too loud, or just too sickeningly sweet to bear, then I accept…"

"Not quite, although you and Seth for that matter will always be welcome to come and hide with me and Ethan anytime you need to. No, it was to get you ahead of the queue and provide you with a paid hiding place like Seth has. In this case, yours would potentially be here…"

Skylar had known that he would have to find a job to pay for all the nice little extras once he had settled into life in the city, but this was only his first full day as a New York resident. Still, there would be far worse places that he could get a job in than the Spotlight. He was in the most fortunate position of the three new arrivals, in that he had the least time consuming college course. As a student studying architecture, the hours that he would have to spend at classes would be far fewer than those of Colin and Edward, studying for degrees in Dentistry and Pharmacy respectively. He did know that any job he took would have to be flexible, and to that end he had considered taking a job as a delivery boy for one of the many food services. He was a good cyclist, and he could picture himself weaving his way through the stalled city traffic. His mother, when he told her what he was thinking, had immediately pictured him in traction in a hospital bed.

A job here would be an option that would suit him and stop her worrying. Once Flint had finished his hard sell, Skylar made his way into the back at his prompting to see Michelle in the office, where she was checking the weekly orders and stock levels. She had met the young man a few times before, and so the interview process was more or less straight forward. She knew she wanted to hire him, but it was not just her decision. He would have to be interviewed by a couple of the partners, and they would have to be non-Warblers. After all, they did not want for there to be any accusations of favouritism afterwards.


	42. Moving On : Part IV

**Moving On : Part IV**

So it was that in less than a month, a row of five vacant townhouses in the West Village had become a new home for a group of young people, all connected to each other through a mutual love of song. True, one of the houses still had both of its parts sitting empty, and half of another still awaited the person that would occupy it in the long term, but they were all being cared for. Jeff had made an offer to Dani, asking her if she would like to come and live with them all, but she had declined, more than happy in the little place she had in Park Slope. It was a combination of that, and the fact that as much as she loved and cared for all of them, the idea of living so close to the people that she worked with sent a shiver down her spine. Mike did feel guilty about his place standing empty, but then he heard that Trent and Rory were considering coming up for a longer break, if they could find somewhere to stay, and it hit him what his house could be; guest accommodation. He extended an invitation to visit to Matt, and told Puck and Quinn that next time they were in the city, he would give them the keys. It wasn't long before he had a whole list of people that wanted to come and stay.

As for Trent and Rory, they too had found themselves moving home. When Jeff had told them that he had inherited a property in Georgetown, and they could move into it if they wished, they had told him that they would have to see it first before making a decision. They had expected somewhere small, and probably modern. Instead, they had found themselves outside a substantial older property, checking and double checking the address. The fact that the keys fitted in the lock had confirmed that it was indeed the correct place… Less than five minutes later, Trent was on the phone telling Jeff they were taking it; it wasn't as pristine as the West Village homes, but it was fully modernised and ready to move in to. It retained all of its period charm, was close to the shops and bars, and had easy access to both college and Burt's office. The main bonus was the amount of space that it gave them; both Trent and Rory had a large collection of books that kept growing, and here there were enough shelves to keep them happy.

The other advantage to having a much larger place was that they could set a room aside to store all of the papers they had concerning the part of Sue Sylvester's election campaign that they were covertly involved in. it had been impossible to store any of the papers at Burt's office, given the close scrutiny that he as a congressman was under, particularly at the moment as an election drew close. As for Sue's campaign, it was building up very nicely, thanks to the lady herself, and Mrs Duval…

The fact that his ex-wife was co-ordinating the campaign of his main rival was a thorn in the side of Mr Duval. The fact that said rival was representing the same party was even more of a nuisance to him. What was most irksome was the fact that he had discovered that there was actually no law which stated that there could only be one candidate from each party. All he could do was try and persuade the people of Westerville that his Trump influenced rhetoric was the best option for them. Sue was taking a more traditional approach, and they had to be convinced that it was out of date and would not succeed. After all, she had tried to get herself elected to Congress before, and had been soundly defeated by that interfering liberal minded idiot, Burt Hummel. He had not, and indeed would never forgive that man for the intervention that he had made over his son; had it not been for him sticking his nose in, then Nicholas could have been saved from the life of sin that he was now mired in. He was grateful for the fact that here in Westerville, the electorate seemed to have more intelligence than those rednecks in Lima. Sure, it was true that he was not getting the numbers he needed with the female vote, but that didn't worry him too much. As long as he managed to get the men round to his side, he could ask them to persuade their wives to see it his way too, and change their minds. After all, the little woman working away at home, caring for the children and obeying her husband was part of what had made America great in the past; feminism had a lot to answer for.

There was also resistance coming from Dalton Academy, and the schools like it. That pathetic woman in charge of the school now was as weak as Carmichael had been in his opinion, constantly bleating on about the folly of removing anti-bullying policies. Boys needed to learn from day one that the real world was tough and that they had to live with the law of the jungle. If his son had been subject to the righteous censure of his peers for the choices he had made, then Nicholas might have made a better choice. Of course, had his blond friend been taken out of the picture by the same peer group, then none of this stupidity would have happened in the first place.

His campaign manager, Sebastian's father, had begun to worry privately. It was not just down to the fact that he could see just how much support Sue Sylvester was starting to gain, or the fact that her campaign was being run by his candidate's ex-wife, with the backing of his son, daughter and in-laws. No, what worried him was the way that Sue looked at him every time that their paths crossed. It was a look that seemed to say that she knew all of his secrets. He would not put it past either of his sons to have accidentally let slip that his first wife wasn't actually dead, and therefore he was guilty of committing bigamy twice. Then there was the small matter of the few backhanders he had taken for favours in the court. If she knew, and exposed it, it would blow him clean out of the water, and take Duval with him. True, he was not implicated in any of it, but his credibility would be damaged by association.

He had already had one close call. His candidate had decided that they needed to employ the kind of advertising techniques that Sue herself had used in her original campaign in Lima. He had been unsure, but in the end, it had taken place; a TV broadcast in which he declared that the education system, with its pro-gay and anti-bullying policies would raise a generation of young American men to be weak, leaving them without an army to defend the nation from the rampages of commies and immigrants. A day later, Sue had responded in kind on her show; because it was filmed in Lima, outside the district, she could still use it as a platform with no risk of censure. She sat and ranted on about men that took advantage of women; that bullied them and forced them to give up all they held dear. Men that hit out at anyone that was different because of their own insecure masculinity. Men that broke the law, and deceived the public… Yes, the former state attorney was 99% certain that Sue knew all of his sins…

He was of course fully aware that Sue would never divulge his secrets unless it was to her own advantage. No, she would just continue to look at him in that way, and unnerve him. There was of course the small chance that she actually knew nothing at all. She was famed for her belief that everyone had a guilty secret. He could not take the risk though. If the world found out that he had known that his first wife was alive when he had married his second and third 'wives', then the consequences were not pretty. Even if they could not prove that he knew that she was alive, he would still be pilloried in the press, and worse still, he would be sued to destitution by his other two wives, and quite possibly by Julian too.

He was also convinced that Sue knew far more about the breakdown of the Duval family than he had been made party to. In fact, he was certain that she and Sebastian both knew more than he did; in the case of the latter, he and Nick had been good friends at Dalton, so he was informed, and secrets would have been shared. He thought about that for a while, and wished now that he had taken more of an interest in his younger son in that terrible year; that instead of regarding him as nothing more than a nuisance, he had tried to build bridges and form a relationship with his flesh and blood. If they had been closer, then perhaps he could have been persuaded to tell him the truth about the Duvals. Instead, all he had to go on was the version that had been given to him by Mr Duval himself, which was all about how his son had been seduced into a life of sin and debauchery by the devil boys at Dalton Academy. The irony that one of the boys in question, if his version was true, would have been Sebastian was not lost upon him.

He knew that everything that had taken place at Dalton would more than likely be dredged back up as the campaign heated up and became more frayed; he had already been told that Mr Duval intended to take no prisoners, and would not spare a thought for the feelings of anyone, especially not those that he believed had betrayed him. That statement had confirmed to him that his ex-wife, son and daughter were all fair game to the man he was supposed to get to Congress; they would be attacked if he could turn it to his advantage.

Mr Smythe dreaded an attack on Nick the most. That would almost certainly arouse a heated debate across the whole political spectrum. In his opinion, the boy had suffered more than enough in his short life already. He had, as part of his duties as State Attorney for Ohio, read the transcripts of Hunter's trial word for word, and what he had read left him shocked. That such barbarism had taken place in a school; a school where the long standing policies on bullying had been twisted and bent by a corrupt young man and his uncle. Although he would never admit it on the record, he could never agree with his candidates beliefs on anti-bullying policies. He could not support the notion that such events as those that had happened at Dalton in its darkest hour could be seen by anyone as character building, and particularly not when one of the victims of that horror was his own recalcitrant son.

That his boy had been subjected to such things had left him weeping, although he would never admit it. Pride stood in the way of that, and in any case, his own actions had lead to his relationship with Sebastian being shattered beyond repair. However, he could try now and show his two estranged sons that he wasn't as bad as Duval. Up until now he had restrained his candidate as much as he could; maybe he should stop doing so. If he let Duval show his true colours in public, it would shock so many people away from his candidacy and over to that of Sue Sylvester. She was still a Republican after all, and perhaps having a local congressperson that wasn't so caught up in the Trump rhetoric would not be such as a bad thing for Westerville.

Across town, in the comfortable sitting room of her parents home, Mrs Duval had no idea that Mr Smythe was slowly coming round to seeing that his candidate should be kept out of Washington at all costs. She would have laughed in the face of any person that suggested that such as sea change could even happen. Then again, if someone had told her this time last year that her staunchly Democrat voting parents would be actually assisting a Republican candidate to win an election, she would have suggested they seek psychiatric help, or at the very least, stop taking the drugs. Yet there in front of her at that very moment her father was stuffing envelopes, whilst he wore a pin that said _'I'm with Sue - Are you?'_ In the kitchen, her mother was engaged in a discussion with the lady in question on the issues of woman's rights, immigration and inevitably, 'The Wall'.

"That man is not sane!" she heard her mother exclaim. "He thinks that he can build several hundred miles of wall that can't be easily crossed, no doubt with pipes or tunnels to allow the existing water courses to run through it, and then he is just going to hand Mexico the bill for it! I mean, who does he think is going to build it in any case? The young unemployed layabouts that wouldn't know what hard work was if it came up and kicked them on the backside? He'd probably have to get in immigrants from Mexico to build it! I mean, what then? Get them to build the wall from their side to ensure they do not get into the US? It just makes me so angry - and don't even get me started on that nonsense that he is going to get the big firms to make things here or they'll be penalised. Are people so stupid that they do not realise that such a move would force prices up, and then they'd have high inflation to complain about too…"

"Trump is all about the soundbite. He loves it when the braying rednecks whoop and clap like an audience on Jerry Springer. He loves all the adulation. He is nothing more than a showman that lives for the applause, and of course, like all people of his ilk, he is never wrong about anything," Sue replied, with a sigh. "I hate to say this, but I am afraid that I can actually see him winning this election because there are enough voters out there that are every bit as stupid and bigoted as he is. Fortunately, here in Westerville, people are smart enough to be able to see through all of the lies and half truths. Thanks to that, there will be one less Trump fanatic heading to Washington I hope. Plus, if it does look like Duval is going to win, we have the last resort…"

Mrs Duval heard her mother sigh, then say quietly, "I know we do, but it is the last thing I would ever want to see. However, if Nick has agreed, then we will all be there to support him, and Jeff for that matter. That way, we get an opportunity to show the world what a real, great American family is really like. Loving and supportive, not bitter and divided."

Sue knew that the woman standing at her side meant every word of it. She had learnt a lot about the maternal side of Nick's family since she had enrolled his mother, initially unwillingly, as the manager of her campaign. She knew now that her parents had suspected that Nick was gay from the age of about 12, so many years before the day that the boy himself had suddenly had the revelation about the strength of his feelings for Jeff. They had also known that the blond boy had strong feelings for his best friend from the moment that they saw the way he acted when they were together. That had been when they had gone to support the Warblers in competition; that had been sectionals of Nick's first year. She had met him afterwards, and his grandmother had seen the way that Jeff looked at Nick as she had talked to her grandson; on her way home that night, she had told her husband that they needed to get to know Jeff better, and he had looked at her, then smiled as he realised what she was implying. That was another reason why they had stepped up to support him financially when his father had tried to force him to Harvard, and had stepped up even more when the man in question had disowned Nick, and their daughter, to their shame, had sided with him. Nick had paid his grandparents back every cent the moment that his inheritance from Blaine had cleared, insisting that as he could now support himself, it was only right that he did so. In the end, he would get his college fund after his parents divorced.

It had been the shock of discovering that her son had been left scarred by Hunter and that he had told no-one that had finally seen his mother come to her senses and instigate divorce proceedings, much to the delight of her parents. They had never taken to her husband, and they were glad to see him leaving the lives of their daughter and grandkids. She was rebuilding her life, and though it had been hard at first, the job with Sue had been the making of her. Back in Illinois, before her husband had made the family move to Ohio, Mrs Duval had been a force to be reckoned with, running her own business and making a success of it. She had been forced to give all that up when she returned to Ohio, and she had felt her drive was gone. Exposed to the cut and thrust of the political world, she was glad to discover that it hadn't. This she saw as an extension of something that she had been quietly doing, having been spoken to by the formidable team of Carole Hudson-Hummel and Judy Sterling. The three woman had become quite a force in the campaign for gay rights in Ohio, and as Judy had said to her, it was the least that they could do to be supportive to their sons.

Sue herself had enjoyed every minute of the election so far. She had started off small, very much the underdog, but she had taken advantage of every little chink that she had seen in the armour of her chief rival, Duval. He was so attached to the Donald that every time he fouled something up, which was quite often, she would issue a soundbite and her support had begun to grow as she pointed out how wrong his ideas were. She had now managed to tie with Duval in a couple of polls - the Democrat and the Green candidates were trailing far behind them both. It was good though that they were getting their message out there, and she had thrown a few conciliatory terms about the environment and liberal rights out there in the hope of swaying a few of their supporters to come to her side in beating Duval.

The bad thing was that, as her standings grew, it increased the likelihood of Duval resorting to the use of increasingly dirty tactics to win. She had used them herself after all in her first campaign, and she knew how damaging the consequences could be for those around that were caught in the crossfire. It had taken all of her efforts to get Santana's grandmother to even talk to her again, let alone make the young woman's day perfect by consenting to attend her wedding. She had screwed up badly there, and she did not intend to stoop that low again… Well, except maybe against the candidate himself, because it seemed that he was more of a despicable reptile than the man that wanted to be President, or his sleaze ball of a campaign manager. There was something going on there; she didn't know what, but every time she looked at him, he seemed to squirm under her gaze. He obviously had some dirty secret in his past that he was desperate to keep under wraps. He was quite obviously corrupt, and that was news to nobody in Ohio, but there was something more personal. The fact that he had been married three times, was allegedly on his way to a fourth with an airhead of the worst kind, and that he had two estranged sons was no longer the scandal that it would have been, not in this modern age. No, there had to be something even darker that he was concealing. She didn't know what, but if he thought that she did…. If either he or Duval started to sling the mud, whether it was at her personally, or at the Duval family, then she would ask one of her best to corner the Smythe boy and get the dirt out of him by whatever means she had to. After all, Santana did owe her now…

She returned to the sitting room now, and was shocked at just how high the pile of envelopes was growing. Mrs Duval was on the phone, talking to one of the most senior women in the local branch of the Republican Party; she had heard on the grapevine that their meeting last night had seen a split in opinion the like of which had never been witnessed before. The chairman it seemed had been of the opinion that he would have no opposition to his decision to endorse Duval as their candidate for Congress, or that the branch support Trump as their choice for President. Half an hour into the debate, and there had been chaos; spouses arguing with each other loudly and various committee members at each other's throats. The final clincher had been when an assault charge had been narrowly avoided. At that point the chairman had banged his gavel, and screamed above the hubbub that the meeting was now closed; he had no choice, as before long someone would end up injured, or even worse….

Mrs Duval could only smile as she relayed all of this news to Sue. The fact that there was talk that the split might be irrevocable made her smile, but her biggest source of glee was the fact that her dear ex-husband had ended up caught up in the melee. She did not tell her parents or Sue for that matter that he had had a glass of orange juice thrown in his face, or that he had narrowly missed being punched in the face twice. She did not want anyone to accuse her of gloating after all; she would however tell Grace later, as her daughter would enjoy the laugh. As she finished, an E-mail pinged onto her phone. She smiled as she told them that the latest poll results were out, and finally it had happened; Sue was now 1% point ahead. It was a cause for celebration, but also for concern. There was a long time yet to the election, and things could change quickly for starters. Moreover, they were all fully aware that more results like that could see the campaign get dirty, and that could cause them all heartache in the long run…


	43. A Tale of Two Cities : Part I

**A Tale of Two Cities : Part I**

Several thousand miles away from the familiar streets of Manhattan, two couples found themselves in contrasting capital cities. Santana, who had once denied that she had a single romantic bone in her body, had fallen completely under the spell of Paris. It helped of course that she was able to tell everyone that she was there in the company of the beautiful young lady that she could now refer to as her wife. Brittany had always been a believer in every slushy cliché that was going, and the majority of them were present in the French capital. When they had arrived, the airport had seemed much like any other anywhere in the world, with the exception being that the signs were in French, as were the majority of the tannoy announcements. It was not a language that either of them was too familiar with, although they had both sat down with phrase books and learnt a little before coming. Kurt had spent some time with them, but there was still so much that they were unsure of; they knew how to say hello, goodbye and How much? with certainty, so that was at least a start. Sebastian had also tried to help, but he had given up after he had a major argument with Brittany over the fact that despite Lord Tubbington being male, he was still _la chat_ ; and yes, even pens and pencils had a sex. He did calm down and apologise in the end, but not before he had stormed out of the room and yelled a string of invective in Santana's hearing. So on the plus side, she did know a remarkable number of French swear words.

François had come to the airport to meet them, so they did not have to negotiate public transport at least to begin with. He had organised to take them to his parent's apartment in style, and had borrowed a vintage sports car from Jean-Marc's great uncle. It had been an interesting drive to say the very least, given the way that the average Parisian drove. They made New York's motorists look like models of decent behaviour. François drove exceptionally carefully, but he admitted to his passengers that was because of the vehicle he was driving; had he been in an ordinary car, he would have been just as reckless and suicidal as all the others around them. There was one moment near the Arc d'Triomphe when Santana thought that she and Brittany would be about to gain a pair of wings, but at the last minute, the driver of the other car slammed on their brakes and blew their horn. The driver, red in the face, proceeded to roll down their window, but before they could even open their mouth, Santana repeated the same stream of words that Sebastian had used. François would tell her later that her pronunciation and accent had been spot on…

The Girards' apartment was everything that Jeff had described to Brittany; stylish, classical and chic, and so very different to the loft. They had been given the master suite by François, and it was certainly impressive, with a huge bathroom, shutters on the windows, and a small balcony, with a view across the rooftops to the Eiffel Tower in the distance. The temptation to just flop down on the large cast iron bedstead for a nap was resisted, as they wanted to avoid the worst effects of jetlag. Instead they spent the afternoon with François strolling round the neighbourhood, stopping off for coffee at a tiny café, taking a table on the pavement so that they could watch the world go by. They watched as the elderly ladies, in their best clothes, walked by with their little dogs, making their way through groups of young people involved in earnest discussions about life.

"This neighbourhood can be a bit of a caricature of life as people imagine it in France," François admitted. "I know that I am lucky to live here, and not in the outer suburbs. As is the case in every city in the world, the suburbs are full of very bad things." They returned home that evening via the boulangerie for fresh bread, and the local pâtisserie, where Brittany demanded macrons, something else that Nick and Jeff had waxed lyrical about. When after a home cooked meal Santana finally was able to try one, she could see exactly why.

With the Eiffel Tower and Louvre behind them on Wednesday, Thursday saw François escort them out to Versailles. Santana had been the one that had requested that they come out here, having vivid memories of the photos that Nick had put on Facebook of the place. Wes had been the one to show them to her, and they had both gasped in awe at the opulence of the old royal palace. On a warm and sunny day in June, it certainly lived up to her expectations, and left Brittany awestruck too. She had laughed when she caught a glimpse of Wes, who had whispered that he had been as keen to see it as she was, and this was a good excuse for him. François proved himself to be an excellent guide, filling them in with the history of the place, and the momentous events of those final days of the monarchy.

That evening he took them to the Marais, and the small bar that Jean-Marc owned with Luc. It was nice to have the chance to catch up with them too, having met them only once before, at the Christmas day re-wedding. This time there was no audience of family and friends, and no Sebastian to rush over and drag them away, so Santana, who had insisted François show them the door to the infamous bar on their way there, just came right out and asked for every bit of dirt they could give her on the Meerkat. Brittany immediately scolded her, pointing out that Sebastian was a very good friend, and what she was doing was unkind. She still listened avidly nonetheless as Jean-Marc regaled them all with the misadventures of the young man that they all still called Guillaume.

That night as they walked back to catch the metro home, Santana could not help herself and fired off a text to Sebastian, telling him everything that she now knew. To her surprise, his reply was almost instant. _'Nice. Having a great day here in NYC too. Kurt has been here, telling me all the gossip he knows about a cheerleader he knew at McKinley. I am shocked, Satan! Your secrets stay quiet for the same in return. P.S. Is it weird that I am kind of missing you?'_

Santana had laughed out loud at the postscript, but had to admit that she was kind of missing Sebastian too. It was strange how your feelings towards certain people changed as you got older. If someone had told that cheerleader that she would be the part owner of a successful diner in New York, happily married, and best friends (almost) with a guy that had once been her sworn mortal enemy, then she would either have asked them what the heck they had taken, or gone all Lima Heights on their ass. She found herself typing the words _'Not weird at all. Miss you too, Meerkat.'_ into her phone and sending it.

"He's become the good guy he was always meant to be. He used to be all mad with the world, but now he isn't. He has the love of a good man, his brother and his friends, so he no longer needs to act up to attract attention to himself. He has his mom back in his life too, and that has brought him stability; he no longer feels lost. He had to deal with a lot of truly bad stuff, and he saw people he didn't even know he actually cared for hurt. He had to change the way he lived his life, or he would have broken all together," said Brittany suddenly.

Santana nodded, and replied, "He used to bottle up all the emotions; all the pain and the anger. He tried his hardest not to let the world see how broken and hurt he was. Then one night he found himself in a position where he couldn't hide, and he had to let Nick and Jeff in. Trent was let in a little later. He still managed to keep up the façade in public though, right up until the day that Wes died, and then it crumbled so spectacularly. I remember Sam coming home that day, and telling me that he had never seen anyone look so broken as he did when they brought him to the loft, at least not since Blaine. He had to open up to everyone after that. I used to think that he'd kill someone before he went to comfort them; now if you were in trouble, and needed support, he'd be the first in line."

"He'd make a good dad one day. Maybe we should consider him as one of our donors…" mused Brittany, leaving Santana staring. She and Brittany had discussed children, of course, and they both wanted them. The idea of Sebastian Smythe being the father of one of them was not as repugnant a thought as it might once have been. It would actually be easier to ask him than it would be to ask one of the other people they had considered, namely Puck, Mike or Artie. Now she thought about it, a child with her genes and his would be a force to be seen; in fact, she reckoned that they would be pretty unstoppable.

After breakfast the following day, they headed out to the Montmartre area, to visit the Sacré-Cœur, and just stand and marvel at the view across the city from its lofty heights. After a tour of the church itself, they wound their way through the cobbled streets below it, heading back towards the Champs Elysees, to stare in the windows of the designer boutiques at the exquisite haute couture clothing. They both agreed that it was totally overpriced, designed for stick thin models and not real women like them. They also knew that had he lived, then Kurt's talent for design might well have lead him to a place on this street, after a long successful stint on Broadway. Blaine would have followed him here, content to raise their family in a city filled with love; happy to stroll the streets, soaking in the atmosphere, and using it to inspire his compositions.

The city still enjoyed the laid back lifestyle that it always had, even though in recent times people had tried to destroy it. It was fantastic to be able to sit at a tiny table at a café, sipping coffee or a hot chocolate, with a slice of some perfect gateau, and just watch as people walked by. The only thing that would make living in this city a problem, once they had mastered the language, was the fact that the food was so spectacular. Like the six young men that had strolled these same streets two years before, they found the temptations of the cuisine all too apparent. Windows filled with delicate sweet treats assaulted their eyes at every turn, and each evening, François could be counted upon to produce a rich and satisfying masterpiece of a meal. Then there was the whole concept of going out to buy fresh bread, still warm from the oven, twice a day. All of it was giving Santana a whole series of ideas for the Spotlight when they returned home. There was much that they could learn from the home of café culture and pâtisserie….

On the Friday, François had other business that he had to attend to, and so he left the two ladies to their own devices for the day. Santana surprised herself by actually walking into an art gallery of her own free will, but Jeff's eyes had lit up every time he had talked about the Musée d'Orsay, and she was curious; if nothing else, it would help them pass the day. The paintings that were on display here were more to her taste than those in the Louvre, she had to admit. The building was also spectacular, and it was hard to believe that once it had been a railway station, full of smoke and people rushing for their trains. She found herself having to stop and wait as Brittany paused before the paintings that she liked the most; as she did so, she realised that this had to be what life was like for Nick.

They spent the afternoon exploring the area around the Palais Royal, looking in particular for the little shop that sold music boxes. Santana couldn't help but think that one of them would be the perfect gift for her Abuela. They almost walked past it, so tiny was the store, but having found it, they found with the help of the owner one that was perfect for the older lady in question. Brittany then suggested that they should get one for Mrs Carmichael, who after all had been the mastermind behind most of their wedding, and Santana couldn't help but agree with the sentiment. Before she knew it, they had also bought one each for Quinn and Sugar, little thank you gifts for their services as bridesmaids. This done, Brittany naturally started to look for one for herself…

* * *

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the English Channel, things had been a lot less romantic, but that was what was to be expected on what was essentially a work trip for Cooper. There was no car awaiting him and Grace when they stepped out of the arrivals area at Heathrow airport. Instead they were armed with a set of directions to their hotel, which was located in the heart of the area nicknamed Theatreland, in Leicester Square. They could hang the expense and take a taxi, or they could travel in on the Underground. As both of them were quiet used to taking the subway back home in New York, it was no hardship at all to head to the airport's tube station and take the train from there more or less directly to their destination.

"Now, you see, this is much more convenient than the Airtrain," remarked Cooper, and Grace had to agree with him, particularly as they had a reasonable amount of luggage; not having to change halfway there would be wonderful. She took charge of the navigation, using the Oyster cards that had been sent to them in New York, already loaded with all the travel that they required, and then followed the signs to ensure they arrived at the correct platform. A train was at the platform, waiting for them to board, and they stepped in and took a seat, just in time to hear the automated announcement system announce _"This is a Piccadilly Line train to Cockfosters."_

"To where?" said Cooper, his eyebrows raised as he questioned what he had just heard.

"Cockfosters," said Grace, deadpan. "It is one of those charming British place names that makes you go what, really? Anyway, listen out for Leicester Square," she said as the train's door beeped then slid closed, and moments later the train accelerated away from the station.

It took the train nearly an hour to reach their destination, stopping off every so often in the western suburbs of London. Grace observed happily that the train made a stop at South Kensington, which she knew from her research was the main stop for all the museums that she wanted to visit. Cooper had been checking out the route diagram above the seats opposite, and had observed that the line served King's Cross St Pancras; that would be very handy on Saturday. The sheer volume of humanity that greeted them when they arrived at their destination did not phase them one bit, used as they were to the rush hour traffic at 42nd Street, Grand Central, back home. Grace once again navigated, Cooper following in her wake. They took care to stand on the right on the escalators - Nick had given them dire warnings that Londoners took no prisoners when it came to dealing with people standing on the left - and soon found their way up to the street. They emerged into Charing Cross Road, and headed south, passing Wyndham's and the Garrick Theatres, before turning off to head into Leicester Square, and the hotel on the south side.

The hotel itself was one of many in an international chain, but this particular brand specialised in providing the kind of service that people would have expected to receive as a matter of course over a century before. They had requested an early check in, and found out at the desk that the hotel had not only obliged them with that, but had also upgraded them to a suite. Once in the room they took the opportunity to freshen up, and to have a cup of coffee to help them stay awake, before they set out to explore the local area. They both knew that after that night, they would be going their separate ways, more or less, for the next three days. They also planned to take a walk through the Covent Garden area to reach the Theatre Royal, the London home of _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ , the show that they would be attending that evening. When that had been suggested, it had been a nightmarish suggestion to both of them, fearing they would nod off in their seats. However, a combination of the late departure from JFK, and the fact that they had both slept on the plane meant that for them, jetlag was not going to be an issue.

The first discovery that they made was that the National Gallery was almost right behind the hotel. Grace had it pencilled in for a long visit later in the week, but after they had taken a selfie with Trafalgar Square and Nelson's Column in the background they headed inside, both of them still wowed by the fact that entry was free. They picked up a guide, placing a few dollars in the donations box as others had done before them, and headed for the best known of the artworks; paintings that even Cooper had heard of. They headed for Van Gogh's _Sunflowers,_ Constable's _Haywain,_ and ended up in a room full of Turner paintings. The gallery was busy, small groups of children mingling with the tourists and older people happily. The little bit of culture done, they headed out of the gallery, through the square and on to The Strand. As they walked along, they passed a few more theatres, including one with a very familiar name on the marquee.

Of course, they had to stop and get a photo of themselves with the _Kinky Boots_ sign in the background. Then, unable to resist the temptation, Cooper casually strolled in and introduced himself at the box office. Grace had to stifle a laugh as the lady behind the counter just stared at him, not having a clue who he was - but then, just when Cooper looked about to cry, her colleague suddenly remembered who he was, and greeted him warmly. Ten minutes later and the two of them were backstage, meeting the West End cast. Cooper was thrilled to meet the actor that was playing Charlie Price in London, and he was just as happy, both of them launching into an animated discussion of the best and worst things about the role. Grace occupied herself with the rest of the cast whilst the two of them shared notes. All in all, it was a fun interlude, ending in a whole series of photos. Then it was back out again into the bustle of the street. They resisted the temptation to jump on the open platform of one of the heritage buses, saving that for another day. They walked up into the Aldwych, past yet more theatres, before turning up Drury Lane to arrive at the front door of the Theatre Royal.

After taking a few more pictures outside the building, Cooper considered walking into the foyer, where the box office was open, but decided against it. He had a letter of introduction to hand over at the stage door the following morning, and he could meet all of the cast and crew then. As for their tickets for the show that night, they were safely in the safe back in their hotel room. Instead they turned in the direction of the old Covent Garden market itself, from where they could hear music from the street performers that now called the former fruit and flower market home, along with dozens of small shops and cafés. They decided after quick deliberation that they would not stop for a drink, instead heading for the main thoroughfare through the area, Long Acre, which was lined with yet more stores. A branch of Marks and Spencer reminded Grace of a promise that they had made to Sebastian. They headed into the store, quickly finding the food hall, and then the biscuit department, where the Custard Creams almost screamed out at them.

Cooper laughed as Grace grabbed half a dozen packets, and said, "You are remembering that we are here for two weeks, my love?"

"I am fully aware of that, my darling CJ, but if we get them now, they can go in the case, and we won't be running around at the last minute trying to find them," Grace replied.

"There is a wisdom in that," Cooper responded. "Plus we can try them ourselves to see why he raves about them so much - and if we like them too, we can get more." Grace nodded, then headed in the direction of the cash desks, stopping en route to pick up a pack of cream cakes. After all, they were on holiday, and just how much damage to the waistline could one little toffee meringue do? With their purchases packed in a reusable bag, they headed back in the direction of the hotel, detouring slightly to take photos outside the St Martin's theatre, with its signage for _The Mousetrap_ , the world's longest running play. Back at the hotel, Cooper prepared the coffee, then sat down with Grace to eat their meringues, whilst reading the news in the free _Evening Standard_ newspaper they had picked up at the tube station on their way by.

They had a meal before the show in the pub that Nick, Jeff and the boys had frequented on their visit to the city two years before, taking advantage of the promotion on steaks to eat very cheaply indeed. Then they headed to the theatre to take their first glimpse at the show that Cooper would soon headline on Broadway. They felt a little out of place in an audience full of families at first, but not for long. Cooper had read the script, and he and Grace had listened to the cast album; had seen still photos from the show. It did absolutely nothing to prepare them for the actual show itself. It was a wonderful concoction, leaving both Cooper and Grace spellbound as it went along; they laughed with the rest of the audience at the jokes, and clapped loudly at the moments where it was merited. At the end of the show, they stood up with everyone else, having enjoyed the performance immensely.

When they stepped out into the London evening, they were grateful that they did not have to join the scrum that was heading in the direction of the underground. They had seen the signs about avoiding Covent Garden station at this time of day as they had passed earlier and wondered why; now they could see the reason with their own eyes. Instead they strolled back through the streets, arm in arm, where people were enjoying a post theatre drink or meal in the plethora of bars and restaurants.

"I don't know if seeing that was such a good idea, Gracie," Cooper suddenly remarked. "The guy playing my part was magnificent. He should be coming to Broadway, because I am not sure that I can live up to that level of performance. I don't think taking this job was such a good idea after all…"

"Well, that kind of thinking is just silly, CJ! Yes, he was good, but he has had several performances in the role before that one. Yes, your Willy Wonka will be different, but that is exactly how it should be. Yours will be pitched at the level that a New York audience will expect; your little jokes will be tailored to our reality. I think that you might well be better than him in any case; his singing seemed a little pitchy in places. Plus you are just a big kid at heart; he isn't, and it showed. You will bring that aspect of you to the show, and that will wow the kids in the audience, and in this show, they are the ones that really matter," replied Grace.

"I guess so. He wasn't that pitchy by the way…"

"That isn't what Kurt whispered in my ear," whispered Grace with a giggle. "Naturally enough, he and your brother are here. They didn't want to disturb you before the show, and just now, well I believe that they are taking advantage of their angelic state to stroll around the big stores on Oxford Street in peace, now that they have closed for the night. Kurt has promised that he will come with me tomorrow for a shopping trip, so he is checking things out for me, as well as for himself."

Cooper groaned, then said "So I take it we will need an extra case when we head home? Either that, or poor Mason will end up like Wes did, and be snowed under with parcels."

"I am not intending to spend that much! In any case, Kurt and Blaine are looking for you as well, as it happens. They both think that given the number of photocalls you will be having in the near future, some good, stylish, classic day to day wardrobe staples might be in order. Plus, as Dahl was so quintessentially British, they reckon that your wardrobe should be too."

"I guess that is not such a bad idea in the big scheme of things; just remind them that I am not keen on tight trousers, or on very bright colours." He didn't know why that last line made Grace laugh. It was just that she realised that if bright colours were an issue, then he was going to detest his costume for his new role…


	44. A Tale of Two Cities : Part II

**A Tale of Two Cities : Part II**

After breakfast the following day, Cooper and Grace bade each other goodbye. It did not take him long to walk the short distance to the theatre, particularly now that he knew the shortcuts. Grace had insisted that he should dress smart casual, so as to look professional, but yet be comfortable as they ran through the show, given how energetic it seemed to be. As he came into sight of the theatre, it suddenly felt like his first day at school all over again, only this time his mother was not there to hold his hand. There was also no sign of any angels, unlike on his first day at _Kinky Boots_ , when Blaine had been there at his side. It was only to be expected, he guessed, given the time difference; it was just before 9am here, which meant it was just before 4am Eastern Time, so his brother would be sound asleep. At that moment his phone, which he had set up to work with an affiliate UK network, buzzed with an incoming message. He pulled it out of his pocket and couldn't help but smile when he read the message - _'Stop stalling CJ! I love you, and so will they. Knock them dead! xxx'_ He shook his head at the way that Grace seemed to know him so well, then put his phone away, checked his appearance in a convenient shop window, then letter in hand, he walked boldly up to the stage door…

A few minutes later, he was in the company of the man that he had first met on Valentine's Day in Manhattan once again, sitting in his small office backstage. The area behind the scenes here in London was completely different to what he was used to in New York; it was much more cramped, and full of little nooks, which just showed the age of the building he was in. He had the feeling as he had been guided through the corridors to the office that he was in the company of many illustrious actors from the past. Now in the office his eyes were drawn to the black and white photographs on the wall, each carefully framed, showing the casts of past shows, their names written below in careful copperplate.

"Most of these are well before my time," his host said, disrupting his thoughts. "This place has seen so many people over the years; after all, there has been a theatre on this site since 1662; this building itself dates back in part over 200 years. It was the first home of such great musicals as _Oklahoma_ and _My Fair Lady_ in London… Of course, that was in the days when shows would start out on Broadway, then make their way over here. I am pleased to say that things are more evenly balanced now; we British have sent a number of our hits over to Broadway, such as _Les_ _Misérables, The Audience,_ and _Matilda_ …"

"And we sent you _Book of Mormon_ and _Kinky Boots_ of course," replied Cooper.

"Yes, that is very true. Now of course, we are about to export our finest chocolate, so to speak, and you are the perfect man to promote it."

"Having seen the show for the first time last night, I'm not so sure that I am. I mean would it not be easier just to send the show over with its current cast?"

"No, I don't think that would work at all. Now with _The Audience_ , it worked, because it had Dame Helen as the Queen, and she looked the part, and the other members of the cast that went with her just had that quintessential British look. Now, Wonka's factory could just as easily be in Ohio as in Lancashire; in fact, the film version was actually made in Germany. If the factory is to be imagined as being in the States, then a British actor just will not cut it, no matter how good their attempt at an accent is. No, Mr Hummel-Warbler, you are perfect. You have the look, the bearing, the voice and above all, a sense of fun. Some of the people in the know are already saying that if you pull it off, and we think you can, then you will be a shoe in for the Tony. But all that is for another day. Just now, we have a meeting with Douglas Hodge, our original Willy Wonka. He is looking forward to meeting you; he was in New York last month and saw you as Charlie Price. To quote his exact words, any man that can strut in those high heels night after night and dance on a conveyor belt, will be a sure fire hit as Willy Wonka…"

As Cooper basked in the praise of an actor that he had heard of, but never met, Grace had walked the short distance north from the hotel to the British Museum. The main concourse of the museum was an exhibit in itself, the old reading room of the former British Library now surrounded by an enclosed courtyard under a high glass roof. She spent several hours just wandering from room to room, taking in the various exhibits, from the Egyptian to the Chinese; she could quite happily have taken the entire contents of the Jade Room home with her, each piece being so exquisite. Once again, she was so impressed that it was all free; the ethos was that as it belonged to the people, the people should not have to pay to see it, she guessed. She knew that back home, the Smithsonian Museums in Washington DC were free, but elsewhere, for example, in New York, you had to pay. In the UK, all the major museums in all of the bigger cities were free. She still left a generous donation, and couldn't resist buying a guide to the jade collection, so she would have images to help her recall their immense beauty.

Outside again, she found a convenient café to pick up a spot of lunch, then used her Oyster card to board the number 7 bus, which would take her to the place she had arranged to meet Kurt. Selfridges had made quite an impression on her brother and his friends after all. As she climbed up the stairs and took a seat at the very front of the top deck, she could also see the appeal of the double decker bus…

Grace had to admit that Selfridges was impressive, with an array of designer goods that reminded her of the chic stores of Fifth Avenue back home. She could have spent hours just wandering around the massive shoe department for starters, and she had to admire the styles of the designer goods, although she blanched when she saw the price tag on many of them. Her quick brain made it easy for her to convert the prices from pounds to dollars, and that did act as a deterrent to splashing out on that Stella McCartney coat, no matter how much it was screaming buy me at her. The pound was strong at the moment, and that made an already expensive item even more so. And yet, she did deserve a treat, and she would be able to claim the VAT back…

"Make a note of the item number and name on the tag; try it on, just to see which size is the best fit, then order it online when you get back to the States," Kurt suddenly whispered in her ear.

"Then I would have to pay for delivery, which makes it even more pricey," Grace countered.

"Trust me; leave doing this to the end of the month, and you will be thanking me. There is going to be a drop in the price, and I don't mean that it is going on sale…" Kurt finished cryptically. Grace suddenly realised that he was saying that the dollar would strengthen by the end of June. She scoffed at first, doubting that the rates would change that much, but then she knew that he and the other angels did have some knowledge of the future… So she did as she was told, and after trying it on, she told the uppity sales girl that had been sneering at her since she came in that she would have to canvas her fiancé's opinion before she made the purchase. That was a lie of course; Cooper would not notice anything about it beyond the colour, unlike his angelic brother and his husband.

In the end, she left the store with no more than a few scarves, that she bought at Kurt's prompting; after all, a neat scarf was the perfect accessory, and also the ideal gift for her mom, her grandmother, and Pam, of course. With four scarves in a paper bag, she made her way back along the busy street, thronged with shoppers from every corner of the globe. She headed next to Debenhams, where Blaine guided her to the menswear department, and a range of items that had been inspired by the great tailors of Savile Row. She could certainly picture Cooper in many of the items, and better yet, the store actually had a sale on. She knew his sizes, and so she quickly went to work, picking up a smart three-piece suit in a pattern Kurt told her was a traditional Prince of Wales check; a pair of moleskin trousers; three shirts with traditional collars and long tails, and a nice lambswool cardigan. As she headed to the cash desk, Blaine suddenly darted to one side; she followed him, and found him standing in front of a display of bowties by the same designer. She saw one that would go with the cardigan, and added it to the pile, much to Blaine's delight.

Her purchases made, and a visit to the customer services desk to claim back her VAT later, she headed into the street again, and to the redoubtable John Lewis, another name that Nick had mentioned to her. The store was certainly more traditional than the other two - she came across a haberdashery department, and marvelled at the long lines of buttons. She suddenly noticed one that was identical to those on her favourite cardigan back home; a garment that she didn't wear anymore since she had lost one of the buttons on it… The pack of buttons was soon joined by a number of other good quality staples, all in the classic style she liked, and all well made. If that made them a little more expensive, then it was worth it for the wear that she would get out of them. Laden with bags, she headed out of the store, and found herself a bus that would take her in the direction of Trafalgar Square, which would leave her a short walk back to the hotel.

After his morning meeting and subsequent lunch with Douglas Hodge, the afternoon saw Cooper finally taking his first steps on the stage for a look at the set. The one in New York would be different, as the stage here was larger, but the concept would be the same. There were a few of the cast around, so the suggestion was made that they might try running a few lines together. The director reached for a copy of the script, but to the surprise of everyone, Cooper refused it, and asked what scene he would like to begin with. The suggestion was made that they could start with his grand entrance; Cooper nodded, and asked for his musical cue, before he broke into a rendition of _It must be believed to be seen_. At the end, he was given a round of applause, all those assembled impressed by what they had just seen.

"I have to be honest with you; I didn't expect you to be as prepared as you appear to be, given that you are still appearing eight times a week in your current show," the director said.

"I was once told by a very wise person that you had to put your whole heart into anything that you do; once I knew what was going to be expected of me, I started to learn the script. After all, there is a heck of a lot riding on my performance in this show. It was a daunting prospect at first, but now I'm looking forward to it," Cooper replied with a smile. The remainder of the afternoon had been a great success. Cooper was able to prove just how much he had learned to the assembled cast and crew, and by the end of it, he had all of them eating out of his hand - indeed, the current Willy Wonka had offered to go home and just let him take over for the night, an offer which he quickly and politely declined. There was only one song that he refused to perform for them; when he was asked to, he stated that he felt that he had sung enough, and that he wanted to leave something of his performance as a surprise for the opening night on Broadway. His audience might have been small, but they had been appreciative, and he had proved to them and himself that he could do it.

He had finally left the theatre just after six, as the cast and crew began to prepare for the evening performance. He would have much more to learn tomorrow; his singing was spot on and he was word perfect, but he had done it all without costume, props and choreography. The glass elevator in particular fascinated him, and having seen it in action, he hoped that he would have one of his own in New York to swoop up in, and then move above the audience in their seats below. As he left, the director turned to him and said "I am more certain now than ever that choosing you over so many other people was the correct decision. The backers wanted me to get a big name, but I refused. I told them that the show needed an actor with dedication and integrity; I have found that in you. Not many actors would know the script of the show perfectly 9 months before the previews begin. Yes, I made the right choice, and I think that we will be able to turn you into a mass market star. If you win that Tony, as I think you will, you will never be short of work again."

"I am not sure that I am good enough to earn that ultimate accolade yet, but thank you for the vote of confidence," Cooper replied.

"Young man, I will state here and now that one day, you will win a Tony; and who knows, one day you might even win an Oscar, if those idiots in Hollywood buck up their ideas and notice your talent. Anyway, we will see you at the same time tomorrow…"

As Cooper strolled back to the hotel through the busy streets of Covent Garden, he pondered the irony of the last statement that had been made to him. He had been in Hollywood, and no-one had noticed, no matter how hard he had tried. True, he had achieved a certain notoriety and fan base from a certain credit ratings commercial, and just days before the events that would change the entire course of his life, he had finally been offered the kind of role he had been fighting for for years. It was true that the show in question had flopped spectacularly in its first season, but there was always that thought in the back of his head; what if?

Still, none of that mattered now. He had made it on Broadway, and if the theatre was all he ever did for the rest of his life, then he would be happy. There was much more to life than money and status; love was much more important than either of those, and he had been lucky enough to find that in spades. He had it not just from his beautiful Grace, but from his brother's friends, who had adopted him as one of their own; from Burt and Carole, who saw him as a son; from Sam, his 'little brother', who he knew loved him every bit as much as he loved his two siblings back in Kentucky. And then there was his mom, now off the toxic mixture of alcohol, pills and loathing that had been sustained by his father, and not helped by himself or Blaine. More importantly, he loved his job, and the fact that he was never called on to point at anything. That fact proved just how arrogant and self-obsessed he had been; how much he had thought he knew it all when he had visited Blaine at McKinley. Turned out, he hadn't known much about anything at all, but he had learned…

On his return to Grace that evening, he first made an inspection of all the articles of clothing that she had bought for him that afternoon. He had to admit that none of it needed to be returned, and actually had to resist the temptation to pop on the suit there and then. After he had freshened up, they headed out for dinner. The concierge had been only too happy to suggest an Indian restaurant in Soho. They had initially just considered heading the short distance to Chinatown, just on the other side of Leicester Square, but they had reconsidered, and had decided to venture into a cuisine they knew less about, other than the odd pleasure of Nick's curried chicken lasagne. As they headed in the direction of Veeraswamy, the oldest Indian restaurant in the city, having opened in 1926, they found themselves walking through the more seedy part of town. It did not feel unsafe, until a young man came hurtling round a corner, bumping into Grace and nearly sending her flying. The young man made no apologies, just took off at speed, not noticing that he had dropped one of the DVD boxes he had been carrying.

"Are you alright, Gracie?" asked Cooper, his voice full of the concern he felt for her at that moment. "I think that he might just have stolen those DVDs; there's another guy coming, chasing him!" Cooper pointed in the direction the young man had gone, and the man flew by. Grace had said nothing, and Cooper looked to her, and then noticed that she was staring open-mouthed at the back cover of the dropped DVD. Once he looked at the box carefully, he was left just as startled, because it looked a heck of a lot like Sebastian, Nick and Jeff staring back up at him from the back of that porn DVD…

"Oh my God, CJ!" said Grace in a half strangled voice.

"I'm sure that isn't what it looks like," Cooper said hurriedly. "I mean, it does look a heck of a lot like them, but your brother and Jeff would never, in a million years, do something like that!"

Grace let a small smile appear as she realised that he was right, but she couldn't resist temptation. "You do realise by implication, CJ, you've just stated that you think Sebastian would. Maybe a few years ago, but certainly not now…"

"No, not now… I mean, after Wes died…" It was uttering his name that brought a sudden moment of clarity to Cooper's head, re-igniting a memory of a past event. A conversation that he had had with the most illustrious of Warblers just a few days before the latter's death, in which Wes had told him about what had happened with Hunter's uncle, the corrupt former Principal of Dalton Academy, and what he had gone on to do in the aftermath of the whole steroid scandal… "Right, I think I know exactly what this is, and I also suspect that the three young men in question also know all about this and just didn't want knowledge of its existence spread about." Grace looked at him with one eyebrow raised, waiting for him to give her an explanation. "Not here. We have a reservation to get to." He bent down and picked up the box, and then slipped it into his coat pocket, unobserved by the crowds of people passing by.

"Are you actually taking that? It's wrong…!"

"Which is why we have to ensure that it isn't picked up by a kid," Cooper stated, then taking Grace's arm once more, he started off in the direction of the restaurant again. Grace was left shaking her head, and continued to do so as they walked. She was still giving him disappointed glances as they reached the restaurant, were seated by the staff, and then placed their order.

Once the waiter had left, she spoke to him firmly but quietly. "So, why did you feel the urge to steal some gay porn, CJ? Is there something that you need to tell me?"

"Err, no! Look, the film in question was produced by Hunter Clarington's uncle, the guy that was in charge at Dalton during the whole steroid scandal. Wes told me before he died about how he had decided to get revenge on the school by producing a series of films set in a prep school. When everything blew up, he fled the scene the moment the police let him go, heading to Mexico. A couple of months later he returned to the States with a fake passport, and settled in California, where he set up the company that made these films. He deliberately went out and recruited young men that looked like the Warblers. He did everything he could to make the resemblance all the stronger, even putting them in a uniform that closely resembled Dalton's. Wes only found this out when this film was discovered two years ago - I'm guessing by your brother and co when they were here. In such circumstances, Wes would have been their first port of call. He contacted the Feds, and as a result, arrests were made. The studio was closed down, the website shut, and all the films were supposedly deleted. All physical copies were supposed to have been destroyed. The fact we just came across one proves they weren't. I think we will need to let the authorities back home know that, because if this film resurfaces in a few years time, even though it quite clearly isn't them…"

"…people will see it, make assumptions, and it could harm them career wise," finished Grace, now seething with rage on their behalf. "Of course, no-one told me, because Nick would have been mortified."

"Just as Wes never told me who was supposed to be in the films. He just told me they existed," replied Cooper.

"Right, first thing tomorrow morning, I will take that DVD along to the embassy and report it; get the ball rolling. If they are being distributed again, then it needs to be stopped as soon as possible. You did the right thing in getting hold of the evidence, CJ, and the fact that we saw the thief should make it easier for us to discover where he stole it from," said Grace. At that moment the waiter approached with their starters, so the conversation was shelved. She would not mention anything to her brother about the incident. The last thing he needed was an old wound opened up again, not now that everything was going so well for him and Jeff…

The following morning, as Cooper headed off for a day of dance training, Grace crossed town to the embassy in Grosvenor Square, and after a short discussion with a bewildered desk clerk, she finally got to see the head of security at the embassy. He had until recently been based in New York, and so had knowledge of the Clarington case. A few short phone calls later, the DVD was bagged up as evidence, and the case had been reopened in California. Grace had thanked him, then followed his directions to the tube station at Green Park, and resumed her original plan to spend the day at the museums in Kensington. She found that she could have wandered round the V & A for hours, every room filled with some fascinating artefact that had been gathered in the glory days of the British empire, when it had gone out and explored all four corners of the globe. The rooms that were filled with silver and gold items had just left her speechless.

She had lunch at the museum café, then crossed the road to the Science Museum, a subject which had less fascination for her, but thanks to the way that the articles were arranged, she found it compelling. The adjacent Natural History Museum was much more her cup of tea, and she made her way round the displays in fascination, enjoying every moment. It was nearly 5pm by the time that she stepped out, but rather than heading back to the tube, which she knew would be cramped and sweaty at this time of day, she walked up to the Albert Hall, crossed the road, and took a number 9 bus back to the centre of the city. She landed the seat at the front upstairs again, and looked out at the congested city. The bus crawled for a while as it passed Hyde Park Corner, then slowly moved along Piccadilly. She made a mental note to return here, if for no other reason than to visit Fortnum and Mason. She arrive back at the hotel just a few moments before Cooper, and after they had both freshened up, they headed out to the pub for dinner. It was having a promotion on curries, and so for the second night in a row they ate Indian food.

They moved on to pay a visit to Foyle's bookshop. Grace lost sight of Cooper for a few minutes, and when he came back, he was carrying a book in a bag, having made a purchase. Before she could ask what he had bought, he had guided her out of the door, and onto a bus heading towards King's Cross station. Grace soon found herself standing under a sign stating Platform 9¾, posing for a photo. After a stroll next door to look around the grandeur of St Pancras, with its sleek Eurostar trains, they headed back to the hotel. The sight of those trains had made Grace think of Paris, so close by, and she wondered how the honeymooners were doing…

The following morning saw Grace leaving the hotel before Cooper, and heading back to King's Cross station with a reservation code for her train ticket to York. Her ticket retrieved from the machine, she quickly found her train and settled back for the journey of two hours north. She decided that the train was definitely the best way to see a little bit of England, as the train left the station and headed out through the suburbs and commuter towns, and into the green countryside. She revelled in the view from the window, of the small villages clustered round their old stone churches, nestling in gently rolling hills. This gave her pleasure as they passed through the rural county of Lincolnshire, but that gave way eventually to the old industrial towns of South Yorkshire, with their brick built houses tightly packed together. There were also the great looming cooling towers of power stations, built close to the coal that had once fired them.

On her arrival in York, she was once again transported into a different world. The fact that the first thing she saw as she walked out of the station was a section of the city wall made her smile. She headed in the direction of the Minster, immediately visible as it towered above the low rooftops of the other buildings in the town. The streets were lined with mainly older buildings, giving the impression that the place had changed little since it had been established, although she knew that to be untrue. It had been rebuilt, damaged and modernised many times since then. The day was warm, and it was a relief when she stepped inside the cool interior of the old church; she paused just to marvel at the view she had in front of her, inside a building that made all of those in the States seem positively modern in comparison. She spotted the Archbishop as she walked round, deep in conversation with a group of clergy, and she was tempted for a moment to walk in his direction. She knew of him and his stance on several issues dear to the heart of both herself and Nick, and she would quite happily go and tell him that. She decided against it in the end, not wanting to disturb him. It was still a pleasure to have seen him.

After the Minster, she strolled once more into the heart of the medieval city, pausing at the street signs for The Shambles and Whip-ma-Whop-ma-Gate to take pictures; she knew that the latter in particular would tickle the minds of her fiancé and her brother. Her route brought her to the Castle Museum, and she happily paid the small charge to enter and explore the city's history. That done, she had time for a quick round the shops, which were as good as she had been informed, and to stop at Betty's Tea Room, to pick up some delicious looking cake to take back to the hotel for that evening. She might also have picked up an extra one just to eat on the train back home. Her visit had been brief, but she had seen enough to know that she wanted to return to the city one day. Not just that, she was determined that she and Cooper would return to Britain and explore the remainder of the island, from the south west of England to the rugged Scottish Highlands. The latter was where Cooper's father's family had their origins, so he had once been told. That alone would give her the perfect excuse to persuade him to get on a plane again and cross the Atlantic.

Cooper had spent another day with the London cast of _Charlie_ and after a long but successful session with the show's main choreographer the day before, in which he had learnt not only some of the more important moves he would need to make, as well as showing off his dance skills, the final day was all about the props and special effects. He had been offered the chance to try out the greatest prop of all, the glass elevator, and he had accepted. It was not simple, and whilst the audience would just see Charlie pushing a button to start it, he would be responsible for doing a few things to ensure that it did so. The steering was not strictly under his control in any case, although he had to give the impression that it was. All passed off well though, and he didn't crash it as he had feared, which left him smiling with both relief and some pride.

It was whilst he was engaged in the flying of the elevator that he caught sight of Blaine, sitting in a seat in the stalls, entranced by the movement of the elevator which had his brother spinning around above him. Cooper knew what his brother would be thinking as he did so, and if he was honest, it was in the back of his own mind too…

Blaine stayed in the theatre with him for the remainder of the day, and was there at the stage door when Cooper said his farewells. A lot of his concerns about the show had been diminished as a result of the three days, but he knew that until he had other members of the New York cast to bounce his thoughts off, he would still have his worries about the success of the production. Doubt would continue to creep in, as it always had…

"You'll be fine, Coop," came a reassuring voice. "I have been watching you, on and off, for the last three days. You're good, just like I knew you would be; and your voice is just perfect!"

"I was good at the easy songs, but…" Cooper began, but then he stopped, as he saw Blaine nod; they both knew where the problem lay. However, they decided to change the subject, and talk instead about what was going on elsewhere as they headed through the city in the direction of King's Cross station. Cooper had told Grace he would meet her off the train, plus he had to pop into St Pancras to pick something up on the way. They talked quietly, as naturally no-one could see Blaine, and mostly Cooper just listened, as Blaine told him what had been going on in L.A….


	45. An Interlude in LA

**An Interlude in L.A.**

Having spent so long preparing for them, the week of the final exams was a bit of an anti-climax when it came for both Thad and David. Four years of hard work had lead them up to this moment, a few hours spent with pen and paper, writing down the distillation of the knowledge they had acquired, so that it could be judged by those in authority. The long hours of study paid off, and neither of them had found the tests to stressful. They both felt confident about the results, and had no doubt that they would be graduating on time.

By the same token, they also knew that it was the start of a new phase in both their lives; a parting of the ways. They had been friends now for nearly eight years, since Wes had introduced them to each other in freshman year at Dalton. He had also been instrumental in strengthening their bonds when he had persuaded them to live together whilst they were at college. What had started off as a convenience had developed into a close friendship, which had sustained them both when Wes had died. They had both known for some time that they would be heading off in different directions after school, with David staying on the west coast whilst Thad headed back home, so to speak. They hadn't really discussed what it would mean for them, but both of them felt a little bereft at the notion. Sure, David would not be alone - he had Mercedes, and of course, Jake and Unique. The fact that they were going to be moving in with him after Thad went was a great relief. David liked the place he lived in, and the whole thought of having to find somewhere new had terrified him. It had been Mercedes that had come up with the plan, and he was grateful.

For Thad things were different. He would be living alone once he returned to Dalton. He would have people close by, albeit not the close friends that his current roommate would have. He would have his work, and that was all he needed. Since Wes had gone, he valued his private time more. He knew that David was as concerned about him being alone as he was with the fact that he had began to take far more risks in life, but it was more than okay by him. He wouldn't have time to dwell anyway, what with work, and keeping an eye on things as Head Warbler.

When the last paper had been written, and their contemporaries began to crowd to the bars and clubs, David and Thad headed home, and just spent the evening unwinding in each other's company. They didn't do it as much as they once had, life having intervened and given one of them a very nice girlfriend, but Mercedes had a busy few days, or so she said. Secretly she had told David that so that he could enjoy a bit of bro time with Thad guilt free. They had worked so hard for so long after all, and they were about to separate after so much time living together; they needed to end it on a good note. The few days between the end of finals and commencement would be a good chance for them to deal with the impact of the future. It was true that Thad would not be leaving right away, and they had a roadtrip planned as he headed back to Ohio, but they were closer than any other friends that Mercedes knew; even Puck and Finn hadn't been so bonded.

Commencement when it did come would also show just how different their family circumstances were. David's mom would be heading out naturally, and she would be joined by Mercedes, both of them so proud of the young man they loved with equal measure. Thad on the other hand would not have a parent at the ceremony; he had contacted them, but had received the terse response that as medical professionals, they could not just drop everything and head to the west coast for trivial matters. If that was not bad enough, the message had gone on to say that had he been graduating from the medical school his father had wished him to attend, then naturally they would have been there, to show everyone how proud they were of their son. Thad had not said anything to anyone about the note, but David had come across it by chance and had felt heart sore for his friend. Thad was convinced now, more than ever, that he was better off without those people in his life. As for Ollie, well things there were complicated. He wanted to come, but he could not guarantee that he would be able to get the time off from the hospital. As was often the case, there was a shortage of doctors in the ER, and heading to the west coast meant at least three days spent away from work. Thad had told him that he understood, and that had made Oliver all the more determined that he would be there, even if he had to fly in, cab it straight to the ceremony, then run for a flight back home immediately after. The look on his little brother's face when he saw him in the crowd would be priceless.

There would naturally be another person present for the event, albeit one that was invisible to most. Wes would not miss those days for anything; his best friend and the love of his life were going to graduate from college, and he had to be there to show his support to them. Because of the size of the graduating class from such a large institution, he would have two ceremonies to attend; David's on Saturday afternoon, and Thad's on Sunday morning. That did mean that they would both have each other in the audience though. He had also spoken to Principal Carmichael, and he had agreed that he and his wife would do for Thad what they had done for Ethan. They would attend David's commencement too, just to be fair, but it would be the newest member of staff at Dalton that they would be there for in the main.

On the Saturday morning, David had woken earlier than normal, but had made no effort to get out of bed and start those preparations for the day ahead, content just to lie there and think. His mom had arrived the previous day, but was not staying with them, opting instead to take up the kind offer from Mercedes to stay at her place. It gave her an opportunity to spend more time with the woman that would be her daughter-in-law one of these days, and she liked that. They might have come from very different backgrounds and two generations, but they had a lot in common, and both were sure that their relationship was going to be a harmonious one. It also meant that the spare room would be available for Ollie, if he was able to get the Sunday off the roster. He would not find out until that morning, which was frustrating for them all. Eventually David heard Thad starting to move around, and he knew that was his own cue to get up and make an appearance. He padded into the kitchen just in time to see Thad looking at his phone, and a big smile appear on his face. He knew without being told what it meant.

"Morning Thad! I take it that your brother will be sleeping in our spare room tonight by the look on your face?" said David, as he reached for the jug of freshly brewed coffee that was sitting in the machine.

"Yeah, one of his colleagues took pity on him and agreed to do it, but according to Ollie, he has just sold his soul to the devil as a result. He says that it is totally worth it though to see me graduate from school. I'll be honest with you, but you can't ever repeat this; had he not been able to make it, then I probably wouldn't have gone tomorrow. I'd have called in sick and insisted that we just have a day at the beach instead. I mean, it's just a ceremonial really, and not going doesn't mean not getting your qualification."

"True, but it's also a day of celebration. I'd have wanted to see you up on that stage, walking out there to get that paper as the audience applauded. So would Mercedes for that matter. You're like a brother to me; you're family, and always will be as far as I am concerned. In any case, I have a funny feeling that there might well be two older people in town that would be attending on your behalf anyway. Wes sent the Carmichaels to Princeton for Ethan, and I have a funny feeling that they will appear here for you sometime today. So you can forget the idea of not going for that reason at least."

Thad nodded, knowing that was exactly what his own personal angel would have arranged for him. He was also sure that Wes would be there to watch with pride as his little one gained the right to put letters after his name, and cemented his future place as a member of the faculty at Dalton. He had promised as much, and had pointed out that in many ways, his untimely demise had been beneficial to them. Had he lived, he would have been finishing college this year, and it would have been difficult for Thad to get to Harvard to see him graduate, as he would have been in the midst of his own exams. Thad had felt mixed emotions at that, as he would give everything he had up to have Wes alive again.

When Mrs Thompson had arrived on Friday, Thad found himself being invited out to dinner with David and Mercedes. He had tried to demure, but he had no reasonable excuse anymore; he could no longer claim that he had coursework to finish, and he was as yet unable to state that he had a pile of essays to grade, as he would be able to once he was at Dalton. It wasn't that he disliked the idea, it was just that he felt like an intruder into what should be a family moment. No matter how many times David told him that he was like a brother to him these days, he knew that he wasn't. He knew that apart from Ollie, he was as good as dead to his own family - and he felt guilty that thanks to him, his older brother had also more or less cut himself off. Oliver denied that it was the case, but he knew it was true. Family was a difficult subject at times; it shouldn't be, but for some, appearances were more important than respecting what your children wanted to do with the remainder of their lives. He had another family of course, and they cared for him, in spite of all the things he had messed up in. As a result, he wasn't often left with time to be concerned for his two sisters, or his eldest brother; what he did miss was the fact that by now, he probably had a niece or nephew, and they would never know that they had an Uncle Thad. He had always wanted children of his own, but he knew that would never happen now. It was bad enough for some that two men were allowed to raise a child; they would never accept a single gay man raising one alone. He would just have to be content with being Uncle Thad to the children of his fellow Warblers…

The meal was not as bad as he had thought it might be. Mrs Thompson had hugged him the moment she saw him, and had asked him all about his plans for the future. She also told him that she expected him to come and visit her once he was back in Ohio, as she saw him as family. After all, he had looked after David so well when his own heart was breaking after Wes had passed away. Thad loved the sentiment, but wondered if she would feel the same way if she knew what he had almost done on the day of Wes' Memorial at Dalton. It was never discussed between the two young men after the day in question, but it had changed the dynamics of the relationship. Every time that he went out to try something new, David looked worried; but if he didn't say anything, it would be worse. Thad chuckled inwardly as he recalled the expression on David's face when he had come home after his first bungee jump. He had begged Thad to tell him if he was ever going to do anything like that again, and so he did. He wasn't sure that it actually helped his friend. He looked terrified every time he told him what he was off to do.

The next morning was not supposed to be a great rush. David's ceremony was scheduled to begin at 12.30pm, unlike Thad's the following day, which was at the relatively ungodly hour of 9.30am. They guessed it had been timed for then so that anyone that wished to attend church could still do so after the event. Thad had volunteered to head to the cleaners first thing to pick up their suits, both of them having decided that it was better to send them there than attempt to wash and iron them themselves. It was a great day for the event - as he drove to the store he basked in the warm early morning sunshine through the windscreen. He sang along to the songs playing on the car radio, happy and content. Everything was going to plan….

The moment he spotted the fire trucks in the street outside the dry cleaners he knew that everything had just gone horribly wrong. He didn't even bother to stop and speak to anyone; the gutted building and the wisps of smoke still drifting out of the place told him all he needed to know. The only thing for it now was to head in the direction of the nearest mall, in the hope of finding two pristine replacement suits at a moments notice. He would leave telling David about it until after he had bought them; there was no point in driving him wild when he could sort it on his own. He could recall the sizes that his friend wore after all from when the new Warbler uniforms had been made…

Thad always turned his phone off when he was driving; had he not done so, then he might have noticed the texts that were streaming into his phone. He had not noticed the local TV news crew that had been filming outside the store, nor had he realised that it was going out live. As a result, David was fully aware that his best suit had gone up in smoke, and in just under 3 hours, he was due to be wearing it for one of the most important events of his life. He was nearly into full meltdown mode by the time that Wes twigged what was going on, and abandoned his desk to head down to calm him down before he had a heart attack.

"So the store has burnt down and you've lost your suit. In the great scheme of life, Davie, that isn't so much of an issue. You know Thad as well as I do; he also knows you, and he probably wasn't aware that you would see what had happened on the television. Rather than worry you and get you into the state you are in, he has probably just headed to the nearest mall to get new suits for the pair of you. Now, I'm not going to leave you to check; I will get Blaine to go and alert him to the fact that you are stressing out, and that he needs to call you," Wes said the moment he got to his friend's side.

"You're right Wes, of course you are… It's just that today is such a big day for my mom, more than me, and I just want to look the part. I mean, what if he can't find one, or it doesn't fit? Plus it will need ironed, and neither of us are that good at ironing a suit!" David replied, still on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Number one, your gown will cover most of the suit anyway, and number two, if it is really an issue, then I will see if Kurt can come and sort it out or you. I'm quite certain that he wouldn't mind, if it is going to calm you down." said Wes, and was glad when David nodded. He just hoped that his hunch about Thad was right.

When Blaine found Thad, he was already standing in the line at the store, two new suits draped over his arm. He had headed straight for the retailer that David's original suit had come from, and had found one in the identical style and cut, more or less. There had been a moment of panic when he could not find a suit jacket in the right size, and then it had occurred to him to check the sizing of the one that was being displayed on the stand next to the actual stock rail - and sure enough, it was the one that he needed. He surreptitiously swapped it over with another one from the rack, then had gone to search out one of his own. He only had to pay for them now, but when Blaine suddenly appeared in front of him, he wondered what was going on.

As if he was psychic, his angelic friend spoke. "There was a TV crew at the cleaners, and it was going out live. David knows, and is in full blown panic mode. Might be an idea to give him a quick call to let him know you've sorted things out."

Thad nodded, but could not do so at once, as it was his turn at the register. The clerk looked at him strangely, given that he was buying two suits in different sizes, so he decided not to tell her the truth, but to lie a little. He whispered "One for me, one for my best friend. We're eloping to Vegas to get married; he should be marrying his fiancée in two hours, but he's finally seen the light…" The expression of disbelief on the woman's face was priceless, and he relented and laughed. "Actually, the cleaners has burnt down, and our graduation suits were in there; he needs a new one for his ceremony in about two and a half hours," he said, but his initial statement had coloured the woman's impression of him, and she said nothing as she bagged up his goods, and accepted his payment.

Once back in the car, he called David, and said nothing more than "I'm on my way back right now with two new suits. Just breathe my friend. Yours is exactly the same as the one you've just lost, ok."

"Wes said that would be what you were doing, so thanks - but I wish you'd told me before now. Then again, if I hadn't been watching the news, I'd have been none the wiser until you got back. Thanks for sorting it. I don't know what I'd have done in your place; probably had a full blown panic attack outside the cleaners," replied David.

After assuring David that he was not to panic, he ended the call, and drove back home with Blaine in the passenger seat; the latter could have flown or just materialised back there, but he admitted that just occasionally he craved those things that had been mundane before he died, and travelling by car was one of those things. In addition, as he pointed out to Thad, they could talk in a car and no-one would notice that he seemed to be talking to thin air. As they drove, Blaine started to sing along to the radio as Thad had been doing earlier, and eventually they both did so, harmonising as well as they had done back at Dalton on the familiar tunes. In no time, they were back at the house, where David snatched the suit from Thad the moment that he stepped in so he could try it on. There was a brief wait in which they all feared that it might not, but David soon emerged wearing it to give Thad a hug for sorting everything out. It was instantly reciprocated.

Kurt was still summoned to come and help with the iron, although he shook his head and informed both of them that he would be coming back to teach them how to use an iron properly, given that David could not expect an international star like Mercedes to iron his suit for him before he went with her to some big event; nor could Thad walk around Dalton in a wrinkled suit, as the place had an image to maintain. Neither of them made any protest, as he did have a very good point. They were adults now, and they couldn't expect other people to run around behind them, not in these days of equality. Eventually the time came when they needed to head out to the venue, and with a big thanks to Kurt, they headed off to the place they had arranged to meet Mercedes and David's mom.

The moment that they arrived at the Pauley Pavilion, later than they would have liked thanks to the suit debacle, Thad could see that David had called it correctly; Aaron and Edith Carmichael were already there, talking to Mrs Thompson. As they stepped out of the car, Mercedes did a double take, as she was pretty sure that the suits they were wearing were not the ones she had seen them look out to send to the cleaners. As David had to hurry off and robe up, it was left to Thad to explain after his friend had kissed Mercedes quickly, then hastily greeted his mom and the Carmichaels. As he told the tale of woe of that morning to the others, Thad saw the looks on their faces, and he knew that whilst Principal Carmichael was sympathetic, the three women were thinking that if they had been prepared to iron their own suits, this would not have happened. They made their way inside, and as Mercedes and Mrs Thompson headed to the three seats that David had been allocated at the front, Thad paused to talk to the Carmichaels.

"It is really good of the two of you to come here to watch David graduate. I know that he appreciates it, just as the others did when they graduated from Princeton," he began.

"Yes, that was fortuitous; the fact that we were visiting my sister at the time," Aaron Carmichael began, but then his wife stopped him.

"I'm quite certain that Ethan will have talked to Thad since then, and so he will know that we went to visit your sister solely to be there so that Ethan did not graduate without someone that cared for him in the audience. I'm also sure that dear Wes will have told him that we would be here, and not for David's benefit…"

"Actually, Wes hasn't said anything, but David guessed you would be around. I do appreciate the fact that you've travelled across country for me, but there was no need really. I'd have had David, Mercedes and Mrs Thompson in the crowd tomorrow, and there is every chance that my brother might manage to get here," said Thad.

"We are aware of that, but there is every need for us to come. You are the Head Warbler after all, and it is a crying shame that your parents have seen fit to disown you just because you chose not to join the medical profession. You will be an excellent teacher, because you have a passion for it. I look at you, and it is like looking at Aaron at your age. One day, you will be Principal of Dalton, I am certain of it," replied Mrs Carmichael.

"My wife is right. In my lifetime, I fully expect to see you and young Dylan installed as Assistant Principals at the very least. As he is older than you, I would hazard a guess that he might become Principal for a short time, but then, when he retires, you will take over. It is reassuring to both of us that the future of the school is in such good hands…" Aaron Carmichael paused, and Thad smiled at him.

"Well, I will do my best to ensure that is the case, sir. In the meantime, I'd best head down and take my seat," Thad said, and hurried off down to the front, his head filled with conflicting emotions. Did he want that kind of responsibility? Could he do that and still be Head Warbler, with all that would entail? That was a question for another day though. Today was all about his best friend…

The ceremony passed off without a hitch, and they all cheered as David collected his certificate. Wes had appeared just before the first graduates walked across the stage; as Thad's seat was at the very end of a row, he squatted down next to him as the majority of the alphabet strolled across, then leapt to his feet to holler as his best friend, his brother, walked on. The reception afterwards was enjoyable too, and once again a college dean wondered at the dedication of the retired Principal of Dalton Academy having crossed the continent to be there for two of his students. Thad was glad of a chance to see what he had in store the following day, and whispered as much to Wes.

"I'm looking forward to it too, my love. The difference tomorrow is that I will be there on the far side of the stage so I can grab your hand the moment you walk off, and then, if a quiet corner is available, I will hug you as I would have done had I still been here," came his response. He saw that his words had brought sadness to Thad's eyes, so he swiftly changed the subject. "So, do you think that the Carmichaels will be in Washington DC next year for Trent? I know he will have the Hummels and his own family around, but as they've been around for all of the Warblers that graduated from Dalton the year you did, the others might feel aggrieved if they don't show up for them."

"Trent wouldn't mind, you know that. He would love it, but he will also know that they came to the two ceremonies this year because of me and Ethan," Thad responded, and opened his mouth to say more when his phone buzzed with an incoming message. He looked at it, and a broad smile came across his face. ' _All sorted. Shifts swapped around. Will be on United Flight 494 tonight, arriving LAX 00.23. Any chance of meeting me?'_ Wes did not need to ask who the message was from; he could tell by the look of delight on his boyfriend's face that it was from Ollie, and that he was going to make it after all…

The late arrival time of his brother's flight was a bit of an issue, given that Thad had to be up early himself the next day to prepare for his big stage moment; it was no surprise to anyone when David volunteered to head to the airport instead to meet him. Thad accepted without argument, and so when his brother and his roommate came in around 1.30am, he was fast asleep. When he rose at just after 5.30am, the first thing Thad did was head to the spare room just to confirm that he had actually arrived, and then he set about readying himself for the day ahead. At 7.30, his suit on and more or less ready to leave, Thad found himself pulled into his brother's arms, and he happily reciprocated the gesture. Ollie was leaving again that night, but his flight was not until 11.20pm, so they would have time for a fraternal catch up before he had to go. Then it was time for Thad to leave, David and his brother following on behind him.

When Thad Harwood had imagined his graduation ceremony from UCLA in his freshman year, he had already known that his parents would be absent from the place; his expectation was that David would be around, and maybe Wes. The latter was there, but not in the audience; the former was in the company of his mother, Mercedes, the Carmichaels, and his brother. As he heard his name called out, and he stepped onto the stage, he heard the voices raised in the crowd cheering him on; he could see his angelic boyfriend clapping like mad ahead of him, waiting to embrace him the moment that he could. As he took his certificate, he realised that at that moment, he was happier than he had been for a long time. Everything in his life was coming together, with only one thing marring his happiness; the fact that he couldn't kiss Wes today, nor any time soon. He could live with that though. He knew that he would be able to do so for all eternity when the time came…


	46. A Tale of Two Cities : Part III

**A Tale of Two Cities : Part III**

Grace knew that something was going on the moment that she heard Cooper on the phone to reception, trying to surreptitiously organise an early alarm call for the following day as she was in the bathroom freshening up before they headed out for dinner, but she decided to pretend she had heard nothing. She had anticipated that he would organise some kind of treat for her, as he had already told her how guilty he felt that he had brought her to England and had then effectively dumped her on her own for three days. She had not objected to it, but he had still felt that guilt. She thought that he might have obtained tickets to the opera or the ballet, both things that they had discussed on the run up to their trip; but it could not be either of those, as why would they need to be up early for an evening show? So, she assumed, it had to be an excursion. As they went to head out, Cooper realised he had left his wallet upstairs, and dashed back up, leaving her in the lobby. As she waited, she overheard the concierge telling an elderly couple that the day trip to Stonehenge left at 8am. Well, if that was what he had planned, then its was perfectly okay by her…

Dinner that night was enjoyable, although the restaurant was busier with it being a Friday night. In the past, they might both have been tempted to join the crowds on their way to the latest hip club, but both admitted that they would rather head back to the hotel for an early night, tired by the activities of the day. After all, it would be a long day tomorrow…

Grace could quite easily have stayed in bed the next morning when the alarm call came. For once Cooper was the one that was out of bed and moving about first, heading into the shower and preparing himself for the day. When he came out, he gently prodded her and told her she needed to go and get showered, as they had a busy day ahead. She nodded sleepily, then headed in. When she emerged it was to find Cooper sitting there, fully dressed, grinning like a mad thing next to a tray laden with a continental breakfast on the side table. This was a shock, as they both enjoyed heading down and having a leisurely breakfast in the dining room. Before she could open her mouth to speak, she suddenly saw that there was an envelope propped up against her handbag, with her name written on it. "Open it…" said Cooper, in a low voice, and she immediately did. When she read what was inside, her mouth dropped open, and then she was pulling her fiancé into a hug…

Just over an hour later, the two of them were presenting their passports to the border guard in St Pancras station, one overnight bag between them as luggage, as they headed for Paris. Admittedly, once Grace had got over her initial shock and then joy, she had begun to panic. Cooper had laughed, and had gone over to grab a croissant. "Gracie, my sweet, just relax. We are going to be staying overnight with François and the girls - and before you ask, yes, Santana does know that we are coming and has no issue with it at all. We are therefore not going to some high class hotel, so you do not need to pack a case; all you will need to do is put on your most comfortable shoes, as we will be doing a whistlestop tour of all of the main sights. I already have a wallet full of Euros, so you don't need to worry about spending money. Finally, believe it or not, I am actually all packed and ready. So no thinking, just doing my love!"

Grace had made haste through her usual morning routine, and grabbed some breakfast. She had then packed lightly for herself, and had decided that his toothbrush, a razor and a pair of sleep shorts were not sufficient packing for him, and had added a change of clothes. It still seemed like no time at all as they headed up the moving walkway to board the sleek train that they had viewed from the outside on Thursday night.

They had been booked into the highest class of seat on the train, which meant that as they glided effortlessly out of the station and into the first of many tunnels, they were at once given a menu for another breakfast. This explained to Grace why Cooper had forgone his usual large breakfast earlier. The food was exquisite, and was served with a glass of Bucks Fizz, which seemed rather decadent. The speed at which the train was moving made her journey of the previous day seem slow, and made the normal train to Washington from New York seem like a stopping local. Eventually they found themselves heading into the Channel Tunnel, a period of 25 minutes or so when there was nothing but darkness outside, and the thought of the sea above them. Then they suddenly emerged back into the light; the change in the landscape made it obvious at once that they were no longer in England, but in France, a country that seemed far less urban than the UK. True, they ran beside a motorway for a while, but it was almost out of place in the largely bucolic landscape. It was not until they neared their destination that they began to see the kind of urban landscape that they were both used to.

That morning in Paris, Santana had told Brittany over breakfast that they would be getting visitors for the first time. She had put off telling her as she did not want to find out that she hated the idea before it was, as François said, a fait accompli. To her relief, Brittany had reacted with excitement and insisted that they had to go and meet them at the station. That had been the plan all along; a quick hello and welcome, and then a quick lunch - well as quick a lunch as you could have in a country where the lunch hour lasted for two… They would then separate, and meet up again at a carefully chosen restaurant for a late dinner. Brittany however decided that did not make sense, particularly when she heard they were heading to Notre-Dame cathedral and the Pompidou Centre, two places they had still to go themselves; it made far more sense to go together. Before Santana could point out that it was hardly romantic for either couple, François intervened, and agreed with Brittany. If they did as she suggested, then they could eat earlier, allowing the two new arrivals to head out after dinner to the Eiffel Tower, and what could be more romantic than that in the moonlight on a warm summer evening in Paris?

'Very little,' thought Santana, and so she agreed with Brittany's plan.

Once she got to the Gare du Nord, however, her doubts began to resurface, but by then it was too late. The train had pulled in, and they now saw two very familiar faces approaching the platform exit. François stepped forward first, and greeted the couple warmly, welcoming them to his home town, and then jokingly, he informed Cooper that he did not have to dress up as his brother Luc… Once the laughter had stopped, the honeymooners made their greetings, and if Brittany's eagerness to accompany then around annoyed either of them, they did not show it. In fact, if anything, Cooper seemed happy about it…

A quick metro ride from the station, after they had eaten lunch at a café nearby, brought them to within walking distance of the city's ancient cathedral. As they walked across the square in front of it, Grace looked at Cooper with something akin to dread. She was just waiting for the moment that someone in all innocence brought up the word Quasimodo, and she knew he would immediately hunch himself over and say those words; "The bells, Esmeralda! The bells!" She was fearful that François would be the most likely person to do so. However, when they had reached the door, and he hadn't. she decided they were safe. It was at that moment that a passing tourist said the word, and suddenly Cooper was hunched over, had grabbed Brittany's hand, and was saying those words in a horrific accent.

As the blonde girl laughed, Santana turned to Grace. "What do you say to running off now and pretending that we aren't with them? I know the way to the department stores…"

"It is very tempting, but we'd best not," said Grace with a sigh, observing how her fiancé and Santana's wife were now the centre of attention. "They might upset someone and need a lawyer…" At their side, François was trying very hard not to laugh at the antics of the other two…

Eventually they managed to stop them, and headed into the building. The dark inside the church was comforting, not scary as it might have been, the interior illuminated by the dozens of candles that had been lit in prayer. They stood and watched as François crossed himself, bowed, then went forward to light one. He returned to their side, then whispered, "Whenever I happen to go into a church, I light a candle for my late grandmother. Guillaume used to come with me some days when he lived here, and he would just stand and watch as I prayed. He used to say that I was lucky that I had something to believe in, whereas he had lost all his faith in the world a long time before. I think that he has some of it back now, though; he has faith in Dave, his brother, his friends. He has his maman back again. Guillaume will always be a lapsed Catholic, but then again, so many of us are…"

Santana nodded, and then to everyone's surprise, she copied François' actions, and lit a candle herself. Brittany and Cooper followed her, lighting a candle and leaving a donation in the box. "I lit mine for Wes, God bless him," said Santana, "but also for Finn, that great lumbering lummox."

"Mine is for Kurt, and I am guessing that you lit one for your brother?" Brittany asked Cooper, who just nodded in response. They then proceeded to walk around the church, in awe of the silence that there was inside, given that it was surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the city. Eventually though they took their leave and headed off for their next destination.

The contrast between the cathedral and the Pompidou Centre could not have been greater, they all agreed. The vibrant space was busy with young people, all enjoying the warmth of a Saturday in early summer, listening to music, or talking animatedly about some aspect of culture that they loved or loathed. In the end they stopped there only briefly, as time was marching on and they had deadlines. As Brittany asked again if they had forgotten to put the plumbing in and had added it on the outside later to save money, they headed across the city in the direction of the Louvre, and once again, François did his magic. Brittany and Santana remained outside in the gardens, sitting by the incongruous glass pyramid that rose from the middle of them, whilst he escorted Cooper and Grace to stand in front of what was probably the most famous painting in the world.

Grace was entranced by the enigmatic smile the moment that she saw it, and even Cooper had to admit that he felt a certain frisson from the fact that he was actually in front of it… "It is a classic, I'll give it that… However, if I am being totally honest, then I much prefer _The Judging Angel_ …" he said, causing Grace to stifle a laugh, and resist the temptation to say out loud that she was in full agreement. It was still impressive, and at least they could now say that they had seen it. They returned to the street, and then headed back along the banks of the Seine, all the time seeing the most famous structure in the city getting closer on the opposite bank. Eventually though they turned off, and headed through the wide boulevards to arrive at the Girard residence.

Dinner that evening was prepared with great care by François, beginning with the old family recipe for Bouillabaisse, then proceeding with a boeuf bourguignon, which he had left to simmer away slowly in the oven since the change of plans that morning, leaving the meat tender and the sauce rich and thick. All four of his guests agreed that it was exquisite, and Cooper went so far as to suggest that François should choose a career in cuisine. He smiled sadly, and told them that he would have no choice other than to go into the family firm, much as the idea of being tied into a small construction business appalled him. Before anyone could speak, he continued by pointing out that Sebastian had already told him to rebel; but he had been brought up to respect the wishes of his parents, and they had never treated him harshly, despite his misadventures, so he owed them to follow in his father's footsteps. Grace nodded in understanding, as she recalled a teenage girl who had dreamed of being a vet, or a teacher, but never a lawyer…

After dinner, with directions from François in his hand, Cooper guided Grace to the Eiffel Tower, lit up now as the skies began to darken as the sun set. They took the elevator right to the top, and found it surprisingly quiet for such a nice night. Below them the myriad lights of the city shone, and in the distance they could see, floodlit from below, one of the buildings they would visit the next day - the Sacré-Cœur. "I am so glad that I decided to bring you here," Cooper said quietly as he wrapped his arms around Grace. "Romance is not the strong suit amongst the men in my family, but I trust that I am doing ok?"

"You are, my darling CJ. After all, what girl could possibly resist the thrill of being whisked off to Paris for the weekend? This is the best surprise that anyone has ever given me." She hugged Cooper close, and he could only smile as his heart felt as if it was about to burst with all of the love he felt for the beautiful woman in his arms.

Sunday in Paris dawned bright and sunny. Grace found herself waking early, and after a quick wash, she dressed and headed to the kitchen. She arrived there just as Santana was walking out, and nearly bumped into her. It transpired that she was heading out to the bakery to buy bread and croissants, and on a whim, Grace asked her if she would mind some company. Five minutes later the two of them were at the door of the bakery, inhaling the scent of the freshly baked goods that were on display behind the counter. As they walked back to the Girard's apartment with two baguettes, several croissants and some pain au chocolat that were fresh from the oven, Santana mentioned the gift she had received from Sebastian; she was slightly surprised to discover that Grace knew nothing about his kind gesture. They quickly made plans to meet up for dinner on Tuesday, the day that the two girls would arrive, and then meet up again at the Tower of London the following day; it was on Grace's to do list in any case. She gave the younger woman instructions to meet her and Cooper outside Charing Cross station. She knew that the Number 15 heritage bus ran from just across from the station, and what better way to travel through London than on its iconic red bus? It would also take them past St Paul's Cathedral en route.

By the time that they got back, the other three people in the apartment were awake, and all of them were more than ready to dive into the fresh goods that they had brought. It was a leisurely meal, which gave them all time to chat about their plans for the day. They arranged that they would meet up at one of the large department stores later in the afternoon; it gave Cooper and Grace a chance for a whistlestop tour of the sights before they had to head back to the station for the Eurostar. François was more than happy to hold on to the overnight bag whilst they did so, promising to bring it with him when they met up later.

By the time that they met up in the Galleries Lafayette, grace was more tired than she cared to admit, but it had been well worth it. She had a whole list of sights to tick off her list; the Arc de Triomphe, the Sacré-Cœur, the Moulin Rouge. They had enjoyed a quick lunch in a little bistro in Montmartre, enjoying sharing a croque monsieur and a dish of escargots as a dare. To their surprise, they both found that they actually liked the latter. "Does that make us sophisticated gourmands?" Cooper asked as they walked back out onto the street.

"Maybe - but I still refuse point blank to even consider eating Steak Tartare," Grace replied, as Cooper pulled a face and nodded in agreement.

They had strolled the boulevards and the narrow streets hand in hand, and they could see for themselves why people saw this as one of the most romantic cities in the world. They had bought a box of macron in a small pâtisserie for later, and had enjoyed a couple of ice creams as they sat on a bench, looking out over the city. As they approached their meeting point, Cooper turned to Grace and said "I will bring you back here one day, and that is a promise. Maybe not soon, but once you are Mrs Hummel-Warbler, we will spend a week here, just exploring the city."

"I will hold you to that, CJ. Once we are married, but before we have kids, ok…" Grace replied, and once again Cooper felt a glow at the idea of being a dad. He always did. He had moved on from the self obsessed man that he used to be, and now thought that nothing in the world could be better than having his own children to look up to him; kids to play with in the park, to watch as they grew into strong adults. It gave him a warm feeling inside, and he liked that…

Cooper was not so keen on the department store though, but thankfully for him, because of their limited time, it was more of a dash than an all day affair. They also managed to spend most of the time in the food hall, rather than in the clothing departments. He did manage however to find his way, with François' guidance, to the jewellery counter, and he picked out a pendant that he knew would suit Grace whilst the three women were looking at the displays of dresses. If there was one thing he loved about Grace it was the fact that she did not need to spend thousands of dollars on clothes to look beautiful; instead she carefully considered the practicalities of every item that she bought, and went for quality over quantity every time. In the food hall, they purchased some boxes of chocolates and sweets to hand out when they arrived back in the States, including a box of marrons glacés for Sebastian. François had informed them that he liked one particular brand, but none of the others - and the brand in question was not available outside of Paris. It would be a suitable reward for ensuring that Mason and Roderick were behaving themselves.

This done, it was time to head back to the station. There was no time for dinner before they departed, but as they were once again travelling in the top class coach, they would be served a meal whilst en route back to England. Grace said a quiet "See you on Tuesday" to Santana, and then with hugs all round, they parted once again. It had been a brief trip, but both Cooper and Grace had found their weekend in Paris highly enjoyable, and it had whetted their appetite to see more of Europe, when they had time available. As the French countryside flew by, they ate the three course meal that was provided, accompanied by champagne, and afterwards, just relaxed back in their seats, thinking about the remaining week of holiday that they still had to look forward to…

Cooper and Grace slept later on Monday, having arrived back at the hotel fairly late the night before. They headed down for breakfast, but somehow the selection of pastries for the continental breakfast which had looked so appetising before no longer had the same appeal. They all now seemed a poor imitation of those that they had eaten the day before. Their plan for the day was art galleries; Grace was surprised to discover that Cooper was now keen to come with her to the National Gallery to have a proper look, and then he would also join her on an expedition to Tate Britain. She had quirked an eyebrow when he had said he would happily come, and he had responded simply that he had realised that it was time for him to learn to appreciate art; the only reason he hated the whole gallery concept was the memory of childhood excursions when such visits had been dire.

Once he was in the National, Cooper took time to look properly, and soon found that he was enthralled by what he saw. He could admire the different styles and methods that the talking guide Grace had got him pointed out, and also the vivacity of the colour on a painting that was in some cases centuries old, recording a person or a scene for posterity. True, he found the mythological paintings more of a struggle than the simple portraits and landscapes, but he could still admire the skill and the effort that had been used to create them.

Then it was on by bus to the Tate in Pimlico, passing the Houses of Parliament after a long drive down the length of Whitehall. The Tate was not as busy as the National Gallery, being less central. Before they entered, Grace pointed out the modern MI6 building on the opposite bank of the river. The mixture of art here was more eclectic, and Cooper found that he did not like the modern art that he saw in one exhibition space. Like Nick before him, he fell in love with the Turner paintings; he could almost feel the wind and the waves from the seascapes thanks to the way that the artist had worked.

"They have a few of his works in the Met, you know," Grace said quietly, knowing that he had never set foot across the threshold of that illustrious institution in all the time that he had lived in New York.

"Really? Well, maybe on one of our Mondays, you can take me up there and show me them," Cooper replied. The fact that in the gift shop on the way out he picked up a book on Turner, and bought it so that he could 'lend it to Jeff' made Grace smile inwardly.

That evening, after an early dinner, they found themselves once more in a theatre, but this time not one they had any connection to through Cooper's work. They had asked the concierge that morning if he could book them four seats for _The Mousetrap_ on Wednesday. Grace had told Cooper that she knew the honeymooners would be in town, and he agreed with her suggestion that they should go and see a show; and if they were going to do that, then what better play than the world's longest running one? On a whim, they had then asked him to get them two seats to a show that evening, preferably a comedy. So it was that they found themselves in theatre seats which, like most of those in London, where by no means as comfortable as those back home, waiting for the curtain up on _The Play that Goes Wrong_.

The whole premise of the show had sounded interesting to Cooper, but he did have doubts about it. They were dispelled after the first few minutes, when he and Grace burst out laughing simultaneously as the show began to turn into a total disaster zone. They were both used by now to the slick production standards of Broadway; to a world where if something did go wrong, you covered it up and chances were, no-one in the audience would be any the wiser. Here, every conceivable disaster possible occurred, and as the cast valiantly attempted to keep going with the show, Cooper found himself on the verge of hysterics at times.

They had both noticed a draught as the curtain rose; they hadn't been sure if it was the familiar one until the first of the mishaps occurred, and then they had heard the familiar sound of Blaine's laughter echoing amongst the others in the auditorium. It was joined by that of Wes, Finn, and eventually Kurt. For Wes, a lover of all British comedy, this slapstick farce was sheer perfection; Blaine was in full agreement and Finn hadn't been able to help himself at the sheer absurdity. Kurt had resisted at first, but then as part of the set collapsed on the cast, he couldn't help himself.

At the interval, Grace headed to the powder room to sort out her make up, having laughed so much her mascara had run with her tears. Blaine came to sit beside his brother, his face red with laughing. "Well, I will say this; if this show ever makes it to Broadway, then I will buy everyone I know a ticket," Cooper whispered to Blaine, as there were other people around.

"You should," his brother replied. "I am certain that the Warblers will all howl at this, and I am sure that Sam, Artie, Mike and Puck would too. I guess Quinn would too, and Santana for sure. Mercedes might. Brittany would be concerned about people being hurt. Tina would probably be hyper critical. As for Kitty, she would laugh, but be bitchy at the same time…"

"I wouldn't bother buying a ticket for Rachel though," said Kurt from behind them. "She just would not get what it is that they are doing…" No-one raised a voice to disagree with his point.

The second half of the show had them all howling again, Wes laughing so hard that he got a stitch in his side. When it was all over, Cooper and Grace said goodbye to the angelic members of the audience, and headed out into the streets, to join the crowds of theatregoers heading home. "I have to admit it, my sides are aching. I haven't laughed as much in years," said Grace. "I am very tempted to tell people that they need to jump on a plane and come and see it!"

"I have a strong suspicion that they will not need to do that Gracie. I checked a few things out, and it seems that this show has been running for about three years now, is usually sold out, and has had some very famous faces in the audience. I have a strong suspicion that it will eventually make it to Broadway, and maybe sooner than people expect." Cooper smiled, then carried on. "The question is, will a typical audience member in a Broadway crowd get it, or is it just too British to be funny for the usual theatre lovers in New York? Only time will tell…"


	47. A Tale of Two Cities : Part IV

**A Tale of Two Cities : Part IV**

In Paris on Tuesday morning, Santana was overseeing the final packing of the small case that would accompany her and Brittany to London. The bulk of their luggage would remain in Paris in the custody of François; after all, they would be returning to the city for another two nights at the end of the week, their homeward flight from Charles de Gaulle to JFK having been booked long ago, and not changeable without a massive fee. She had finally told her wife the day before that they would be going to London for a few nights, and to say that she was excited would be an understatement. She had started to seek out the company of Lord Tubbington, in the belief that he might be able to pull some strings and get them an audience with the Queen. Santana had merely shaken her head, whilst François was just totally confused as to why she was asking for her cat, and was half expecting that at some point, a Skype call would be deemed necessary.

Brittany had calmed down a bit now, and was just sad that François could not come with them. He said the same, whilst citing all of the various commitments that meant he had to stay in the city. The absence of the two young woman would let him feel free to go and help out in the bar his friends owned in the Marais, not to mention allowing him to do some of the college work that he had been putting off since they had stopped for the holidays. He still found time that morning to walk with them to the Metro, to see them off on the train to the Gare du Nord. Alongside their case, they had a bag of fresh croissants from the boulangerie. Grace had mentioned on Facebook that the ones in London fell a lot short after those in Paris, so they had decided that it was only fair to allow Grace and Cooper to enjoy a few more.

They arrived at the station in good time, and had no issues with passing through the passport control; this was mainly because Santana had asked Brittany to let her do all the talking, and for once her wife had agreed. Santana had feared that if she let her talk, she would start to ask the guards if they knew the Queen, or whether they were related to the Tubbington family. As it was they passed through with little more than a cursory glance at their documentation. After a short wait, they were able to board their train, and it was only then that Santana realised that the Warblers had booked them into the same top class seats that Grace and Cooper had travelled in a the weekend. As the train pulled slowly out of Paris, and an attentive waiter poured them both a glass of champagne before handing them the lunch menu, Santana couldn't help but think that Sebastian and all of his Warbler friends were true gentlemen. She quietly thanked Puck for sending Kurt to spy on the 'Garglers' all those years ago. Without that, she doubted whether she and Brittany would even be in Europe, let alone living the high life on the Eurostar…

Cooper and Grace were waiting for them when the train arrived at St Pancras. They had spent the morning at the National Portrait Gallery, which was tucked away behind the main National Gallery. It was a British history lesson, of course; portraits of Kings and Queens, Lord and Ladies, and naturally, Prime Ministers. In the twentieth century gallery they did recognise a lot of the faces, given that they showed people that had existed in their own times. They had purchased sandwiches for lunch, and had sat to eat them on a bench in Trafalgar Square; it was full of people and pigeons, and had traffic moving down three of its sides, so it was not the most peaceful of places. They eventually took the Northern Line train up to Euston Station, and had then walked the short distance to St Pancras, along the side of the busy Euston Road.

They had arrived in good time, and thus had time to admire the statue of Sir John Betjeman that dominated the station; the poet had been instrumental in the campaign to save the building they were standing in from demolition, just as Jackie Kennedy Onassis had saved Grand Central Terminal back in New York. They made their way downstairs to stand at the doors through which arriving passengers walked onto the concourse, and it was there that they discovered the piano that was just there for anyone to walk up and play. It was not in use, and Cooper suddenly found it impossible to resist the temptation to go up and use it; he was rusty, but he could recall a few of the old standards that he had learnt in his piano lessons all those years ago….

He was happily playing away, more or less in tune, when the doors opened and the people that had just arrived from Paris began to make their way through. Grace was therefore left to welcome the two young woman to London on her own, Cooper having just launched into a rendition of _My Way_. Santana laughed as she saw who was playing, and that he had gathered a sizeable crowd, but when Brittany ran over to him, and joined in on the vocals, she did glance for a moment at Grace, as she had done outside Notre-Dame, as if to say 'let's just leave and pretend that they aren't with us.' However, on finishing the song, Cooper got up, bowed to his applauding public, and allowed someone else to go and play.

"That was quite a welcome to London," Santana laughed as he gave her a hug.

"Well, it was just sitting there, and as Blaine isn't around to jump up and play, someone else had to," he replied, as they walked in the direction of the tube, handing the Oyster cards they had already purchased for the new arrivals to them. Two stops on the Circle Line later saw them at Great Portland Street, and heading towards the White House Hotel; Sebastian had booked it as he had good memories of staying there with the boys two years ago. Cooper and Grace waited in the lobby whilst the girls checked in, then escorted them back out again to the nearest bus stop, to board a 453 bus that would take them down to Oxford Street. Cooper had selected one store in particular for them to visit that night, with a lot of help from Kurt. He felt that Liberty would be perfect; Brittany would love the clothing on sale there and that would make Santana happy, and Grace would find the architecture of the building every bit as fascinating.

For Cooper, the next half an hour would have been horrendous had it not been for an angel directing him towards the menswear department; his brother had helpfully saved him from having to stand and look at summer dresses, one after another. As Kurt had rightly surmised, Brittany was enthralled, and thanks to her math skills, she was able to quickly deduct the VAT and then change the prices to dollars. She found one dress in particular that she adored, and although it was not cheap, it was well made and in a timeless style. She tried it on, and the smile that appeared on Santana's face the moment that she stepped out of the fitting room made the sale for her. The purchase made, they went in search of Cooper, and found him in the middle of trying on hats of all things. In the end, he did not make a purchase; the salesman did however point out that there was a specialist gentleman's hat shop further down Regent Street. This lead to a discussion about the other specialist stores that still managed to trade in London, and it seemed that as well as the specialist tailors shops of Savile Row that they had all heard of, there was a shop at the far end of Oxford Street that only sold umbrellas. As the little group headed out of the store and back into the hustle and bustle of Regent Street, they all thought how unlikely it was that a store could in this day and age still make money from specialising in one item like that. "I guess it might sustain itself on a combination of high quality and novelty value," remarked Grace. "After all, we are all curious to go and pay the store a visit now, and chances are that if we do, we will make a purchase." The other three nodded in complete agreement.

They headed through Piccadilly Circus, where Brittany insisted on having a photo taken with Eros in the background, then continued up Shaftsbury Avenue past the theatres, to the pub that had become Cooper and Grace's go to venue for their evening meal. It was Steak Night once again, and the prices for the food worked out as much lower than they would pay anywhere in New York for the quantity and quality. After Cooper had placed their order at the bar, Santana made a study of the menu and the concept of the themed nights. The regular prices of some of the dishes were shown on the main menu, whereas others seemed only to be available that night. After a few minutes, she voiced her thoughts out loud. "I wonder if we could do something like this at the Spotlight? Okay, so we are usually always pretty busy, but there are a couple of nights a week when we could accommodate a few more customers. This concept might just work for us too, although what themes we would use would have to be discussed by all the partners."

"If you could get the pricing right and ensure that it covered its costs, then yes, it would be a good idea," replied Grace. "But there have to be pitfalls. What happens to the other items you sell on those nights? How much do their sales drop as a consequence of the promotion? I mean, look around you - virtually everyone is eating a steak… It is a good concept, but it is one that would need a lot of research and a proper trial."

"That is true, but you have to agree, in principal, this might just work," Santana replied. Further discussion was cut off by the arrival of their food.

They ended their night with a trip on the London Eye. It was something that Cooper was keen to do, and once he had explained what it was to Brittany, she was just as set on it. They caught a bus as far as the bottom of Whitehall, then walked over the bridge, passing Big Ben. This meant a stop for more pictures, and whilst they were being taken, the clock chimed as if on cue. At the London Eye, they showed the online ticket that Cooper had bought back at the pub and now had on his phone to the staff, and were soon in their cabin. Once they were up at the top of the wheel, all of them had to agree that it was an excellent way to see the city as dusk fell, particularly as so many of the landmark buildings were floodlit. After their trip, they parted ways at Waterloo station, as they headed to catch different tube lines home, but not before agreeing a time to meet at Charing Cross the next day.

The next day they all arrived early, and by hurrying across the street, they were able to catch an early departure on the heritage route 15 bus. The concept of the open platform at the back was a new one to all of them, and did not seem all that safe; once they had climbed up the stairs and headed down to the front of the upper deck though, they could all immediately see why these buses were so popular with Londoners, and had won the hearts of six young men two years before. The bus moved swiftly through the busy city traffic, and seemed able to move through narrower gaps than their modern counterparts. They also then saw the real benefit of the open platform; they witnessed people boarding and alighting from the bus as it was stopped in traffic snarl ups, miles away from any official stop.

The vehicle also seemed the most appropriate way to approach the entrance to St Paul's Cathedral. The building itself was very impressive, and they all agreed that they would return to visit it later. All of them had seen that picture from that night in late 1940, when during the London blitz the building had been surrounded by a sea of fire, and the iconic image of the dome wreathed in smoke and flame had been taken.

Eventually they arrived at the Tower of London, and more photographs had to be taken. The advantage of ordering tickets in advance meant that they could bypass the long line of people and head straight in, more or less. The Tower was a fascinating place, full of history. The staff were friendly, and they all had a chance to see the famous ravens. The real highlight though came in standing on the slowly moving pavement to pass by the Crown Jewels. Brittany summed it up best when she stated that she felt sorry for the poor Queen, having to wear so much wealth, and carry what had to be a heavy crown on her head. They ended their visit with a stroll down to the river so that they could see Tower Bridge, and were lucky enough to arrive just as it was opening to allow a boat through. More photos were taken, and then it was back to the bus stop to catch a number 15 back to St Paul's.

Whereas Notre-Dame had been dark and medieval, St Paul's was bright and cheerful. They arrived just in time for the choristers to start singing for a midday service, and the sound of their voices raised in praise echoed through the building. They did not stop their tour, instead moving silently round the vast precincts of the church, enjoying the sound. This was a building whose interior they had all glimpsed on the television before now; this was the place where the funerals of the great and the good of the UK were sometimes held, and where great celebrations of royalty also occurred. It was strange to think that the tiles that they now stepped on had been trodden on by the Queen herself. They climbed the steps up to the Whispering Gallery, and tested it out, the effect leaving them all smiling. As they looked down from their height into the building below, they could all see how the building had become such a symbol; a beacon of hope in an otherwise bleak and uncertain city, as the tides of war washed over it, and tore apart everything that people had known for generations.

"They came close to losing this place, you know," came a whisper, and they all turned to see Wes standing there. "On the night that that photograph was taken, the city around this building was devoid of people. As the bombs fell, it was left to a small but determined band of people up on the roof to defend this place, armed only with sand, shovels, buckets of water and tiny hand pumps. By that night, a bomb had already damaged part of the back of the building, but that night, no more high explosive bombs fell on the building. It was the incendiary bombs that they had to worry about; tiny projectiles designed to start fires, and burn at such a high temperature that they could melt the lead on the roof and cause the ancient timbers below to combust. They knew that if a fire started on the roof, then they would lose the building. It must have been a sobering site, watching a sea of flames engulf the entire neighbourhood as you stood on a high, fragile roof above it. They had a job to do, and thankfully they succeeded; they shovelled the bombs over the side if they could, and if not, they doused them with water or smothered them in sand. The following day, every building around here had been gutted by fire, but the cathedral was still there. Winston Churchill himself had recognised its symbolism. When he was informed what was going on, his instructions to the fire brigade were simple; save the cathedral at all costs. The rest of the city could burn, but it could not."

"I've seen pictures of the aftermath of that night online," Grace admitted. "It stands there, tall, bruised but whole in a sea of rubble. I can see why it was so important to save it. It was a symbol of Britain, and at the time, one of the tallest buildings in the city, visible from everywhere…." The others nodded, glad they had visited such a magnificent building themselves, but grateful not to have been here on the night when it nearly burnt.

Time was ticking on, and with reluctance they left the cathedral, then headed to the tube station at Blackfriars to take a District Line train to St James Park. A short walk from there took them to within sight of Buckingham Palace. Wes was still with them, and he insisted that instead of heading straight through the park to the gates of the palace, they should instead head north to the road that ran along the top of the park, known as The Mall. None of them argued with him, as there was something in the tone of his voice that made them think that he was aware of something. The moment that they arrived at the roadside, he told them all to look to the right. There, in front of the grand Admiralty Arch, were a group of police outriders in front of a motorcade, heading their way. They all instinctively knew who it had to be, and four phones were swiftly pulled out to film the moment. As the three cars passed, carrying first the Queen and Prince Philip, then Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, and then finally Princes William and Harry and the Duchess of Cambridge, they kept their phones on, Brittany also managing to wave wildly. She was rewarded with a wave from the Queen, which made her squeal in delight, and made the other three feel kind of special too. After all, there was no crowd around them, so that wave had to have been directed solely at them…

The excitement over, they decided to cross the road and head up Pall Mall to Piccadilly, bringing them out right next to Fortnum and Mason, it's royal warrant clearly on display. Cooper groaned at the prospect of having to walk around yet another shop until Wes pointed out that it sold mainly food, and particularly chocolates. He was the one that then held the door open for the three women, much to their amusement. They could see why the place was so popular though the moment that they stepped into the large space that was filled with confections of all kinds, scented with the smell of freshly roasted coffee and aromatic teas. A few choice purchases were made as they walked around; gifts for others, and treats for themselves. They were all tempted to stop and sample the afternoon tea in the restaurant, but on checking his watch, Cooper reminded them all that they had theatre tickets booked, and dinner to eat prior to that. They settled instead on picking up some tea to enjoy later; Wes pointed out a variety that Michelle was particularly fond of, but found hard to obtain in the States - and expensive when she did come across it. A quantity was thus purchased for her, to be taken back by Cooper and Grace. They parted once more at Piccadilly Circus tube, having made arrangements to meet up for a pre-theatre dinner later.

 _The Mousetrap_ was like no other play that any of them had ever seen. Given that it had been written more than sixty years ago, it was a period piece, and the performance was certainly rooted in that time. The programme informed them that as well as being the world's longest running play, it claimed several other theatrical records, all of which was very impressive, even if the record for the longest serving actor was for a voice recording played through a radio. As the show began, Cooper quickly began to realise that he had seen elements of the performance somewhere else before - and it did not take him long to realise where. He turned to Grace, just as she turned towards him, and as he mouthed the words 'the other play!', she nodded in agreement. The show was still very entertaining, and the identity of the murderer, when it was revealed at the end was still a shock to them all, proving that even now, the intricately written plot of the queen of crime, Agatha Christie, could still leave them all guessing until the denouement.

Having promised never to divulge the outcome to anyone else, although as Grace pointed out they could discuss it with the six young men that had seen it two years ago, they headed out into the street once more. They glanced across the road to where The Ivy restaurant was located, wondering if they would glimpse any famous faces as they emerged from the exclusive restaurant, but at that moment, there was no-one around that they recognised. They walked on in the direction of Cooper and Grace's hotel, but passed it intentionally to arrive at Piccadilly Circus once more, now brightly lit up with its advertising signs. Grace had made the excuse that she needed to visit the supermarket that lay just south of the busy road junction, but the fact that it sat right next to the bus stop for the 453 bus that would take the girls back to their hotel was convenient. They had time to pop into the store, and as they did, Cooper spotted a member of staff reducing the price of the cakes that had to be sold that day to ridiculously low prices. As a result they all left with a nice treat to have with their late evening drinks.

The following day, the two couples did not meet up in the morning. Brittany and Santana were heading in the direction of the museums in South Kensington, where they would undertake a whistlestop tour of the highlights, before travelling back into the centre of town to visit the National Gallery. Cooper and Grace meanwhile were heading out to the suburb of Greenwich, travelling on the mainline train, before heading back in to visit Westminster Abbey. They had agreed however to meet up for dinner once more, and this pleased Cooper immensely; it was Curry Night at the pub, and he had every intention of trying a new dish from the menu.

The train out to Greenwich was frequent, and the journey above ground allowed them to see a slice of suburban London which the tube did not. As they glanced out of the window, they were both struck by how some of the scenes they saw could quite as easily have been viewed from the windows of an elevated section of the subway back in New York. They headed first to the Maritime Museum, which they both found fascinating, but not as interesting as the next thing they visited - the Prime Meridian, as the line of Longitude 0º was known. It was strange to stand there astride it, one foot officially in the eastern hemisphere, the other in the western. It was also remarkable to think that this spot marked the last tangible relic of the glory days of the British Empire - the system of time zones that now regulated the world's clocks.

"It's from here that every time in the world is officially governed," remarked Cooper. "To think that it all began because of the necessity to do away with local time as it made it difficult to run the trains…" Grace nodded, although she was pretty certain that there was more to it than that. Still, he did make a very valid point; modern life would be a nightmare if every settlement had its own time. It would make air travel difficult, and she could only imagine the chaos if New York and New Jersey were not in synch.

After the museum, they headed down into the centre of Greenwich, and then on to the Cutty Sark. It was a prime example of the classic tea clippers that had sailed the world in the days before the engine had been common, but had faced tragedy only two years earlier when it had been largely destroyed in a mystery fire. Still, it was now being lovingly restored by the experts. From there, they moved on to the local DLR station, and boarded the driverless train into the centre of the city. They managed to fin two seats right at the front, and it was fascinating to sit where normally only a driver would sit and see the view right out of the cab along the track - and also disconcerting when they would be hurtling along the track and see another stationary train sitting in the station that they were approaching…

If the Docklands Light Railway was the modern age, then Westminster Abbey was pure history. They had joined the queue waiting to enter just as nearby, Big Ben began to strike the hour. The noise it made was so familiar, even if it was only from hearing it on TV reports on New Year's Eve in London, from coming across the BBC World Service as they moved along the radio dial, or in the homes of a few pretentious people with Westminster Chimes doorbells. The traffic in nearby Parliament Square was heavy, and the noise coming from there was at times deafening. Once they stepped inside the Abbey though, there was silence. The roar of life in the modern city was reduced to a dull hum. It was cool and tranquil inside; it was not as bright as St Paul's, but that was more than okay. The building just oozed history in every corner. This was where the most illustrious people of Britain had been buried. It was also the state church, the place were great royal weddings had been celebrated, where funerals were held, and where, one day in their lifetime, another coronation would be held.

"I remember Blaine telling me how he and Nick were dragged out of their beds at 5am one morning at Dalton to watch the footage from here as William and Kate got married," Cooper reminisced. "I never told him at the time, but I might have been watching it too in the early hours of an L.A. morning, in a friend's flat."

"I was sitting on my own in my apartment in Denver; I had just moved in a few weeks before the big day. I remember glancing out of the window and seeing so many lights on at 4am. The whole world was watching to see a fairy tale dream come true…"

"They make a good couple; young and photogenic, but definitely in touch with the people. I think that his grandmother will be quite pleased about that. When the day that they come here, and he is made the King, the whole world will be watching over again, and rejoice in the fact that a sensible man will be in power."

"Oh, I agree. At least with the Queen, the UK has had a head of state that is respected and admired from all over the world. She has ruled wisely, and has devoted her entire life to the service of her people. She rightly deserves the universal respect the world gives to her. I mean, just compare her record to that of the man that we might end up with back home…." said Grace with a shudder.

As had been planned, the two couples met up again for dinner, this time to introduce Brittany and Santana to the joys of the British curry night. Whilst both Grace and Brittany played it safe and stayed with something mild, both Santana and Cooper opted for something with a little more spice. Cooper had also ordered extra side dishes for them all to share, and as a result, when the waiters arrived it was to cover the entire table in their booth with dishes. Grace wondered if they would ever manage to eat it all, convinced that even her brother and his friends would struggle to do so. However, it turned out that it was entirely possible when two people were eating large quantities of naan bread and poppadoms to counteract the spiciness of their meals.

It was still early when they finished their food, and so they took a stroll through the streets that lay between the pub and King's Cross station. To Cooper's horror, the word Primark was spotted; having heard about the firm, but never having visited their store near New York, both Santana and Brittany demanded that they go and check it out. Even Grace went pale as they entered a store that bore a striking resemblance to Macy's on Black Friday. That was until she spotted something that she liked, and then saw the price ticket… In the end, they were only in the store for a little over 30 minutes, but they left laden with bags of shopping; even Cooper had found the men's department, and had suddenly thought how cheap those shirts were… From the store they headed past the British Museum and into the leafy squares of Bloomsbury, there feet bringing them eventually to the station. There, Cooper got minor revenge for the visit to Primark by showing Brittany the way to Platform 9¾. This meant that Santana had to pose for pictures just as Grace had done, shaking her head between the shots. This done, they went their separate ways, but not before Santana had remembered a promise, and had headed into Marks & Spencer to buy up the entire stock of Custard Creams for a meerkat. It was outside the store that they parted, to take different tube lines back to their hotels. They would not meet up the next day, as the two honeymooners had a mid morning train to catch back to Paris, and Cooper had made plans with Grace.

Their European adventure was almost over. As Brittany and Santana went to St Pancras, Cooper and Grace headed to the Imperial War Museum in the morning, then took a train from the nearby Waterloo station to Windsor Castle in the afternoon. This proved a most fascinating excursion. The building itself was steeped in history, having been used by the monarchs of Britain for centuries, but the modern world had placed it immediately under the main flight path for Heathrow Airport, which resulted in the incongruous sight of a jet plane flying low overhead every few minutes. "It is strange really that this is allowed to happen," Grace remarked as yet another one droned above them. "I mean, all of those flights in DC have to turn sharply to avoid flying over the White House, and I am certain that there is a no fly zone over most of central London, and yet it is ok to fly right over the Queen's favourite palace! You couldn't make it up!"

After the castle, they had time to stroll through the historic town at the foot of its ramparts, seeing small groups of dapper boys in blazers every so often; boys on the loose after the school day had come to an end at nearby Eton College. It reminded them both a little of the Warblers; after all, those Dalton boys had often ended up together in coffee shops at the end of a school day.

The train that conveyed them back into the city arrived there just as the rush hour began to bite. Seeing the tidal wave of humanity pouring into the tube made them both abandon it willingly, and instead they caught a bus which took them slowly north over the congested Waterloo Bridge. The pavements were just as busy with a steady stream of pedestrians heading to the station for the journey home. "This bridge is like the 59th Street Bridge back home, in that it has a song about it," remarked Cooper as he glanced out of the window at the grey block buildings of the South Bank. "It's called _Waterloo Sunset_ , and it's all about a young couple watching the sun as the day ends and it slowly sinks in the west…" He stopped as Grace shook her head and blushed, and he realised he had been talking too loud, and the entire bus had heard him. Then someone began to sing the song in question, and gradually more people joined in, until the entire top deck was singing along, including Cooper, leaving Grace mortified, but at the same time, all the more in love with Cooper…

Saturday was their final day in the city, but having visited all of the galleries and museums that they wished to, they decided on a whim to take another day trip out of the city. They ended up taking a train out to the city of Oxford, and spent time strolling round the bustling university city, and even found time for a quick visit to the Ashmolean Museum. The students were largely gone for the summer, but they had been replaced by groups of tourists like themselves, wanting to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of one of the world's oldest seats of learning. They found themselves mingling with local people on afternoon shopping trips, all used by now to the hoards of tourists.

As they walked back to the station, Grace spotted a sight which made her shake her head. It was not something she ever liked to see in a public place; she was of the belief that a couple, if they were going to argue, should do it in the privacy of their own home. What was worse was that as the young woman screamed abuse at him, the young man just stood there, his head bowed, and took it.

If they had not been in such a hurry, or if Cooper had noticed what was going on, then they might have paused.

They might have heard the line "You are not in f***ing Ohio at your stupid Dalton Academy now! I think that I need to remind you of that again, and I am getting so very tired of having to do so! You're in my country now, and so you will live by my rules. You will do what I say, be friends with who I say, and if you ever forget that again - well, you know what the consequences will be from experience…"

Had they stopped, they might have recognised that the sorry looking young man with a cut cheek and a bruised arm was Drew Symons. They might have realised that he was in need of help; and they might have been able to give it to him a lot sooner…


	48. Summer in NYC Part I

**Summer in NYC Part I**

As the two couples in Europe began to prepare for the journey home, those that they had left behind in New York had been enjoying life to the full in all of its many forms. With no school to worry about, and less work for some due to shorter opening hours, it had been a time to relax and enjoy themselves. Nick had taken full advantage of his new kitchen to experiment with new ideas, and as ever, Jeff and Mike had been his willing guinea pigs. He had focused on fish; he had found an excellent fishmonger on a walk through the village one afternoon, and suddenly realised that he hardly ever cooked it. True, Mike would add shrimp to his stir fries, and he would make a fish pie every so often, but that was about it. He had made his way to Union Square, and had bought a cookbook on fish. Thus began a period of experimentation with seafood in all of its forms. He began by making a chowder, then grilled some tuna steaks with a nice marinade in the first two days. Of course, he could not go over completely to fish for a long period, as it would eventually result in a pizza delivery when his two roommates had decided they had had enough of it. As for Caleb, he decided that fish was quite an acceptable addition to his diet, and wolfed down all the trimmings quite happily.

Then on the middle Sunday of the European excursion, there was an excursion en masse to Port Jefferson on the LIRR, with taxis booked to collect them all at the station. Mike had elected to stay in town, as he had a shift at the Spotlight in any case, but Nick and Jeff had been joined by Beats, Flint, Sebastian, Dave, Kitty and Artie on what was their first proper trip to the beach house. They had all seen the photos, but nothing could quite have prepared the guests for the actual beauty of the place. The fact that the sky was cloudless, and the breeze gentle and pleasant made the whole thing even better. They walked around from room to room as Nick went to work in the kitchen, Jeff proudly showing the place off. They were all pleased to discover their was an accessible bedroom on the ground level, which meant that there would be no issue with Artie staying over, and the fact that there was even a ramp right down to the water's edge at the beach made it perfect.

They all ended up around the pool, sharing the lunch that Nick had prepared. As well as the sandwiches that he had made up on arrival, there were little sausage rolls and small savoury tarts that he had baked the night before, and a selection of cake and cookies. Jeff had ensured that there was ice cream, having used the machine at the Spotlight to make up two special batches the night before, the cold dessert then transported in a cool box to the house. They all soaked up the sun, and generally enjoyed themselves. The temptation not to return home at the end of the day was great, but Artie had filming scheduled for his summer project the next day; Dave and Sebastian had plans; Nick and Jeff had work, and Flint had to be up early the next morning to meet his cousin at the Port Authority. So it was with reluctance that they headed back into the city on the train, then after saying farewell to Sebastian and Dave, they all headed downtown on the same train.

The next morning found Flint standing at the Port Authority bus terminal just after 4am, awaiting the Greyhound bus that his cousin had climbed on board in Kansas some 31 hours ago. He could only imagine how tired he would be having spent more than a day rattling across country from the nearest stop to that other Manhattan in Topeka. Flint couldn't stop yawning as he waited for the bus to arrive, but he had to keep his wits about him. The place was not as notorious as it had been once upon a time, but it still wasn't the nicest place to be at this early hour of the morning. He was glad when the bus appeared slightly early, and even more pleased to see that one of the first people to step off was his cousin. On seeing Flint, Leo ran over and pulled him into a hug, which startled him for a moment, until Leo quipped "Thank God that is over! I might never go home now, not if it means having to face that bus journey again! I think that I need to lie down for a while, if that's okay…"

Flint laughed, then said "It's more than okay by me. My intention was that we went and grabbed a cab, had a quick drink and a bite to eat once we get to my place, then both head to bed for a few hours. Plus you can get a shower if you want."

"A shower," sighed Leo. "Right now, that is the nicest thing that anyone has ever said to me…"

In no time they were heading downtown in a cab, and Flint was keenly aware that even though he was tired, Leo was still taking in all the sights around him. His face lit up as he glimpsed the Empire State Building along 34th Street, still lit up in the early light, and then as they approached the West Village, he pointed out the skyscrapers at the tip of the island in the far distance. Having shown Leo to the guest bedroom, he went to make him a mug of hot chocolate to help him sleep, but on returning to the room with the mug, he found that he hadn't needed to after all; his cousin was fast asleep, fully clothed, on the top of the bed. Flint chuckled, then left him to it, drinking the hot chocolate himself before he headed back to his own bed.

Ethan had eaten his breakfast and was preparing to head out to check out a few books at the public library when Flint emerged from his room. He walked into the kitchen, wished his roommate a good morning, then headed straight back out again, yawning. Ethan chuckled and put on some coffee, knowing that his trip to the library could wait a few more minutes. As the coffee finished brewing, he became aware that there were now two people at the doorway to the kitchen.

"Hey, so this is my cousin Leo. Leo, this is Ethan Mackenzie, roommate and old Dalton buddy. As you can see, he knows what the most important task of the day is, and he has put the coffee on. So, cereal or toast, or both for that matter, for breakfast?"

"Actually, Flint, I popped out for some bagels when I got up this morning, so there is another option," Ethan replied, smiling at the new arrival. "What would you say to one of those with some scrambled egg. I have time to fix it up before I have to head out…"

"You certainly have your roommate well trained, cuz! A toasted bagel with scrambled egg would be absolutely perfect, thanks. It is also really good of you to let me come and stay here with you guys. I know that the two of you are still settling in, so it was really kind of you to let a stranger come along and complicate things further," replied Leo.

"No, it's cool, and not a problem. Between you and me, Flint doesn't know it yet but half of my extended family will be coming here for Thanksgiving…" responded Ethan with a grin. Flint just shook his head, at the same time hoping that his friend was joking.

"Well, I will try not to get in your way in any case. You'll have work and other stuff to get on with, so once I've found my bearings I will let you guys get on with your lives. As my mom told me a million times before I left, you can't really get lost in Manhattan as all the streets are numbered. I failed to point out to her that you guys live in a part with street names as she would have had a breakdown. She is stressed out at me being here."

"As long as you can find your way to the subway, then you will be okay," said Ethan. "Plus we can show you how to get to Flint's little investment business, The Spotlight Diner, and once you're there, they will get you home."

Leo smiled at that. "I have heard all about that; his mom was really impressed by it…"

"In other words, Ethan, she is bragging about it non-stop to the Ladies Circle, and at Friday night dinner," said Flint, knowing his mom all too well. "It will make a change of topic for them all at least. She had probably been talking about Izzy for months on end…"

Leo nodded, and replied, "Yep. ' _My future daughter-in-law, the paediatrician'_ is the usual start line, no matter how many times your dad points out to her that the two of you aren't even engaged yet."

"In her eyes, I am already married to Izzy, and have a whole string of adorable kids," Flint said with a groan. "She hasn't started to badger me about getting Izzy a ring yet, but she will soon… Still, at least she isn't buying one for me and giving it to Berniece Rubens to save me time…"

Leo looked at him, and then the two of them burst out laughing. As for Ethan, he just shook his head and carried on with his cooking. It looked as if having Leo to stay for a few weeks would be a lot of fun…

By the end of that week, Leo felt completely at home both in the apartment and in New York. He had been introduced to the legendary Beats, as he put it, that first afternoon, when he came down to invite the three of them upstairs for dinner that night. There he had been introduced to Josh and Elliott, and he had taken to both of them at once. In Josh he found someone of the same age, which was always a bonus, and he was also curious to meet Scott, his boyfriend. He had known that he would meet more out and proud gay people here than he was ever likely to meet back in the small town world of Kansas; indeed, he had known only one guy in his high school that had been open about his sexuality, although he suspected that he would not be the only one to come out in the end. Escaping to college was the way for many of them, and those that were heading off to Chicago, L.A. or San Francisco - well he had his suspicions about a few of them…

He was introduced to his cousin's other friends as well. To him, Nick and Jeff were a revelation; they along with Colin and Edward were quite clearly deeply in love, and it made him smile not to just to see the little signs between them, but also how open and honest they were about it. If two guys had dared to hold hands whilst walking down the street back home…

He also fell in love with the concept of the Spotlight. The idea of singing wait staff did seem like a cheesy movie plot, but here it was just a celebration of the way that life was in the big city. Yes it was busy and crowded and in a rush. It really didn't sleep, as the song said. The stores were bigger and there was far more choice, but that did come at a cost. He had done the grocery run to Brooklyn with Flint, and was shocked at the price of some things here, compared to home.

Then on the Friday, he was informed that they were going out to a club. When Flint handed him a perfect fake ID, he was shocked, never imagining that his straight laced cousin would condone such things, but he was also grateful. He didn't expect either that the club in question would be a gay club. After initial doubts, he ended up having a whale of a time, being dragged up first to dance between Colin and Edward, then watching in slight shock as Flint danced shirtless with Beats, lapping up all the attention in the room. Then again, he had felt those eyes on him earlier too, and it had felt good. All things considered, this was definitely the more exciting of the two Manhattans…

Not present that night was Sebastian, who had spent his Saturday night sitting backstage at the theatre, just in case there was an accident that suddenly left the cast short. There had been no such accident, naturally, but Sebastian didn't mind particularly having to hang around in the back. He actually quite enjoyed just being a part of the show. He had spoken to quite a few of the cast that went out there on a nightly basis; indeed the two 'leads', the actors that portrayed Elders Price and Cunningham, had come over and introduced themselves on the first night that he had been there just to sit and watch, and they were great guys; admittedly, some of the others were not quite as friendly. That was only to be expected, he guessed. He was the new boy after all, an interloper waiting in the wings that was actually getting very good at playing all of their parts.

He had spoken to the chief choreographer one morning before anyone else had even arrived, and they had arranged for him to be taken through the whole dance sequence from the big production number _Turn it Off!_ He knew the words off by heart by now, and had even sung it one night on the karaoke in a bar, on a never to be forgotten occasion, when Nick and Jeff had joined in on the backing vocals, whilst Dave had watched laughing his head off at their table. Now he was able to do the entire routine, and had been only too happy to demonstrate that one Monday night in the West Village, on that superb sprung drawing room floor. By the end of that night he had first Mike, then Nick and Jeff, and finally Beats and Flint up there with him, all five of them aping his moves with varying degrees of accuracy. Ethan and Skylar had declined to join in, and had instead sat with Artie and Kitty on the sidelines, laughing loudly.

The crew of the show had developed a soft spot for him, as he treated them with the utmost courtesy and respect, as did Jenny. She was sat at his side that Saturday night, watching the by now so familiar show taking place, and singing along softly at points. At the interval the two of them were only too pleased to help out behind the scenes, fetching things that were needed, and supporting the cast in any way that they could, unlike their older compatriots, who sat in the green room and expected to be waited on. For both of them, it no longer mattered if they never made it onto the stage themselves that summer; just being a small part of the team was more than enough. Still, if the worst was to happen one day, neither of them would be too upset…

Before he left for the theatre the following day, Sebastian had headed upstairs with Dave to check the condition of the house. Mason and Roderick did not seem like the kind of young men that would throw wild parties every night, and that had proven to be the case. The house was more or less spotless as they walked around, full of the scent of polish, with the kitchen gleaming as if it hadn't been used since Cooper and Grace left. It wasn't true of course; the two young men just behaved responsibly. Still, Sebastian had opened a few cupboards just to make sure that there wasn't a stack of dirty dishes hidden away.

"Okay guys, so their flight will get in around one, so depending on security, you can expect them back any time from around 2.30 onwards. Remember they will be tired, so try and keep the noise down," he said as he headed for the door.

"Yes mom!" Mason and Roderick replied together, which made Dave laugh.

Sebastian smiled, then said "I know, I know, I can be frighteningly domesticated these days, but I guess it is all part of having to be an adult. I give it a couple of years, and the two of you will start to behave the same way. I used to spend all my time trying to antagonise people, but now I have realised that it is far easier just to be a good guy. Still, don't push me too far, or Grace might find out about the night of debauchery you had whilst they were away, and how I had to get decorators in…"

"She would never believe you!" said Roderick.

"Probably true, but let's not test it… Tell Cooper and Grace I will be round to see them tomorrow, once they've got over the jetlag…"

As it happened, good winds meant that the flight arrived early, and the two of them arrived home minutes after two. Having paid for the cab, the two of them stood on the sidewalk for a moment, looking up at the house. "Well, it is intact, so that is a good start," said Cooper, making Grace smile.

"It might look it, CJ, but who knows what teenage boy related horrors lurk behind those walls," she responded.

"There is only one way to find out," he replied, and they headed inside. As they closed the door behind them the smell of polish was instantly noticeable, which assured them that cleaning had been done at least. "Hello! We're back," Grace called out.

A moment later there was a reply, shouted by Mason. "You're early! We're in the kitchen…" Leaving their bags behind, they headed to that room, and entered a scene of domestic harmony, the room scented from the coffee that was just being made.

"Our flight arrived ahead of schedule," Cooper said. "So how have things been? Did Sebastian treat you guys okay?"

"Oh yes, he was okay, but to be honest, I have missed you guys a lot," replied Mason.

"We missed you too, as it happens," said Grace. "It was good to be away, but it's even better to come home…"

Over in Bushwick, Santana and Brittany arrived home not much longer after those in Murray Hill. In a scene reminiscent of one that had taken place on the other side of the hall three years before, Santana had insisted on carrying her wife over the threshold, and unlike Nick, she faced no protest from the person in her arms. Then again, she did not attempt to carry her quite as far, just into the hallway. What came as a surprise was that there were two people standing there, watching with amusement - namely Quinn and Puck.

"Puck had a week's leave due, and after we had spent a few days in Lima catching up with family and friends, we thought that we would come here for the weekend," explained Quinn. "Plus with Rachel being on stage, and Sam having a shift at the Spotlight, we thought you might appreciate some kind of welcoming committee."

"Though I did point out that you might appreciate having the place to yourselves when you got back, now that you're married, but Q pointed out you had just had two weeks away in the most romantic city on earth, so you probably wouldn't be that bothered," Puck added, earning himself a smack on the arm for the last part.

Santana laughed, then replied "Actually the welcoming committee was a good idea, particularly as it gives the four of us a good chance to catch up properly; we were a bit occupied at the wedding with family and stuff."

Brittany nodded, then began to tell the two visitors all about Paris, and the unexpected side trip to London, courtesy of the Warblers. That lead neatly into the video of their encounter with the Royal Family on The Mall, and a discussion amongst the young woman about what the Duchess had been wearing. As they went on, Puck just rolled his eyes, which made Santana laugh quickly, although she was pretty sure that he, like most of the men of his generation, found her at least a little attractive. Nonetheless, as the discussion about clothes went on and on, and Brittany began to dig for her dress from Liberty in her case, she could see where he was coming from…

When Rachel arrived home from the theatre, she greeted the newlyweds, then headed up to her room to change, and contemplate the day she had just had. It had been eventful after all; after the usual Sunday performance had finished up, she had returned to her dressing room, feeling a bit flat. It had been a good enough show, but she didn't feel happy. She had noticed that the audiences had been getting a little smaller, which was only to be expected when you were so far along in a run, but that day had been a massive shock; the theatre was half empty. It was warm, there were other new shows, tourist numbers were down… Bookings were strong for the rest of the week though, so it wasn't all that bad. Then there had been a knock on her dressing room door, and she had opened it to see the man that she played opposite every night; the Nick Arnstein to her Fanny Brice…

Ten minutes later she was alone again, and in a bit of shock. He had the right to move on to a new role, of course he did, but it had still come completely out of the blue. At least he had waited until after the show on a Sunday to tell her, when she had a good few hours to recover from the surprise. Now, alone in her room at home, she began to wonder if she too should start to look for an exit strategy. She loved the show, and playing the part that had made her idol Barbra famous had been everything that she thought it would be. However, all good things had to come to an end eventually, and that would include _Funny Girl_. Worse, there was a separate production playing in London, so there was no possibility of a West End transfer. She needed to start feeling around for a change, even if only for the short term. A new role that could showcase her talent, before she moved on to her next starring one. She would have a word with her agent in the morning…

When she eventually returned downstairs, Sam was back home, and she accepted the hug that he offered gratefully. He knew from looking at her that she was troubled by something, but he said nothing about it then. Later though, once Santana and Brittany had retired to bed early, tired after their long flight, and Puck and Quinn had done the same, he sat her down at the table, and asked her what was going on. The floodgates had opened and she told him about everything that was going on, swearing him to secrecy.

He had crossed his heart, then said, "This new part that you are looking out for; does it have to be a lead, or just a good supporting role?"

"Honestly, not being the lead would be okay. It would just need to be something that showed people that I am not just the one part," Rachel replied.

"Well, strictly between you and me, Sebastian came into the Spotlight just before I left and he had a bit of theatrical gossip. It seems that his friend Ms. Midler is to be returning to Broadway in a revival of _Hello Dolly_. Now, there has to be at least one good female supporting part in that; maybe you should drop hints about that to your agent…"

The news that another iconic show was returning to Broadway was actually a bit bittersweet to Rachel; she knew that the show had first hit the Great White Way at the same time as her own show, and it had swept up all of the Tony awards that year. But at the same time, Sam was right. From what she could recall, there were parts for two younger women that the titular Dolly tried to help with their relationships, and if there was even a possibility that she might be considered for one of those parts, then it would be fantastic. To say that she had shared a stage with a woman that was considered a legend would be a great boost to her CV, and even better, she was certain that there would be no separate West End production, so a transfer there might not be totally out of the realms of possibility for the show…

She rewarded Sam with a kiss, then despite the lateness of the hour, she grabbed her phone and called her agent. Sure, it was nearly 11pm on a Sunday night, but she believed that you had to stroke whilst the iron was hot; getting her name into the fray before every other actress in town found out that the show would soon be casting could be her masterstroke. She ignored the tone in her agent's voice when he eventually picked up, and just told him straight out about the rumour that she had heard. It was news to him, but he agreed to try and find out what he could by putting out some feelers first thing in the morning. She would rather he did it now, but she agreed to that plan, with reluctance. He had a point she guessed. As for herself, she now had a mission for the following day, namely finding Sebastian and grilling him for more information, and maybe even sweet talking him into having a word with the lady herself on her behalf…

Whilst Rachel had been on the phone, Sam had headed to his room to make a call; his call was to Sebastian, to apologise for telling his girlfriend, and for any upset that it might cause him.

"Let me get this right," Sebastian said after a pause, his voice laden with razors. "I told you something in the strictest confidence, and you went home and decided to tell the biggest gossip in the whole of the USA!?"

"Yes, I did and I am really sorry. I know that I shouldn't have done, and if anyone asks, it was entirely my fault!"

Sebastian chuckled at that point, leaving Sam confused. "Don't sweat it Sam. I should come clean; I was actually asked to get the information to her, and I am afraid that the best conduit for that was you. Bette saw Rachel in _Funny Girl_ , and she wants her in _Hello Dolly_. Basically, the best of the supporting parts is Rachel's, if she wants it. However, we won't be telling Ms Berry that, will we?"

Sam's initial reaction was to call Sebastian several unpleasant names, but then he found himself laughing. He had to agree; it would be nice to see Rachel fighting for the part. It would not do her ego any harm whatsoever to think that she had serious competition for the role for once…

The next morning Santana woke early, with Brittany curled in tightly beside her. Finally they were sharing the one bedroom, and it was natural, and simpler, that the room in question had been Brittany's. it had slightly better light than her own had had for one thing. She revelled in the pleasure for a moment, until she was disturbed by a sound that she had not missed in the last two weeks at all; the sound of Rachel singing her morning scales. She groaned, and then her ears realised that she wasn't just singing scales, it was a full blown song. It wasn't one she had ever heard her sing before though. Curious, she got up, being careful not to disturb her sleeping wife, and headed down to the kitchen…

In the end she found Rachel in the main living room, with a pair of wireless headphones on, singing along to the soundtrack of a movie that was playing on the television. Silently cursing the advent of Netflix, Santana checked out the screen, as yet unnoticed by Rachel. It came as no surprise to see Barbra Streisand, but this was not _Funny Girl_ \- it was a different kettle of fish altogether. Surely Rachel wasn't thinking of playing that part; she looked far too young for that role to start with. Then there was the fact that Dolly Levi was a woman of the world, and Rachel wasn't. This notion had to be nipped in the bud…

She walked across the room to stand in Rachel's line of sight, and when she was noticed, Rachel did jump a little in surprise. She smiled though, and went to take the headphones off. Before she could speak, Santana started on her. "No! Just no! I know that Barbra is your idol, and that you seem to want to play every role that she has ever played, but no! You are far too young for a start off, and people would laugh at the very notion of you playing that role now. I mean, how much stage make up would you need for a start? Your face would be literally dripping under the lights by the halfway point! So maybe in thirty years, but not now! Please, Berry, I am begging you to be rational for once!"

Rachel shook her head, and then laughed. "I am not considering that part, trust me, although I will probably try and have it revived in 2046 now you have suggested it. No, it isn't the lead I want just now…" She paused, and pointed to the young shopgirl that had just appeared on the screen. "That is the part that I want. I'm too young I assume to play a widow, but that I could do. And trust me, I am going to fight tooth and nail to get that part!"


	49. Summer in NYC Part II

**Summer in NYC Part II**

As is so often the case, the summer started to fly by, as the long, hot, humid days took control of New York. By the time that the end of June came, someone was off to Port Jefferson and the beach house on a more or less daily basis, glad to escape to the cooler climes of Long Island, away from the noise and the humidity of the city. Jeff's studio proved to be a complete sun trap, and it was not only Caleb that headed up there just to bask in the sunlight and soak up the valuable Vitamin D. The hot tub in the garden of the house next door was kept cool, and the young men living there did not object if the neighbours came along to cool off in the water for a while. It turned into a party one night, after Nick had been reading up on the art of barbecue, and had obtained one so that he could try his hand. Like most things in the culinary sphere that he tried, Nick succeeded in producing food that was not too burnt on the outside and more importantly, was actually cooked all the way through to avoid food poisoning.

Ethan had stepped up to assist him with the cooking and it soon emerged that he was every bit as good as Nick when it came to getting it just right. This gave him the courage to confess to Nick that he wished that he could cook better, as he and Flint lived on ready prepared dishes, and now that they had Leo staying, he felt that it would be better if he could cook something from scratch at least once a week. After all, their young visitor seemed able to do just that, and he was honestly mortified to admit that he could do little more than scramble an egg. Nick had laughed, and agreed that he could come round and coach him. It all reminded him of the one important thing that had been absent from the curriculum of Dalton Academy in their day. It was on it now, which meant that the younger alumni could rustle up a reasonable meal, but it had left a massive hole in the knowledge of their elders. Then again, the old system had assumed that they would all marry a nice, well trained and domesticated girl from Crawford County. In that respect, Dalton had really been stuck in the fifties…

For those new arrivals in the city from Ohio, the first few weeks had been fun, with the bulk of their time spent in exploring the city better, but they had to look to the future as well. With Mike reducing himself to just partner's shifts in the very near future, and the departure of another member of staff that had now graduated school and was moving away, there had been two vacancies at the Spotlight. With Santana back, Michelle had organised a series of interviews in front of an approved panel of four; herself, Santana, Elliott and Jeff. There had been a lot of applicants, but the only one of the new arrivals to express an interest had been Skylar. They had all agreed he was perfect for the job, and he agreed a starting date for the middle of July, taking over from Mike.

Colin and Edward had also been looking out for a job, but had decided that the diner wasn't for them. They had made a few applications, and Colin was delighted when he was offered a post at a Duane Reed just a few blocks away from home. He was going to be working as a clerk, but he was in a good starting position. As his pharmacy degree progressed, there was every possibility that he could move on to assisting at the pharmacy counter. As for Edward, he had contacted an agency or two on his arrival in the city and he was finally offered the same kind of work that he had undertaken in his gap year back in Ohio as he waited for Colin to graduate. He would be tutoring in science, mainly in the homes of his pupils, but on occasion in the study at home, with his roommates permission. He had enjoyed the job back in Ohio, the pay was good and the hours flexible. It was a win, win situation.

As for Rachel, she was asked to attend a meeting in a hall midtown one afternoon, quite out of the blue. She was shocked when she arrived to be greeted by none other than Ms Midler herself. The next two hours she treated as an audition, with Rachel singing several songs for her, both from her current show and her potential new one. She had danced with a young man whose name she promptly forgot afterwards, glad that she had approached Mike, and asked him to dance a few simple numbers with her a few days before. Then they had run dialogue, and even worked on some basic off the cuff choreography. At the end of the time, she was tired, and was glad that it was a Monday, so she did not have a show to perform that night.

"Well, Ms Berry, you are certainly a young lady with a great many talents," Bette had begun, after a few minutes talking quietly with the two men that had flanked her for the majority of the process. "After all, there are not many people that can lay claim to having starred in a lead role on Broadway more or less straight out of high school."

"I was just lucky; I was in the right place at the right time. I know that there are dozens of other people out there with the same abilities, and some that are better than me," Rachel replied. "Now though, I am looking for a challenge. Tempting thought it would be to stay where I am, a new role is the lifeblood that I am looking for, to stop me becoming stale and bored. In any case, few shows run forever."

"Well, as you say, there are a wealth of other talented people out there, and we do have to be fair and see some of them too. All I will say is this; you were by far the best so far, and I think you are in with a very good shot at the part." With those words, Rachel had to be content for the moment.

June ended and life moved on with it's normal breakneck pace. July stretched out invitingly for them all; for once there seemed to be no drama or crisis in the offing. The art show at Colombia was still attracting a record number of visitors, most of them having been drawn there to see Jeff's work. On the first weekend in July, the young man in question found himself in Michelle's office, as she asked him a favour. She had invited her parents down from Boston for the weekend, and they had finally agreed, albeit with some reluctance, after she had persuaded them that the staff were more than capable of keeping the place going for a few days. She wanted them to come and see her new home, the Spotlight, and more importantly, to finally meet Ollie. Although neither of them were quite ready to make announcements yet, they had decided that it was nearly time to make the close bond that they felt with each other official. Ollie had been very keen to meet her parents, and she had a sneaking suspicion that it might be because he was old-fashioned enough that he needed to ask her father for her hand in marriage. Her parents would appreciate that, if it were the case. They might always have hoped that she would marry a good Chinese boy from a nice family, but a doctor who loved her would be every bit as satisfactory to them.

The problem was that not more than ten minutes after she had spoken to them, she had received another call from Boston. Angela, the waitress that Wes had confided so much in at the diner in Harvard had also decided that she would come to New York at Michelle's urging, and had bought tickets to come the same weekend as her parents. She was keen to see Wes immortalised in pencil, and Michelle didn't have the heart to tell her it was inconvenient. Her own place was far too small to accommodate her parents and Angela, and she did not think it was fair to ask Ollie, who had never met any of them, to house them….

So it was that Jeff found himself waiting on the main concourse at Penn Station, under the destination board, for the arrival of the train from Boston. He had agreed at once to let Angela come and stay with himself, Nick and Mike in the West Village. Wes had come to wait with him; Angela would not be able to see him, but Wes would be able to point her out to Jeff amongst the crowds of people. For her part, Angela had remembered Jeff the moment Michelle had mentioned him, and had no problem in recalling his appearance, just as she could remember the face of all the regulars at her workplace, and what their usual order was. In the end, Jeff spotted her before Wes did, and after greeting her politely, he escorted her back to the West Village.

To say that she was impressed with the house when they arrived there was an understatement. Nick had prepared a light lunch for them all, and after she had been shown to her room, and freshened up, they all enjoyed it together in the kitchen. Caleb naturally made his presence known to the new human, and he and Angela were firm friends by the time that they had finished eating.

"Well boys, I have to say it. After everything that Wes told me that you had suffered in your senior year at school, and in the years that followed, you deserve this house and the happiness that you obviously have here. You have grown into a pair of fine young men, and Wes would be so pleased and proud of all that you have achieved. Now, Jeff, I hope that you don't mind if I ask if it would be possible for us to head up and see your drawing. The photo of it in the papers was wonderful, but to actually be face to face with it… I think that when I am in front of it, I will feel so close to poor Wes again. His death still breaks my heart even now; I often think that if only I had taken longer to make that bagel, or if I had found him a seat, then he wouldn't have been on the road…" Angela stopped, her eyes becoming moist.

"A very wise friend of ours would tell you that none of that would have made the slightest difference to the outcome… Wes was down to die that day, and even if we had tied him up here in New York, and made him miss the train back to Boston, he would still have died, just here. It's hard to think that way, but it is true when you think about it," said Nick kindly. "There is no point in life in dwelling on the 'if only.' It only hurts. I'm pretty certain that Wes is still around somehow, watching over all of us as he always did; only now he has a magnificent set of wings just like the ones that Jeff portrayed him with…"

Angela could only nod and smile at Nick's words, and the fact that Jeff was nodding in agreement. It was nice to see such faith in someone so young these days; it wasn't common anymore…

They made the trip north together on the subway, roaring up the 100 or so blocks to the exhibition hall. With a certain amount of justifiable pride, the two young men guided the older woman to the one piece of work she had come hundreds of miles just to see, although if something else caught her eye as they walked, she did pause to look at it. She had a keen appreciation for art, it turned out, and Jeff was left impressed by her technical knowledge. He wondered if at some point in her past, she had taken art classes… Then they were in the exact spot that she wanted to be in. By some miracle, they had arrived at a moment when the crowds had thinned out, and she was able to stand up close, with no distractions, and just stare. If a tear or two came to her eye and trickled down her cheek unchecked, then it was okay. At her side, unbeknownst to her, stood Wes; his face was sad as he saw the pain in the older woman's eyes.

"It's like young Michelle said; it is as if he has just walked back into the room. I miss him so much; he was such a good, kind young man. My only hope is that one day, Jeff, I will see him again, just as you drew him." At her side, Wes nodded, and determined that when her time came, he would be the one that went to collect her. He wouldn't let anyone in heaven stop him from doing that.

It was at that moment that he was suddenly stuck by an idea; he was not entirely certain that it would work, but he could try it at least. He walked over to Jeff and whispered in his ear "Could you do me a small favour and leave me alone with Angela for a moment. I can't tell you why, but I would really appreciate it if you could…"

As a Warbler, Jeff knew better than to disobey an instruction from his Head Warbler, and so he made an excuse to Angela, and grabbing Nick, he hastened across the room to stand in sight of their guest, but far enough away that they could not see anything that might happen. Nick allowed himself to be dragged away without question, although he was curious as to why.

Wes meanwhile had moved to stand at Angela's side, then extended his wings to their fullest extent, as if he was about to preen them. He searched through them, and found one feather that was slightly askew from the rest. With a grimace, he plucked it out. He examined it, and smiled with satisfaction when he saw that it was marked with the red and blue bands at the end, the rest of it a brilliant white. He stepped away, and moving his wings as gently as possible to minimise the draught, he raised himself up off the floor, grateful for the high ceilings of the exhibition space. He could feel the eyes of his two boys on him, and realised that they must by now have some idea of what he was intending to do. Below him now stood Angela, still staring intently at Jeff's drawing, and if she had felt the draught as he had taken off, she was not bothered by it. Carefully now he let the feather drop, watching as it fluttered gently down to land in front of the person that he intended it for…

At first he thought that it had gone unnoticed and that his plan had failed, but then he saw her eyes blink in puzzlement, and then glance down to the spot on the floor were the feather now lay. She picked it up and regarded it with curiosity, looking around to see if she could spot the bird that had shed it. And then she noticed the two bands of colour at the tip. Her eyes widened, and she looked back at the drawing, before staring once more at the feather. It was impossible, but yet…. "Wesley?" she whispered, clutching the feather tightly in her hand. Above her, Wes flapped his wings gently, just enough to stir her hair with a draught, which caused the older woman to gasp. Her eyes suddenly sprung fresh tears, and she quickly opened her purse, before she stuffed the feather deep down inside it, to make sure she could not lose it. "Thank you…I shall treasure this always…" she whispered.

Above her, Wes blinked back tears of his own, and signalled to Nick and Jeff that they could return. It was a great sadness that she could not see him, or hear him; he had tried several times, but it just would not happen. At least now she would know that he was around, although he suddenly realised that he had revealed something else in his gesture…

Of course, after that, Angela looked at Jeff just a little strangely. She had been dazed by the whole thing at first, and it was only once they had left the gallery that it suddenly hit her; if the feather she had in her purse had indeed come from the wings of the angelic young man she mourned so much, then the only way that Jeff could have known about those distinctive stripes he had shown in the drawing was if he had seen them. The idea that Wes had actually posed for that drawing was a little fantastical, but then again, there was something ethereal about Jeff, and if he could see him, then it was equally possible that his husband could too. After all, Wes had been so close to his boys, and maybe for them at least, he had never truly left.

By the time that they reached the Spotlight, and Angela was being warmly welcomed by Michelle, she had convinced herself that they could see him. She had suddenly recalled what Nick had quoted from a very wise friend of ours about Wes' death. She had thought at the time that it was the kind of thing Wes would have said himself, and now she was certain that he had said it to them. He had always been more of a protective big brother to his friends than anything else… The question was that if these two boys could see him, then how many others in that close circle of friends shared that privilege?

Then she remembered something else. How on his visit to Boston on the anniversary of Wes' death last year, Thad had asked her for an extra breakfast bagel, done just the way that Wes had liked it. He had claimed it was for the homeless man outside, but what if… No, that really was too fantastical; Thad being able to see and hear him was fine, but the idea that he would be able to eat food that Thad had passed to him was just a bit too much. She hoped that he could see him though; it would be some kind of consolation for the poor boy that had finally had the love he had always felt reciprocated, only to have it snatched away from him by the cruel hand of fate only a few hours later…

After Angela had been introduced to Michelle's parents, and to Elliott, Sam and to Beats again, all three of whom were on shift she took a seat. She sat there and listened as the two young men that she had arrived there with jumped up on the stage, and began to sing their hearts out, making the room smile both with their enthusiasm, and with the love that was so apparent between them. She had to admit that she liked it. Sure, they had a jukebox back in the diner she worked in at Harvard, but this was so much better. Still, she wasn't sure that she could work in a place where her colleagues might burst into song at any moment….

She applauded loudly when they finished their song, and then found a cup of coffee being placed in front of her, along with a slice of a delicious looking cake, by a young man that she instantly recognised as being another of Wes' boys. "Michelle asked me to bring this across; she hopes that you will like the cake, and that she has correctly recalled your preference in coffee."

"I'm sure that it will be absolutely perfect young man," she replied. "I know that you are one of the Warblers, but I'm afraid that I have forgotten your name."

"It's okay; we have only met once before, and in those blazers, we do all kind of blend in with each other. Flint Wilson at your service, ma'am. If there is anything else that I can get you, just say the word." With that, Flint headed back to his spot behind the counter at the coffee machine, leaving Angela to taste her coffee. It was just perfect. It was clear that the young man knew exactly how to work that sophisticated looking machine…

Whilst all of this had been taking place, Jeff had been distracted by a call on his cellphone. He recognised the number at once as his mother's and so he picked up; these days he was always happy to speak to Elspeth. "Hey mother, how are you? Is everything going well up there in Vermont?"

"Things up here are interesting to say the least, Jeff, and at least some of that is down to you," came his reply.

"Oh, in what way…?" said Jeff nervously.

"Well, firstly, things are going really well with the new land and the buildings on it; most of them are in a far better condition than we could have hoped for, given the years they have been neglected. They are all weathertight now, which is a great bonus. We've also managed to clear the worst of the weeds from the land, and in the process have discovered that the old orchard on one of the farms is going to give us a bumper crop of apples. Not of the nice, shiny variety that the supermarkets all seem to want, but we can get them juiced instead and sell that. They are going to give us a sweet, crisp juice which is the perfect combination."

"That sounds exactly like the kind of juice that I prefer…"

"So that is all good. However, now we have to move on to the reason that I called you on your aunts' behalf; Cameron."

Jeff blanched for a moment, then spoke. "Okay, so now I see why you said it was partly down to me. What has he done? Have his problems flared up and caused disruption?"

"Actually, no. He is far more level headed than the rest of us; he is a hard worker, a quick learner, and has made a number of very positive and interesting suggestions. It is what has happened in respect of Flora that is bothering your aunts. The moment that the two of them met, there was an obvious spark, and since then the two of them have grown closer and closer. I think that your cousin is totally smitten with Cameron, and he with her. Therefore your aunts have elected to ask me to ask you for more information about him. She is their only daughter after all, and they just want to make sure that he is a suitable young man for her."

Jeff stood in silence again for a moment, startled by the speed at which things had developed and reached their current juncture - but then again, he had fallen for Nick in a much shorter time. "So our Cam has fallen head over heels for the beauties of Flora. To be honest, I can't blame him. So, in my opinion, Cameron is a lovely guy; he is kind, gentle and loving. His parents are well respected in their community. Cameron himself came out in the top five in his year group at Dalton, so he is smart, and now that he isn't under quite so much pressure, he should be fine in respect of all aspects of his health. She could do a heck of a lot worse than be with him."

"That is what I told them. The way that the two of them look at each other is enough for me to know that it is true love. If it also means that we can keep him here every summer, and eventually on a permanent basis, then so much the better."

Having spent some time reassuring his mother that a Dalton boy like Cameron would only ever have the most honourable of intentions towards his cousin, and having reluctantly agreed to call the young man himself at some point to see if he would open up to him about his feelings for Flora, Jeff rang off and turned his attentions back to the room. Angela seemed to be enjoying herself, mainly because Sam was standing up on the stage and singing an old love song that must be pulling at the strings of her heart.

"So who was that on the phone, Jeff?" asked Nick, coming over to stand beside him.

"My mother," he replied. "It would appear that by fixing up Cameron with a job in Vermont, I might also have inadvertently set Flora up with the love of her life, and fortunately for all concerned, it would seem that he is every bit as smitten with her. Apart from that, he is enjoying every minute of his work and doing great things. He is proving to be a very useful addition to the team as they seek to restore all of the land that I inherited from Gordon back into productivity."

"Cam and Flora," said Nick with a smile. "I have to admit that I didn't see that one coming, but if there is anyone that deserves a little love and happiness, after all that they have been through, it is Cameron. It is just a pity that he is studying in Illinois and she is in Rhode Island. I suppose that they can do long distance and meet up in the holidays."

"I promised my mother that I would call him later to do some digging; fortunately I did tell him that I would call from time to time to check in with him, so it won't seem too out of the blue, at first… I just hope he doesn't mind me asking about his love life."

"I have a funny feeling that Cam might confide in you about it anyway when you make that call; he always did wear his heart on his sleeve," Nick replied. "If he is happy, and Flora is, then that is all that should matter to anyone that cares about the two of them. Still, I wonder what the rest of the guys will think when they all find out about it…"

"As you say, they should all be pleased for him. I would actually call Thad and let him know about it right now, but he and David are still incommunicado…"

"…on the road trip!" said Nick with a grin. The two young men left the subject at that for the moment, returning to join Angela at her table. They would be staying there for dinner; the only Warblers able to do so that evening without having to work. The others would all get the chance to catch up with her the following day. As they sat there though, both Nick and Jeff couldn't help but wonder how Thad and David were getting on on their cross country journey…


	50. The Road Trip Part I

**The Road Trip Part I**

Having spent the two weeks after graduation relaxing and just soaking up the California sunshine, the inevitable moment had finally arrived for David and Thad. For both of them, those fourteen days had seemed far too short, time flying by in an instant. They had spent long relaxing days at the beach, and had taken the chance to enjoy the surf - in David's case by paddling at the shore; in Thad's case, much to his friend's horror, on a board attached to a kite. On the spur of the moment they had headed up to San Francisco on the weekend, going to see the sights there before Thad moved back east and for him the trip became far too lengthy. Not that they had mentioned that fact all weekend, although the prospect of all of those miles between them was weighing down upon them more and more as time went on.

It hit Thad all the more on the days when he decided to use a spare hour to start to pack up the things that he wished to take with him to Dalton, to make his new little apartment seem more homely. Some items he could pack up quickly enough, but others had strong memories attached, and that slowed him down. He was also slowed down by the fact that he only packed when David was not around, sorting out things of his own, or was taking a quick siesta in the afternoon. Thad was relieved that Jake and Unique would be moving in when he left; their landlord terminating their lease had come at a fortuitous moment, and although it meant that the spare room would no longer exist, so to speak, it was better than David having to move out of a place that he saw as home. He would miss Thad though, and that feeling was mutual. Wes' selfless decision to ensure that his best friend had the support he needed had worked out well for all concerned in the end. It had ensured that both David and Thad had had a friend they could count on whilst in college. They had been able to support each other through the traumas that had come along to disturb their lives, and even though they would soon be far apart, they both knew that they would carry on doing so as they navigated the turbulent seas of life.

Now the day that they both dreaded had dawned. Thad had packed the last of his belongings into a box the night before; his laundry had been done during the night, and was also packed away. The RV that David had hired was parked in the driveway, and the man himself was now chatting to Jake, filling him in on the little bits of information that he needed to know about the house, and handing him two sets of keys; one newly cut, and the other the set that Thad had handed to him in silence that morning over breakfast. Thad took one final glance around the room that had been his for the last few years, then headed into David's, where the bed was neatly made, and everything was in the apple pie order that his mother had instilled into him before he had gone to Dalton. He quickly placed the envelope with the letter he had written to him on the bedside table, then placed the new framed photo that he had got for him on top of it. The photo had been taken by Mercedes, and was of the two of them in caps and gowns from graduation. She had been aware of what he had been planning, and had managed to convince David to allow the picture to be taken. On the frame he had had etched four words - _'Best Buds are Forever!'_ Then he left as swiftly as he had arrived, shutting the door behind him.

He paused for a moment in the hall, closed his eyes, and composed himself, his head full of memories, both good and bad, from this house. He still kept his eyes downcast for example whenever he approached David's bedroom door, unable to shake the memory of the day when he had run down the hall towards it, and inhuman noise coming from the man on the other side of it, on a morning almost two years ago… He shook the thought out of his head, and headed outside, happy to hear the sound of Mercedes voice as he stepped out of the front door; she had not been sure if she would be able to come and see them off when they had shared dinner together the night before. The moment that he appeared she came across to him, and pulled him into a hug which he quickly reciprocated.

"This place will not be the same without you," she whispered. "You see and take good care of yourself. You're a special guy, and don't ever forget it!"

"And you take good care of him for me," Thad whispered back. "I promise that I will send him back in one piece."

"You'd better," she replied with a laugh, "or I will set Santana on you!"

Then he went over and said his goodbyes to Jake, and at the last moment, to Unique, who had arrived with the movers. Then with David at the wheel, and everyone's good wishes in his ears, the two of them set off on their transcontinental journey.

They had both agreed that for the trip they would avoid the Interstate as much as possible; after all, they weren't in a hurry. Instead they had chosen to try and make the trip along the line of that most fabled and historic of roads - Route 66. It had been fun to gather together all the guides and the information that they had needed; to plan their overnight stops, and the slight deviations that they would take from the main road to see a few attractions along the way. Now they were actually on their way; they both switched off their cellphones, having agreed it was best to conserve their battery power for an emergency. For the same reason, they had ensured they had a good emergency gas supply, as there would be sections of their route where gas stations were few and far between. They had a good supply of food and water with them too, just in case they could not find a convenient diner to stop at.

As they took the road north out of the city, heading for San Bernadino, heading in the direction of the more desert-like, desolate parts of the state, Thad switched the radio on, and found a station that was playing a good mix of familiar tunes. He began to sing along with them almost unconsciously, making David shake his head at first, but then he joined in, ending up with the two of them singing at the top of their voices as they left L.A. behind them. They both knew that at the other end of their trip they would part company, but for now they were still together, and they would enjoy being so for every single moment of their journey.

They had left early enough, and made great progress along the road that had once been known as Main Street America. They drove carefully and steadily through the state that they had both called home for the last few years, but now David was the only one that could continue to claim that it was. They stopped for a late lunch at a roadside diner, then after a side trip to look around the ghost town of Calico, Thad took the wheel and they continued on their way at a steady pace to the place they had chosen to spend their first night. It was in the Mohave Valley, just across the Colorado River in Arizona. The lush greens of the irrigated land were a welcome sight after the greys and browns that they had been driving through for what seemed like hours; and the campsite that they were stopping at, adjacent to a lake with a fishery on it, was pleasant and quiet. Having found their space, they pulled up; Thad got out first, eager to stretch his legs, whilst David was happy just to sit for a moment and enjoy the view over the lake.

Thad left him there to head to the washrooms to freshen up a bit, and that allowed David to let his emotions overtake him for a moment and shed a few tears. He had, after all, just helped to drive his best friend out of the state. He did not want Thad to go, but he couldn't stop him from doing so, just because he felt that it was going to break his heart. He wiped away the rogue tears, then headed into the RV, and ran the water in the sink, so he could splash away at his face. He refused to allow Thad to see just how upset he was, or he knew that the other man would probably change his plans - and if he did that, David would never forgive himself. By the time that Thad returned, he was back to his old self, the moment of self pity forgotten, joking around as if this was just a day trip, and not as his heart was screaming, the end of the world. After an hour or so, they got back in the van and drove the short distance to an old fashioned roadhouse that was recommended in the guide books, and enjoyed a meal of ribs whilst they chatted away to the locals. This done, it was back to their camping spot, to fold out the beds, and settle down to sleep.

Nature woke them up early again the next morning, but this suited their plans. After a swift breakfast they headed back to the old road once more, and drove along it for a while, passing through the town of Kingman on the way. Shortly after they reached the spot where they turned off for the first of their detours. It was surprisingly close to the old road, and it would have been a travesty they both agreed just to have driven by. It was naturally going to be busy, but that was only to be expected with one of the greatest wonders of the natural world; a landmark for a nation, and indeed, renowned around the globe. They would be viewing it from the opposite side to Sebastian and Dave, but like them, they both had their breath taken away by the sheer scale of the Grand Canyon. The idea that such a vast feature could have been gouged through the landscape by the water that know flowed through the river at its base was astounding in some respects; in others, it was logical, and a reminder of how fleeting the lifespan of a human being was compared to the planet they inhabited.

They had taken numerous photographs, and had enjoyed a late lunch again, when Thad suddenly saw the sign advertising bungee jumps. He had done one before, but that had been in a far less stunning location than this…

David saw where his friend was looking, and his face paled at once. He was by now fully aware of the daredevil attitude that Thad had developed since Wes had died, and had heard of all the things he had done. It still startled and frightened him. The very notion of throwing yourself over the side of the Grand Canyon, entrusting your life to a thin piece of elastic rope was complete madness… "You want to do it, don't you?" he said quietly, and Thad nodded in response.

"The last one was exhilarating, and it is so beautiful here… I might never get another chance to do this, so yeah, I am going to go for it, if that's okay…"

"You're an adult. I can't stop you, but don't expect me to watch!"

"I won't," replied Thad. Then, with a mischievous tone, he continued, "Maybe one of these days I will convince you to join me. I mean, they do allow you to jump tied to someone else…" He laughed as he saw the way David's expression of horror had frozen on his face. He leant closer, then whispered in his ear "Trust me when I tell you it is almost as big a rush as it was that night that we flew above the streets of Manhattan, clinging to the hand of Kurt or Blaine…"

They stopped that night on the outskirts of Flagstaff, with Thad opening up their supplies to create a simple meal for the two of them. David had sat beside him in the passenger seat in silence, all the way from the canyon. He was still pondering what on earth had caused his sudden head rush. The one that had made him agree to being tied onto Thad and then quite literally thrown off a cliff. He could still hear his own screams ringing in his ears; the noise he had made as they plummeted towards the river so many feet below. He could still heat the gasp he had made as the rope went taut, and instead of falling they were being bounced back up in the direction they had just come…

It had all been over in such a short space of time, and much as he hated to admit it, he had actually enjoyed every single minute of it. He had been in too much shock to actually say anything when they got back to the top, and the man in charge had handed them back their property. He had heard the words 'caught it all on film for you' but they had not registered….

As Thad set the simple meal of chicken and noodles in front of him, he suddenly found that he could speak again. "Well, I can see why you would like doing that. I'm glad that you convinced me to give it a go, as it was quite an experience. But, never, ever again…"

"I understand," Thad replied. "It's not for everyone, the life of a daredevil…"

"Yeah. Anyway, so next time I think that we should try a spot of skydiving instead," said David nonchalantly. Thad burst out laughing, but then stopped abruptly when he glanced at his friend's face and realised that maybe, just maybe, he hadn't been joking about that…

From Flagstaff, their journey the next morning continued to take them eastward, across Arizona in the direction of New Mexico. The whole area was completely new to both of them, and a complete contrast both to the world that they had known at college in L.A., and that they had grown up with on the eastern side of the continent. It was a lot less green for a start, the features more rugged, and the temperature was high. The air conditioning in the RV was turned up to the max, and yet they both still felt warm and sweaty, even though they were only wearing light T-shirts and shorts.

"I can't imagine how people manage to endure this when they are working outside, day in, day out. Even the idea of coming through here in a car with no air con is making me feel queasy. When I think of all of those poor people fleeing from the Dustbowl back in the 1930s in those old trucks, often sitting out in the unshaded back or crammed together in small cabs, it must have been horrendous," said Thad as they roared along a desolate stretch of road, with not a building in sight.

"It would be even worse in the winter; if it is hot like this just now, the chances are that it will be freezing cold up on these high roads then, especially at night. It is not the most hospitable part of the world to say the least," replied David. "having said all of that, I am glad that we are taking this chance to see some of it, rather than just flying over the top of it as we so often do. The people that travelled this way, the people that built this road and others like it; they are the people that made the country what it is now."

"True, but let us not forget that it was the railroads that united the disparate territories first. Those great transcontinental railroads were the glue that bound the country we live in now together. What it must have been like in their heyday, when you could board a train in New York, and stay onboard in relative comfort until you reached L.A.; thundering through these remote corners behind the full horsepower of a mighty steam locomotive. I almost wish that I had been born earlier so that I could have experienced that. Those trains brought goods to these places; they brought jobs, services and most of all, they brought people. Small communities of railroad workers and their families. Of course, times changed, the world moved on, and those people were forced to leave as the jobs went, even though the trains often kept running," Thad continued.

"I guess that the interstate did the same kind of thing to this road when it was constructed; all of the little places, with their motels, garages and diners fell victim," added David, as they drove past the shuttered remnants of what had once been a gas station, abandoned now to the encroaching vegetation. He could see the interstate running almost in parallel to them, the trucks shining under the bright cloudless blue sky that stretched from horizon to horizon. "Yes, the new roads were faster, but not safer, and they also destroyed the livelihoods of so many people, all sacrificed to the altar of so called progress. Of course, not everywhere ended up like that; some were fortunate enough to be near the exits, and they survived, at least until the big chains came along and undermined the old establishments."

"Which is why when we planned this trip, I deliberately avoided the big chains. That is why we are staying in the small places in the little towns of the real America," said Thad proudly.

"Just as long as we remember not to mention that you're gay, and we let them think you have me employed as a driver in some spots though," remarked David, and with a sigh, Thad nodded in agreement. They might have brought modern roads and new hotels to the middle of the country, but that didn't mean that they had also brought the attitudes of tolerance that existed on the coasts to everywhere in between…

They stopped for lunch in the town of Holbrook. In contrast to most of the other places that they had passed through up until then, the town still seemed to be alive, with a sense of bustle and purpose that was missing in so many of the other communities now. Their lunch was good quality, old-fashioned fare, and the burgers that they consumed that lunchtime were better than even those at the Spotlight, not that they intended to repeat that fact to Michelle or Santana anytime soon. Then it was back onto the road, heading into the Petrified Forest National Park. The moment that they saw those signs, they knew which of their friends would have loved the place, just for its name - Blaine. It sounded as if it should be in the pages of a _Harry Potter_ book. They made a stop at the visitor centre, and took their time looking at all the displays, reading the story of just how it had been created. The wood itself was beautiful, and that encouraged them both to buy a tiny piece in the inevitable gift shop. David stated that he was buying it as a gift for Mercedes, but Thad was pretty sure that like his own, it would end up on his desk at home, just one of many reminders of their cross country adventure.

The visitor centre left behind, they continued on at a leisurely place, enjoying the splendour of the views towards the Painted Desert, which stretched out northwards from the road, until they eventually reached the spot that they would overnight in, close to the small town of Gallup. That night they watched a free dance show after dinner, which was being put on by the local Navajo, a reminder that the land they were passing through had once been the preserve of the indigenous tribes. Their ways had been lost as their own culture had come along and overwhelmed it. That thought was sobering for both of them, and left them feeling regret for what had been lost.

The next morning they quickly reached the border with New Mexico, which was marked with what they had discovered was typical signage, and a plethora of gift shops. They drove straight past, the small pieces of wood from the petrified forest being a more than adequate souvenir. They had a new day to enjoy, and after a brief stop to take a photograph under the sign for Local Road 666, they once again turned off the main route on a detour, heading south and then east once more, to pass by Inscription Rock, part of the El Morro National Monument. They stopped to take a look at the names carved into the rock in the shaded oasis in the desert, some now faded, but others still clear, despite the fact that the last names had been carved prior to 1906. Then it was on again, heading through the Indian reservation, passing along the southern edge of the Cibola Forest, the rocky peak of Mount Taylor looming above them in the distance. Just prior to reaching the small community of Grants, they arrived at the El Malpais National Monument, with its lava fields and sandstone bluffs. After taking a few moments to stretch their legs and stare at the desolate landscape, they decided to use their supplies once more, and Thad made lunch. It was still early, but they had a long drive ahead of them to reach Albuquerque, and then a way to go beyond that to their overnight stop. The day was warming up again, and they were both grateful for the shade that the small awning on the side of the RV afforded.

They drove on, making time to go and visit the Ice Cave nearby, happy to spend a few dollars to make the walk down into the ground, through an old lava tube, into the heart of a dormant volcano. After the 20 minute walk, they both felt themselves start to shiver as away from the heat of the day, they now were in temperatures that were more common in winter. The walls of the cave glistened blue-green with the ice that never melted here. It was one of the most beautiful things that either of them had ever seen. The only problem they had after visiting the strange natural phenomenon was that the heat of the surface seemed all the more pronounced.

They resisted the temptation to take a further detour to see the Acoma Pueblo, for two reasons. Time was now pressing, and the sun was strong; the idea of walking around all of the historic houses in what was dubbed the Sky City in the current heat did not seem appealing at all. The road appeared to shimmer as they carried on eastwards, leaving the mesa to the south. The traffic, which had been light, began to build up as they approached the outskirts of Albuquerque, a city were once again their guide books had offered them a choice - they could head north, off the final line of Route 66 to Santa Fe, on the old alignment, or carry on east. They chose to do the latter, as there was a good campsite close to Tinkertown, the model village, from where they could easily drive back into Albuquerque to pay a visit to the old town, and to find an evening meal. their route through the city took them along Central Avenue, much of which had now been painstakingly restored to how it would have appeared in the heyday of the road, with gleaming stores, garages, diners and motels. They stopped briefly to fill up, then headed out of town to check in at their overnight stop.

They returned to the city, after they had both freshened up, and did so by taxi, as both of them found the idea of driving back in tiring. It was by far the biggest settlement they had been in since leaving L.A., and as such it was a draw. The sun was now setting, and the temperature was more bearable, which made for a happy stroll through the historic buildings of the old town, all of which had been built in the traditional, Spanish influenced style of the region. They walked round the historic church, appreciating it's architecture. Then it was back to the old road, looking for somewhere to eat, but also stopping to take photos of the buildings along it, that had been constructed in a time when life might well have been better. They had selected one particular diner from the guide to visit, but on arriving there discovered that it was now closed. Still, the diner that they did eventually walk into was absolutely ideal, as it was decorated for a time frame when driving from coast to coast would have been done in a gleaming Cadillac; a time when the roads were not filled with massive trucks, that made the RV shake as they thundered by….

"This is the life," remarked David, as he pushed his empty plate away, and contemplated ordering a slice of pie for dessert. "Good food, good service and a good friend to share it with. I don't think it could get much better than this!"

"True… If Wes had still been around, do you think that we could have persuaded him to join us on this trip? In so many ways, this would have been right up his street. He would have loved exploring the old America that he always liked to talk about," said Thad sadly in reply.

"Now that would have been good, and bad… He'd have insisted on carrying his gavel about with him all the time in case we argued over something; he'd probably have insisted on doing all of the planning, and that would not have been great; and the RV would have been awkward for me, given that you two lovebirds would have been sharing a bed…" David grinned at the shocked expression on his friend's face at that last comment. "But no, it would have been such a laugh, the three of us making our way across country. What does surprise me is that he hasn't shown up to sit behind us in the RV and help us navigate…"

"I guess that he might still do that, but he has his work to do these days, and he is pretty dedicated to that. He feels so much responsibility for his tasks, but then again, he always did…" sighed Thad. "I would love it though if he could maybe get away and join us as we head into Texas tomorrow, albeit briefly… So Wessie, if you are listening…" David laughed, and resisted the temptation to point out that he was pretty sure Wes was always listening. The waitress arrived and they placed an order for pie. After demolishing two generous portions, they left to head back to their temporary home, and bed.


	51. The Road Trip Part II

**The Road Trip Part II**

It came as no surprise to either of them as they drove out of their overnight stop on the fifth day of their road trip, and headed once more eastward on Route 66, that they should feel a draught. Then an angel appeared behind them, composed himself, then took a seat between them.

"So, I have to say that I am slightly disappointed in the two of you for choosing the shorter route and avoiding Santa Fe, although I can appreciate your logic in doing so, given that you want to get to Ohio well before the new term starts at Dalton. I would also like to apologise in advance for the fact that I cannot take a turn at the wheel, but firstly, I haven't driven in a very long time - wings kind of negate the need to do so; and secondly, people might freak out a little if they see the two of you sitting in the passenger seats and no-one at the steering wheel…."

"That is very true. The concept of the driverless vehicle is coming to the fore back in California, but here in New Mexico, it is probably a step too far," said David, before he started to laugh.

"It is nice to have you with us, Wessie," remarked Thad with a grin. "You can however take charge of the navigation, as that should not cause us issues with anyone…"

"That's no problem. So, having looked over your itinerary, I see that your next planned stop is in the town of Clovis, near the border with Texas; best known as the town where Buddy Holly recorded the songs that made his name. It is a straight road, so I think that I will just relax in the back and enjoy the scenery for a while, if that is ok with you guys. It will save me passing comment on other people's driving - and before anyone reacts and gets snippy, I meant in other vehicles, not this one…"

Wes headed into the back and reclined on one of the couches, watching the scenery of New Mexico pass by, as it changed from the mountains of the Rockies to the start of the great flat plains. Up in front, both David and Thad did wonder if Wes had just told them a little white lie when he said he was not questioning their driving skills, but they let it pass. It was just nice to have him with them again.

Clovis turned out to be a pleasant little town, one which had decided not to capitalise on the one thing that had thrust it into the consciousness of the world. They found the recording studio, and took a few pictures for Facebook; as the street was deserted and there was no-one watching, Wes even took one of the pair of them from the open door of the RV. Then it was time to head on once more, across the flat plains which now seemed to stretch on without a break forever, and before they knew it, they were entering Texas, passing through the north of the state. They drove through small communities that were getting close to reaching the status of ghost town. The trade that had once sustained them had evaporated with the building of the I-40, which let the travellers speed by without stopping. It was nearing time for lunch, and thanks to the good time keeping that they had, they were nearing the perfect place to enjoy a meal…

They all smiled as they pulled into the parking lot of the Midpoint Café, with its signs marking that it was equidistant from both L.A. and Chicago on the Mother Road. True, it was not quite the midpoint of their own journey, but it was still a very significant marker. The place was busy, but the waitress managed to find them a table for two in a quiet corner, which suited them perfectly. As they were unobserved from the counter and the main bulk of the diner, it would be possible for Wes to sit down with them and eat without anyone noticing. Sure, the waitress did raise her eyebrows a little when they ordered three main courses, but she had worked there long enough; she knew about college boys on road trips and their appetites. The three drinks were a little strange, but she let it slide, thinking that they might have a friend in the RV that they had arrived in that would join them later. If she had returned a little while later to see the glass floating in mid air as the Coke disappeared up the straw into nowhere, she might have been a lot more concerned about either them, or her own mental well-being…

Having enjoyed a satisfying lunch, they headed back onto the road, passing by the cattle ranches that seemed to dominate in this part of the world. They drove quietly at first, with just a little small talk, but then, with absolutely no warning, Wes looked up at a destination mileage sign at the roadside, and burst into song. David and Thad couldn't help but laugh out loud as their angelic friend sang _Amarillo_ , but then in true Warbler style, they joined in with him, all three of them singing out the line _'Is this the way to Amarillo?'_ at the top of their voices. After the last lyric had been sung, they had all dissolved into laughter, which they managed to sustain until they arrived in the town itself.

They looked out at a town where they might see a cowboy on the sidewalk, dressed in traditional garb, albeit having driven into town rather than ridden in on his horse in this modern age. "I can just picture what this town must have looked like back in the day," mused Wes. "It was a place where the cattlemen came to pay their bills, get their supplies, and meet up with other folks for a drink. This is the place they brought their girl for a night out. It still is, to some extent, but the people and the place have altered as new technologies have come along. It is sad in so many ways, but that is how life is. We can't expect people in these places to live in some kind of museum so that us city folks can stare at them when we come and visit. After all, we would be the first to object if they suggested that we did."

Thad and David had both nodded at Wes' words, but had to try hard not to smirk just a little at the fact that he was just a little bit wrong in his assumptions. After leaving Amarillo behind, they continued on to the small community where they intended to spend the night. It was a very small one, but one which had thrived until it was bypassed by the new road in the early 1980s. The small town of MacLean, whose founder had gone down with the Titanic on her ill fated maiden voyage, had hit its own theoretical iceberg on the day that road opened, and almost overnight the place had effectively gone out of business. The population had dropped, but those that had remained had decided to cash in on the new found penchant for nostalgia that had become so popular at that time, and had done their best to preserve the buildings that had lined the main street in its heyday.

As they drove along it, Wes was quiet as he observed what seemed to be a time warp. Thad had done his research well, and he turned off the road to pull into the forecourt of a perfectly preserved gas station. Wes looked at it for a moment, then said, "If the gas here really is just 19 cents a gallon, then fill this baby right up; fill up your jerry cans too. I think however that the pumps ran dry a long time ago. I'm assuming that this whole town is acting as a museum; an effort to show how vibrant the place used to be. I have to admit that I like the concept, and being on Route 66, they must get more than their share of the passing trade."

"It must be strange actually living here though; to see all the old prices, the old stores but know that is all just an illusion; that in reality it is all long gone," pondered Thad. With that he started the RV up again, and drove on, soon finding the spot on the edge of town where they would be stopping for the night, just a short stroll from one of the diners that was still in business.

With the engine now stopped, Wes turned to his two friends with a smile. "Well, today was good; it was nice to just relax and watch a part of the world that I had never visited just rolling past the windows of the van. That, and I was in very best company that I could have had. However, I do have to leave you boys now - I have some work that I need to finish up for Elizabeth. It's funny; as an angel, the work does seem to be pretty constant, but even when you have been working hard all day long, you never seem to tire, or get bored with all the mundane tasks. I feel an urge to bring the others here one day, to see all these well preserved buildings. I think that we all need to spend some time visiting those parts of our own country that we haven't seen, to see how the people live there if nothing else. There is, I'm afraid, a grain of truth in Mr Trump's statements about how the elite has forgotten the rest. In Ohio, at Dalton, we saw some of the problems that the new world order has brought, but from a distance. I guess that in Lima, the New Directions saw the other side of life in this nation far more clearly that we ever did…"

Wes paused, then carried on. "We do all need to think about how the nation deals with the people between the two coasts, the folks in the middle, because it is the heart of the USA. At the same time, there are better ways of dealing with it than the ones that man considers to be right. The clock has moved on, and however much he blusters, the jobs that once existed will not return. People have also forgotten that the quest for higher wages only raised factory prices, which made them demand more wages; it just started a vicious cycle that could only be broken by getting someone else to make it cheaper elsewhere. If he forces the firms to bring that production back, all that will happen is that the price of those goods in the shops will go up, and as a result, the higher wages he promised will not be worth any more…" He looked up, to see both David and Thad staring at him blankly. Wes shook his head at himself, realising that he had overdone the politics, and opened his mouth to apologise…

"Don't worry about it Wes. We feel the same. Trust me, we are both inclined towards her, for want of a better choice," David said before he could speak.

"Personally, I wish it was Bernie," Thad whispered, "but don't either of you tell anyone I said that, especially Mercedes or Santana, because that is one risk I am averse to; disagreeing with the two of them." David and Wes glanced at each other, then burst out laughing at his statement. If truth be told, it was a risk they were both averse to too…

That night sleep eluded both David and Thad. They found themselves lying awake, thinking about the events of that day. They had enjoyed every minute of it, but the fact that Wes would not be there tomorrow made them sad, and the fact that they were halfway through their final trip together added to it. The hum of the traffic from the nearby road was almost soothing, but even with the air con on, the van felt a little too warm. Eventually Thad whispered, "I'm wondering if I should get up and make myself some hot milk. If I do, would you like some?"

"I'm good thanks," David replied, "I'm sure that I will manage to nod off soon, and I know for a fact that you only brought a little of your malt powder with you; I don't want you to run out…"

"I'd survive if I did. So, I will ask again; are you absolutely certain you wouldn't like some?"

Ten minutes later the two of them were sitting side by side on David's bunk, sipping the malted milk. "This stuff is actually quite nice, Thaddie. I will maybe need to start buying it myself when I get back to L.A. Just for the nights when I can't sleep."

Thad nodded, then spoke. "The good thing about those nights when you are sleepless in L.A. will be that if you can't nod off, and it gets to 3am, you will be able to call me up, as I will be up and about for 6am in Ohio. No matter what the time, though, I will always have time to talk to you. There's always time for your best friend…"

"Always time," David agreed. When both of them had finished their milk, Thad took the two cups away to wash, and by the time he returned, David was sound asleep. He smiled, and headed to his own bunk, where he nodded off in moments too.

The next morning the two of them fell into the same comfortable routine that they had for the last few days. They awoke to the sound of whatever radio station they had chosen the night before, which tended to be the clearest local one. As a result, they woke up most mornings to the strains of good old country and western music at the moment. Thad would then start to prepare breakfast whilst David went to wash; when he returned, Thad left and David finished off the breakfast. Both washed and dressed, they would sit down to eat their meal, the radio now tuned in to a news station, so that they could keep up on what was going on in the world at large. The word Brexit was still being bandied about in the international news, and when it had been accompanied with a fall in the value of the Pound, well, it had been a moment when some people had said 'I told you so!' The order of the world that they had known all of their lives seemed to be crumbling. In addition to the British vote, there was the disturbing rise of the far right in some other nations, which raised the spectre of the past that most people had hoped was far behind them.

The only compensation that came from the news was that the price of goods being imported from the UK had fallen sharply - as Nick would later tell them, Grace was delighted at just how much she had saved on her coveted winter coat by waiting a few weeks. With breakfast eaten, dishes washed, beds packed away, and their dues paid, they headed back onto the road and their eastbound journey, shortly to cross into yet another state. The RV seemed a little emptier as they drove along, and that was down to the absence of Wes. Neither of them mentioned that fact though as they drove along, and soon approached the signs telling them that they were about to leave Texas. They had good memories of the previous day, and in the end, that was all that really mattered.

At the exact moment that they crossed the state line, they both felt a draught in the back of the RV. Thad was concentrating on driving, so it fell to David to glance in the rear view mirror to see who it was that had joined them. He smiled as he saw that it was Kurt and Blaine who had arrived. "Hey guys," he said cheerfully. "Wes tell you how much fun he had yesterday, so you decided that today was going to be your turn?"

"Yes, and no," said Kurt smiling. "We are not able to stay for the whole day, as we've got to be at the children's centre soon, and we both have a collection of our own scheduled later on, but we just could not resist joining you at this precise moment."

"You wanted to see the ghost town of Texola?" said Thad, as he observed the signage for it at the side of the road.

"Interesting though that must be, it has much more to do with where you are, and to give you a clue, there is a link with Amarillo…" teased Blaine.

"Oh-oh!" said David. "Brace yourself Thaddie, I think we are about to be treated to a dose of Rodgers and Hammerstein…."

Thad laughed as, sure enough, Kurt and Blaine began to sing the final song of the musical with the same name as the state they had just entered - Oklahoma. It turned out that neither of the two mortals in the RV could resist the opportunity either, and as they drove through the ghostly remains of Texola, anyone who had been around would have heard the four of them belting the song out with gusto. The main song finished, Blaine treated them to a performance of _Oh, What a Beautiful Morning_ before he dueted with Kurt on _People Will Say We're in Love._ After that, the two angels had to take their leave to go and perform their duties, but the impromptu musical session had set both Thad and David up for the day, and if from time to time they could be heard humming snatches of the theme, then so be it.

Their journey took them through some of the places that had been worst affected by the Dustbowl in the 1930s. Things were much better now, but then again, the population was a lot sparser. The small towns that lay along their route each had their own old world charm. This was the countryside of the novel _The Grapes of Wrath_ , a favourite of Thad's. He had read it from cover to cover several times, and had made the Warblers sit and watch the film version on one of their movie nights. He knew it had been filmed here, and so they made the deviation into the town of Sayre, and David happily obliged him by taking a photo of him outside the county courthouse, much used in the film.

This done, it was back onto the road once more, moving fast along the road through the extensive plains, dotted with the occasional farm, and a few grain elevators, some of which had now rusted to a glorious shade of orange. It all looked so healthy now; it was hard to imagine that once this had been a desolate wasteland, ruined by a long drought and over intensive farming. Money had been invested since then, and it was unlikely that such a disaster could happen again now. There had of course also been oil under those ruined fields, and the income of that had bolstered the coffers of the lucky few that had been able to remain.

Eventually their journey brought them to the town of El Reno, and they were faced with the decision of choosing which of the town's three diners would get their custom, all of them coming highly recommended, in the town which had been nicknamed 'Hamburger City.' In the end they opted for the one that was least crowded, and where the wait staff looked older, and as a result, much more experienced. It turned out to be a wise choice, as they were both seriously impressed with their burgers with fried onions. They followed this with a slice of French Silk Pie each, which blew them away and left them truly satisfied.

With David back at the wheel, the two friends headed east once more, the traffic building up as they approached the outskirts of Oklahoma City. As the biggest city for many miles, they had planned in their timetable for congestion, but they found that luck was on their side; the roads were busy, but not to the extremes they were used to seeing in L.A. The fact that they had chosen to take the route that effectively bypassed the entire city did help. It would have been so easy to have stopped and paid a visit to the place, but time was a consideration, and they did not wish to end up snarled up in the congestion of the downtown streets. Of course, Oklahoma City had seen its fair share of tragedy; indeed, until a fateful day in September in Manhattan, it had been the location where the most lives had been claimed by terrorism in the USA, when an office building was bombed…

The city was soon left behind them, and they travelled on, chattering away until they both stopped as they caught sight of something that just made them stare; just off the side of the highway there was a giant soda pop bottle, which was illuminated by bright neon lights. Thad turned to David, and he nodded. This was definitely something that they needed to investigate, and as they were ahead of schedule thanks to the light traffic, they could stop and take a look at what appeared to be a massive piece of pop art on the outskirts of the small town of Arcadia. In actual fact, it turned out to be an advertising sign for a venue called _Pops_ , which had a busy parking lot, and a sign that advertised a café.

"So I wasn't feeling thirsty in the least until I saw that bottle; now I could happily drink a Coke or a Pepsi," remarked David.

"Me too," said Thad. "We could pop in and buy a bottle…" David ignored the slight pun, and parked up.

It turned out once they got inside that there was a little bit more choice than they had perhaps anticipated. The moment that they walked in, they were confronted by row after row of bottles, each filled with liquid in a complete rainbow of colours. David just stopped and stared for a moment, whilst Thad stepped to one side to read a sign on the wall just inside the door; he gasped, then headed back over to his friend to break the news. "Well, Davie, there are apparently over 700 varieties of pop in here. I know that sounds insane and impossible, but it is up there in black and white; 700 varieties of soda!"

"That is just absurd! I am assuming that there will have to be different brands of the same flavour included in that, plus low calorie versions included in that count…" said David, shaking his head. "Still, it is a pretty impressive number. I mean, Wes would have been in awe of that total…."

"….and if we brought our little band of bird brothers here on an outing back in the day," Thad continued, "it would have been absolute mayhem in seconds. I mean, even now, when Jeff finds out, he will want to come here, and will probably pester Nick into a trip to Oklahoma! We must take some photos and put them on Facebook…"

"Thad Harwood! I am shocked and appalled that you would connect those two things!" said David, trying hard not to laugh. "I mean, poor Nick… Still, at least they don't have the world's biggest cookie shop here too." Thad looked at David, and that look was all it took to send the two of them laughing hysterically, attracting the attention of the majority of the people in the room, and more than a few stares of disapproval. Seeing those looks calmed them both down, and they swiftly returned to being the decent, well behaved prep school boys, with the most impeccable manners for the remainder of their visit.

Back in the RV, with two large boxes full of sodas that they had purchased in preparation for the next Warbler party, they paused for a while to consume their own choice of drink; a green apple one for Thad, and a cherry one for David. It was the latter that spoke out first. "Okay, can we both agree that some of those flavours were just bizarre. I mean, who in their right mind would want a ranch dressing flavour soda? Or buffalo wing flavour? Or bacon for goodness sakes!" exclaimed the young man.

"Don't forget the chocolate and bacon flavour," said Thad, shuddering at the very idea. "I mean, chocolate soda would be weird enough, but mixing that with bacon…"

"We got three bottles of that one, didn't we?" observed David, and Thad giggled.

"Yeah, mainly because no-one would believe us if we told them about it, and didn't bring the actual physical evidence with us. Which is why we also bought the aforementioned buffalo wing, ranch dressing and bacon flavours, alongside the sweetcorn, the cucumber, the peanut butter & jelly, and the espresso flavours…"

They returned once more to the road, having secured the bottles, heading in the direction of Tulsa, where they would be spending the night. Ohio was coming ever closer; they were heading north now, back to the world that they had both been raised in. a few more days would see them back at Dalton, unloading Thad's possessions into his new home, where he would them spend the first of many nights alone, whilst David headed on to catch up with his mom. True, a few days later they would be together again, heading east once more to see those houses in the West Village of New York that Jeff had inherited. He had hinted when they had told him they would be coming that they should have a big Warbler only party at the beach house. If that was indeed the case, then the bottles of soda that were now stowed in the back of the van would come in very handy indeed…

They spent the night just outside of Tulsa. Having checked in, they drove back into the town, and found to their amusement that their trip to the centre took them exactly 24 minutes… they refrained from bursting into song this time, as they had outdone themselves with the boys that morning. As it was still early, they took the time to explore the city a little. The art deco buildings that had been constructed at the height of the oil boom attracted their attention the most, the fine lines of those being far more pleasing than the jarring style of their modern neighbours.

"There was something about the way that people built things in those days; the buildings had to be modern and functional, but they were also a reflection of the prosperity of the owner. That's why you have those landmark buildings in New York, like the Chrysler Building. It wasn't a new concept - the Woolworth Building was also constructed to make a statement. Now of course it is all about functionality, and yes, those soaring towers of steel and glass catch the eye, but in my opinion, not in quite the same way," mused Thad, as he admired the detailing of the stonework on one building.

"It was a different era back then. People did not think that the way of life would alter, or that the way of doing things would change. They did not foresee that what was once prosperous could go sour. They flaunted that wealth in the virtual palaces that their armies of staff worked in. Now firms want the most economical square footage in which to house the few staff they have left, and the computers. It is a shame though. What makes it worse is that so many beautiful buildings like these were destroyed in the name of progress back in the 1960s and 70s," David replied.

Thad nodded, having read all about the destruction of the downtown area of Oklahoma City at that time, and how the grand modernist vision that had been drawn up for its replacement had failed to work in the harsher times of the late 1970s. The bankruptcy of New York had been the story that had made all of the headlines at the time, but the same shortage of funds had been around everywhere. Even now, there were places where the scars of that era remained; gaps where nothing new had appeared to replace what had once been vibrant and beautiful. It was a cautionary tale, but sadly the lessons still had not been learnt…


	52. The Road Trip Part III

**The Road Trip Part III**

They managed to sleep a little later than they had intended to the next morning. It wasn't an issue as they had scheduled themselves plenty of time for the day's journey. They would pass through three states that day, thanks to a quirk of geography, and end up back in the hillier landscape of the Ozark Mountains. They left heading north and east, heading straight away into a landscape where the land was a little less flat, and the countryside was marked with a number of lakes. As they passed the signposts for the town of Foyil, they saw something else that made a mark on the landscape, and they left the main road to go and see close up the collection of concrete totem poles that one man had constructed in this quiet corner of Oklahoma. They were stark, although weathered now with the passage of time, but they had made a convenient place to stop for a while. They returned to the road, eventually arriving at the small town of Vinita, and almost immediately spotted Clanton's Café, another venue mentioned in several of the guidebooks. It was still early, but they both agreed they should stop for lunch. They ordered burgers, something that had almost become their staple diet. They had pondered the menu, and had almost ordered the calf fries, until Thad had remembered in a moment of clarity exactly what they were. They were not stick-in-the-muds by any means when it came to food, and had tried some exotic things in their time, but both of them drew the line at willingly eating a dish of calf's testicles…

Beyond Vinita, they headed along the road in search of a particular stretch of the original road that was detailed in all of the guides. When the federal government had embarked on the construction of the original Route 66 in the late 1920s, Oklahoma did not have the money to construct their sections to the standard that they would have wished to, particularly in the rural areas at the edge of the state. Thus they had constructed only a narrow, single lane road, which had become known as the 'Sidewalk Highway'. Here in the north east of Oklahoma, a few stretches were still in existence, surviving the frenzied decades of improvements, and crucially not ending up buried underneath the new interstate that had replaced the old road in so many places. They found what they had been looking for near the community of Afton, and then proceeded to drive along it carefully until they reached the town of Miami, with its historic theatre. As they drove, they were both thinking the same thing; they should have been driving along it in a classic car from the time, not in a modern RV. By luck, they had met no-one coming in the other direction. After a brief photo stop in Miami, mainly to take pictures to place on Facebook, where it would no doubt confuse some of their friends when they glanced at their location, they headed on towards the state line.

The road took them into Kansas, which made their thoughts turn immediately to Flint, the one person that they knew that hailed from the state. They both wondered how he was getting on now that he was living apart from Beats; to go from having someone as a more or less constant companion for several years to not having them around had to be strange. In many ways, what he was going through was a precursor for their own situation. It was true that Flint was now sharing a place with the expert amongst them in the loss of a close friend, Ethan.

He had told Thad in a private chat one evening that he was missing Drew so much; it felt as if a part of him was missing. He was worried about the way that all contact between them had stopped, as it was so out of character for him. Thad was concerned about that too, not that he would publicly admit that to anyone, even David. After all, Drew was not a child, and he was capable of making his own decisions and choices in life. The thing was, Thad was not entirely convinced that the choices he was making at the moment were of his own free will. He had met Lucy just the once, at Sebastian's second wedding at Christmas, and she had sensed that she was not at all pleased to be amongst so many of Drew's friends. She had tried to drag him away when the venue had changed, and he had seen the look on her face when the former Warbler had refused to leave. She had thought that she was unobserved at the time, and so the mask had slipped.

The next day, Thad had seen the two of them in the lobby of the hotel they were all staying in. He had stepped out of the elevator, but they did not see him. So he had been unobserved as he watched as Drew winced as he set any weight upon his left foot. He had seen the beginnings of a black eye too. For a moment he had considered dashing in, asking what the hell was going on, intervening in the situation, but then a little voice in his head had stopped him. He had no proof that the injuries Drew was exhibiting were down to Lucy after all. His accusations, even if true, would be rebuffed in all probability, and the crack in the relationship between Drew and his bird brothers would have become a chasm. He couldn't risk saying anything, nor could he share his suspicions with anyone other than Wes. He had known of course, and they had spent a long time discussing the issue. He was glad to now that Wes had backed his choice, but still…

He realised suddenly that he had zoned out completely, so deep in thought; thankfully, David had been the one driving. He looked at his friend, concentrating on the road ahead, then down at the speedometer, showing they were doing a steady 60mph. He looked up, and saw a sign welcoming them to Missouri. "Sorry Davie, I zoned out for a bit there," said Thad. "And now, I don't think that we are in Kansas anymore…"

His words got him a playful swat on the arm from David, who just groaned, and then, like Thad, he started to chuckle at the absurdity of him quoting a line from _The Wizard of Oz…_ They both sobered up though when they saw the signs pointing the way to the town of Joplin, a place which had been the scene of so much destruction only a few years before, when in the space of 10 or so minutes, 150 people had lost their lives as a series of tornadoes had ripped through the town. It was a far cry from Dorothy being spun off to the land of Oz. They had still been at Dalton at the time, and the fact that it had been the high school that had taken the brunt of the damage and been totally destroyed had just brought home to all of them how vulnerable humanity was to mother nature when she went on the rampage….

They drove on, the plains now giving way to higher ground, and the road they were travelling on was no longer straight and flat. They were heading to the outskirts of the city of Springfield, but had to pass through it first. There was companionable silence in the RV, both of them just happy to be in each other's company as the road took them onwards. They both knew that after tonight, they just had one more night together in the van, just outside St Louis, where they would leave Route 66 as it continued on north to Chicago, to head east through Indiana on the fast road, in the direction of Ohio and Dalton. Once there, they would part for a few days. The end of the road was approaching for them. Both knew that it the other had said "Let's not head east; let's go and see Mount Rushmore, or the other Great Lakes, or even Canada," they would agree on the spot - but neither made the suggestion for fear that the other would reject it out of hand.

So it was that they drove into Springfield, only stopping when they reached the Steak and Shake, another venue that was noted in their guides. Sure enough, as it was still daylight, they did not have to step inside to order. A waitress came out to the RV and handed them menus to look at. They did head inside to place an order, but then they headed back to the van, where the same waitress came to them with their food. As they ate at the little table in the RV, they both smiled happily at this little touch of nostalgia from the golden days of the roadside diner. They returned the dishes and cutlery, then headed off again, out of town, to stop for the night at the tiny site they had chosen; a spot that was quiet and peaceful. Their nightly routines over, they headed to bed, and soon were asleep, tired after another day on the road back to their spiritual home at Dalton.

The next morning Thad woke up before the alarm went off. David was still sleeping soundly, so he got out of bed quietly, and headed out of the van to just stand and admire the scenery. The air was crisp and clear, and the birdsong was joyful as they welcomed another new day. He tried not to think about how he would be able to hear such things all the time once he was settled in at Dalton, because it made him feel a little sad. He heard the alarm going off, so he headed back into the van to start the usual morning routine; a set of moves that he and David were now so well versed in that it took no time for them to be ready for the new adventure the day might bring.

They began their journey that day with a diversion off the main road again, this time to the little town of Mansfield, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home. They had read _Little House_ in English class at Dalton, and to Thad the novel had summed up the life of the average American farmer as the nation had begun to expand and grow. The family had ended up here, in the apple business, and it was only when she was in her sixties that the author had committed pen to paper to record the story of her family for posterity.

From there, they headed cross country to return to the old road on one of the most scenic stretches of their trip, to pass through the heart of the Ozark Mountains on a stretch of the road known as the Devil's Elbow. They drove slowly on the old winding road, admiring the views that the route afforded to them, with new vistas coming at every bend in the highway. At times they could see the I-40 road, which had forced its way through the landscape, whilst the route they were on had worked with nature to pass along; they were both glad they had chosen to come the slower way. As they neared the end of that stretch of road, they both saw simultaneously a huge and unlikely structure at the side of the road - a 40ft high rocking chair. They had to stop and take photos of themselves with the World's Largest Rocker, before continuing on to the little community of Cuba for lunch, once more posting their location on Facebook to cause confusion. They ate more healthily for a change, swapping their usual burgers for the special of Chicken Pot Pie; for dessert they eschewed the tempting range of pies and cakes and selected some early, sweet Concord grapes. That way David would not be lying totally to Mercedes when he said that he had eaten healthily at lunch…

The afternoon brought them to the Meramec Caverns. These vast caves had been constructed, in part, during the extraction of saltpetre for the manufacture of gunpowder. It was a trade that was now long gone, and the caverns had taken on new uses over the years for the farmers in the neighbourhood; even church services had been held within them at times. They had times to spend exploring the vast and strangely beautiful spaces left in the hillside. Then Thad spotted the sign that pointed the way to the Zip Ride. David saw it a split second later, and for a moment he blanched at the idea - but then he recalled the bungee jump at the Grand Canyon. He had survived that, it had been fun, and this surely had to be a lot safer to do…

Ten minutes later he was hurtling through space down the wire, holding onto the handle above his head for all he was worth, and whooping with delight at the thrill of the air rushing in his face as he rushed along. Thad was not far behind him, relishing every minute. It was hard for him to imagine now that once upon a time he had had a morbid fear of such things, preferring to keep to the dull and boring. He had played it safe, but now that he had a certain knowledge that there was life after death, nothing seemed so scary. He had become a total adrenaline junkie, seeking out new thrills. When he got to the bottom he was surprised though to find David was waiting for him, asking him if he wanted to do it again. His daredevil attitude seemed to be rubbing off on his best friend… With a degree of sadness he had to point out the time, and reluctantly the two of them left, leaving the next new sensation to another day.

They were now driving down their final stretch of Route 66, approaching St Louis. Tomorrow would be all about hurtling along the interstate, to get to Dalton as soon as they could. There would be no time to admire the landscape, or to deviate off track to see any sort of attraction. So now they made the most of their final chance to enjoy a quiet stretch of road, and to watch the landscape unfold as they reached the end of the state of Missouri, and to suddenly see the might of the Mississippi in front of them. The course that Route 66 took once they reached the city of St Louis itself was torturous, but they still managed to locate Ted Drewes Frozen Custard stand, another venue that was mentioned in their guide books. Although they had not yet eaten their dinner, they still stopped to buy some, and sat happily side by side in the RV, enjoying the delicious cold dessert. Then it was on through the city to find the place on the outskirts where they would spend their final night in the van; a quiet spot right by the banks of the mighty river, with a diner right at the entrance so that they could walk to dinner. As they ate that night, their usual conversation was muted. Both of them were beginning to feel a great sadness welling up. The moment when their lives would diverge was fast approaching, and it was starting to hurt.

They both headed to bed at the usual time, but Thad found that sleep eluded him that night. He lay in silence, wide awake, listening to the sounds of the night - the noises of the nocturnal creatures disturbing the trees and bushes that surrounded them; the gentle roar of the river in the distance; and the rhythmic breathing of his companion in the RV. His best friend. A constant face in his life for nearly eight years, since that day that they had been introduced by Wes to each other as they had both waited to audition for the Warblers, the tryouts that year being held under the scrutiny of Connor and Louis. They had been through so much together over those years, although for most of that time, they had been a trio. Wes had been the glue that held them together, and had kept them close. He had been the one that had pushed Thad into attending UCLA, rather than heading to his first choice school of Harvard. He had resented Wes for that at first, feeling that it was a sleight, but he had come round in a few months. He did wonder sometimes what might have been had David been accepted at MIT instead of UCLA, and the three of them had been together in Boston. Would he and Wes have ended up as a couple? Would he have had more intimate moments with the man he knew was his soulmate - more than two kisses?

However, would he have been able to endure the pain of his loss after that, for Wes would still have left them… Could he have supported David quite as much as he had to if they had not been so bonded by living together? And if they had been in Boston, then David would not be with Mercedes… It was all an unknown quantity. All he knew for certain as he lay there, deprived of refreshing sleep, was that his heart ached, and he was certain that as he saw the RV disappear down the driveway at Dalton tomorrow, his eyes would be moist. He was also pretty sure that he would spend at least part of the first night in his new home sobbing his heart out, as he came to terms with being alone…

He sighed, and pondered getting up to make himself some warm milk, which had worked so well before. He knew that he could get up quietly without disturbing David, and he really did need to get some rest. Then his contemplation was interrupted by a new sound. It was a noise that he had not expected, and it made his heart ache all the more. He sat up quietly, got to his feet and headed across to the other bed. He knelt by it, and observed as David lay with his back to him. "Davie, are you okay?" he whispered, gently placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. A loud sniff was his answer, before David rolled over to reveal the tracks of tears down his face, and shook his head. "Me neither," said Thad, trying his hardest not to let his own tears fall as they wished. "The thing is, we just have to try and be. This is what life does to us all. It makes us move on to pastures new; it separates us from the familiar. But this isn't the end of us. We'll talk all the time on the phone or on Skype. You'll still be my right hand men in all of those issues related to that gang of reprobates that we signed up to all those years ago. You will always be my best friend, the person that I trust more than any other in the world. Some things are forever, and our friendship is one of those…"

"I know," sniffed David, "but it just won't be the same as having you in the next room."

"We can't stay together forever. Mercedes would find it very strange for a start, and when the gossip magazines found out her long term boyfriend insisted that his gay best friend had to live with them…" Thad paused as David chuckled, in spite of the pain he was feeling. "The thing is that as long as Mercedes has access to that private jet, you can come to Ohio anytime that you want. And come summer vacation, you will never see the back of me…."

"I will hold you to that one, Thaddie…"

"So, what say I go and make us both a mug of warm milk? It might help us to sleep." David nodded, and watched as Thad got up to carry out his task. He was right. He would not lose him just because he was going to be hundreds of miles away, not if he did his utmost to ensure that their friendship stayed intact over the distance between them.

Five minutes later the two of them were sitting side by side on the edge of David's bunk, sipping their milk, and discussing what they were going to do when they went to New York in a couple of weeks. "I think that Jeff has a big, Warblers only party scheduled for the beach house that weekend," remarked David.

"Yes, I think he has," replied Thad thoughtfully. "I am anticipating the usual train wreck, given the guest list. Factor in a beach, a pool and a hot tub and it is going to be unforgettable, that much is for sure. I just hope that he has been good enough to remember to invite Gabriel, Connor and Louis, because if nothing else, they will be a bit of back up in the maintenance of order and the avoidance of anarchy."

David chuckled, and Thad stared at him. "You obviously have never heard Wes tell the story about what happened at a similar Warbler event in his freshman year, when the car belonging to the then head of the modern languages' department at Dalton ended up upside down in the lake…" He stopped and laughed a little more at the look on Thad's face. "Of course, I don't know how it did for certain, but Wes said that it was allegedly masterminded by Gabriel and Connor when they were drunk. One of them might be named after an archangel, but he doesn't behave like one all the time. It does promise to be fun, so I suggest that instead of being the babysitters, you and I should just let loose for a change. Tell Skylar that he is the official Head Warbler for the weekend of the party, as the most recent one. We could even tell Seth he has to help him…"

"You and I both know that isn't going to happen," replied Thad with a wry smile. "I just start to feel maudlin these days when I drink, so I will be staying more or less sober, and if we are being honest, you will be too. We're getting older, and with age comes a sense of responsibility and a degree of maturity. Let's face it; Wes also stayed sober at all of the big parties. He was too busy keeping an eye on all of us to have time to drink himself…"

"Maybe he stayed sober for another reason. He had a façade to maintain after all. He stayed sober so that he never lost control of it, and gave you several minutes in heaven in a closet in Dalton somewhere, not that you would have complained about that. He was just worried that if he allowed that to happen, it would get back to his family, and they would have used it against him. In the end, I think that he should just have gone for it and darn the consequences. Instead, he died having been kissed properly three times in his life by someone that really cared and loved him, and that to my mind is a tragedy."

Thad nodded, and then suddenly stopped. "Wait a minute.. Three times? I only kissed him twice the night before he died, so when was the third - and who was it with for that matter?" Thad enquired.

"Thaddie, I told you a long time ago that on the day that Wes came out to me, I kissed him properly. I knew that I wasn't gay, but for me it was just an expression of all of the love and affection I had for the boy that had been like a brother to me for so long after I lost my own. It is just one of the many things that we have in common; we have both kissed Wes."

Thad nodded, remembering now that conversation he had had with David, so long ago it now seemed. "Wes was my only kiss, and that will never change now. It would seem wrong, like a betrayal, to let a complete stranger kiss me, and I doubt that anyone I know will ever give me a proper kiss. So in that respect, Wes has managed to do one better than me…" He sighed, then placed his now empty mug on the bedside shelf. David passed him his mug, and he turned and placed it next to his own, before turning back to speak again. Before he could utter a word, he felt lips on his own, and his mouth fell open in shock, allowing the kiss to deepen. As it did so, he let out a contented sigh…

When David pulled away from a still shell shocked Thad, he was smiling, but shaking his head. "Well, that makes you and Wes even in the kissing stakes, and seeing as it was me that kissed you, he can't really complain about it. Now, please tell me that you aren't mad at me, because this would be a really awful time and place for the two of us to fall out."

"I'm not mad. Startled and shocked, but not mad. Thankfully, there were none of the fireworks that I had with Wes, or we would be in big trouble! Plus, you will have to tell Mercedes what just happened, because I will never be able to look her in the eye again otherwise, and I might feel the need to blurt it all out at your wedding…"

"I guess that we can tell her, but back me up if I say that we were drunk when it happened. I am relieved that there were no fireworks, but a little disappointed too, if I'm honest…"

Thad chuckled at David's face as he said those words, and replied, "Oh, it was nice enough, and if anyone ever asks me I will be able to say, hand on heart, that you are a good kisser, but it wasn't the same as it was with Wes. You didn't rock my world, David Thompson."

David laughed now, and then, a hand on his own heart, he replied "I'm gutted! Still, I can live with being nice, and to be honest, it was exactly the same for me too. Pleasant, but nothing like Mercedes; more stubble for one thing. But I am not sorry that I did it, and so glad that I didn't destroy our friendship in the process of my gamble. You're like a brother to me too, Thaddie, and I can say truthfully that having you around for my college years made them bearable, and for the most part, fun. No matter how many friends I go on to make in my life, none of them will ever be able to replace you in my heart…"

"Right back at you, Davie," said Thad, his eyes getting moist. He got up, before he started to cry, and picked up the mugs. "Well, we do need to try and get some sleep. We have a long day ahead, and we will need our wits about us for driving on the interstate."

David nodded, and climbed back into his bed, watching as Thad washed out the mugs and turned them upside down to dry, before heading back to his own bunk.

Thad turned off the light, then whispered "Goodnight, Davie."

"Goodnight Thaddie," came his instant reply. Whether it was the warm milk, or the fact that their conversation had removed some of the pain from their hearts, a minute after the light was turned out, both of them were fast asleep.

The next day saw them involved in a very different kind of driving. On Route 66 they had gone slowly, savouring everything that they could see in the landscape around them. Now it was all about speed. After a brief stop to see the Gateway Arch, they headed for the I-70, and were soon cruising along at the maximum speed of 70mph. They drove to that speed for as long as they could, to ensure that they would reach Dalton at a reasonable time. David drove first, Thad eating a sandwich for lunch before they stopped at a rest stop halfway along. Then Thad took over and drove the last section of road into Ohio, where the place names began to be increasingly familiar. They had left St Louis just after 9am, and arrived at Dalton just before 4pm. As Thad pulled up at the side of the dormitory building that contained his new home, and turned off the engine, the road trip came to an official end.

As Thad had anticipated, there was a small reception committee of a sort waiting for them. He had told the Carmichaels what time he expected to arrive, and sure enough, they were waiting to greet them. Both men jumped out of the van to shake hands with their old Principal, whilst Mrs Carmichael refused anything but a hug. They had come to give Thad the keys to his new home, which was set on the first floor of one of the dormitory wings, set to the very end of the corridor, with the floor above stepped back so that he would not hear too much noise from the rooms above.

"Your predecessor, Mr Henderson, used to say that one of the few compensations for the unrelenting work he had to do as a housemaster was this little apartment. The new furnishings that were ordered have arrived, and have been fully assembled and put in place, more or less, but you must feel free to change things if that is what you wish. After all, this is your home now; it is so much more than just a bit of the school, and you must never lose sight of that. Principal Lefevre sends her apologies for not being here, but an aunt of hers in France had been taken gravely ill, and she was urged to pay a visit before it was too late. Young Dylan also sends his regards; he is back home in Vermont at the moment, helping his mothers with their scheme, which does seem a very worthwhile one. From what he tells me, young Cameron has also made quite the impression. I was asked quite a few questions by Dylan over the phone, and reading between the lines, I would say that there is a very good chance that Cameron will be related to Jeff by marriage one of these days," said Aaron Carmichael.

"I take it that you mean with Flora?" said David.

"Yes, and she is a charming girl from what I can recall from the one time we met her at a certain wedding at the New Yorker hotel. Cameron seems to have found his perfect niche up there; he is enjoying both the challenges of the work and the time that he is spending with the people. I don't know who it was that suggested that he head to Vermont, but they have done him a big favour after all he has been through," continued Aaron.

"Now we will leave you to unpack, Thad," said Mrs Carmichael. "I know that David will assist you before he has to head on to his mother's, as he will be anxious to see her. I'm sure you will just want to get yourself more or less settled without us getting in the way. I did take the liberty of placing a few items of food, just the essentials really, in the kitchen for you. However, if you would like, we would be delighted to see you for supper this evening. We will be eating at 7pm, but if you would rather have your own company tonight, then it's no problem. There is no need to let us know one way or the other; just be happy." As she uttered those last words, she patted him on the arm. True to her word, she took her husband by the arm and lead him away without waiting for an answer, allowing the two ex-pupils to unload the RV.

It did not take them long in the end, the two of them working together to carry up the boxes and cases that had partially filled the van for the duration of their trip. David had seen the apartment before, but it had been redecorated in a more contemporary style, and the new furniture was of very good quality, made in the style of older, classic pieces. He couldn't help but notice that there was a framed photograph of the Warblers from Wes' senior year hanging above the fireplace, and he also observed Thad reverentially place the photo of himself and Wes together in Central Park beside his bed, just as it had been in L.A.

The last boxes brought in and stacked in the right rooms, including a huge stack by the empty built in bookcase in the lounge, it was time for David to take his leave. He walked up to Thad and wrapped his arms around him, feeling his friends arms wrap around him every bit as tightly. "Now if you need me, just call, day or night. That stands for all time, okay. I will try not to be too busy to pick up right away, but if I am, then I will always call you back. It's what best friends do…"

"Likewise Davie," said Thad, in a voice that seemed to echo with his tears. "So, I think we should say our goodbyes here, rather than by the RV. It is best for the both of us that we are not observed clinging to each other in public. I mean, I do have a reputation to maintain…"

David chuckled, but made no attempt to swipe away the tears that had formed in his own eyes. He let Thad go, and stepped back. He gave him a fake salute and a smile, which made Thad smile back. "Okay, I will see you soon…"

"Call me to let me know you got home safe, okay?"

"Yes, mom!"

"Cheek! Go on, get going!" said Thad with a grin.

With that David left. Thad ignored the immediate urge he felt to follow him anyway, but he did head over to the window so he could at least wave to him. David saw him, and smiled, before climbing into the RV and starting it up. With a quick blast on the horn, he was gone….

Thad was alone - only he knew that he wasn't really. Wes was around, somewhere, watching over him as he always did. He opened a box, and found the little clock he had taken from Wes' place in Harvard; he wound it up and set it on the mantelpiece. Its ticking was a reassuring, familiar noise in this, his brave new world. He made up his mind that he would go and unpack his clothes and get them all hung up - Kurt would approve of that choice - and then he would take up the Carmichaels offer of supper. This was his life now. He was Mr Harwood, housemaster and teacher at Dalton Academy, but above all else, he was Head Warbler. He had a lot of traditions to maintain, and standards to uphold, but he was determined that he would do so.


	53. An Adventure in Politics Part I

**An Adventure in Politics Part I**

Whilst Thad and David had been driving the last few miles across country, a phone call was being made that the caller had wished to avoid at all costs; they had now, with great reluctance, been forced into making it in any case. Mrs Duval called her son with a heavy heart, but she had been forced to agree with Sue; her ex-husband had made the move that they had all feared the most, and had launched a shameless personal attack on Sue. He had not dwelt too much on her professional record, but had instead chosen to concentrate the full weight of his attack on her family values. As he had put it, how could she have any when she was unmarried, had no children, and was estranged from her mother? How could she sit there and claim that she knew what was best for the gold, old, nuclear American family? He had admitted that it was not all her own fault - after all, what could be expected when she had been deserted by her mother, who was more interested in the pursuit of her career than in caring for her two daughters? Sue was a hard and bitter woman as a result, not a warm, fluffy, family minded person; yet she felt she had the right to lecture people on family values! It was the liberal minded people like her, the single people with no family, that had destroyed the country; how could any voter trust her to help make America great again?

Of course, he had conveniently forgotten to mention the fact that she had cared for her sister for all those years; that she had been caring and supportive of her students; well, Kurt at least. He also failed to mention what her mother's job had been, and how successful she was at it. The effect had been what he had hoped; her polling numbers had taken a hit, and in two days, one of the biggest pre-election debates so far had been organised in Westerville. What made it worse was that it was to be televised. Sue had to do something big to hit back at him if she was to regain her momentum. Initially, they had considered releasing the news that his son was one of the two stars of that televised New Years kiss that was still being talked about, but Nick's grandmother had pointed out that doing that would just serve to reinforce some of the odious man's values. She had pointed out to her daughter that they had to show him to be a hypocrite, and there was only one way that they could do so…

After he had finished talking to his mom, Nick had just sat quietly for a few minutes, in the vacation time quiet of the Law Library. He had known almost immediately he had seen who was calling on his phone what she was going to say, and he had almost ignored it. But then he had realised that he would only be putting off the inevitable if he did so, or that worse, Sue would call him up personally. He had read all about what his father had said in his speech online after all. He had prepared for this moment already, having sat down with Jeff one evening to discuss it; his husband had agreed that if Nick had to do the worst, then he would support him and accept the results. Nick had been insistent on one thing; when and if the time came, he would return to Ohio alone. He was not going to drag his husband in front of the media circus at what was, if you thought about it, his father's bidding. He had known that his attitude would lead to a dispute, and he and Jeff had argued about it for a short while. In the end, he had agreed that he did not want the media intruding into all the secrets of his past, and that they should invade his private life as little as possible. He had agreed that Nick could go, but only if he went with Grace at his side.

It was a clever move on Jeff's part, as in normal circumstances, Grace would have refused point blank to go. However, there had been a number of things that her father had said about women in general in his speech that had raised his daughter's hackles, and by the time his mom called him, Nick had already spoken to his sister, and she had no issue going with him. She was not looking forward to coming face to face with her father again; unlike Nick, she had not had the misfortune of coming face to face with him since her brother's wedding almost two years ago. Any love that she had once had for him had long ago evaporated. The idea of him being in Congress made her sick to the pit of her stomach. If she could do something that would help to stop him in his tracks, then she would. There were after all a few things that she could say herself; things that Nick didn't know about. She would only go there though if her mom agreed to it, and if Nick had been forewarned too. It was about time after all that he found out the real reason why the family had been forced to move from Illinois to Ohio…

Jeff knew that something was up the moment that he stepped into the house after his shift at the diner that night. The house smelt of freshly baked cookies, and there was another sweet smell partially overlaying it. He headed straight down into the kitchen, where he found Nick tidying up after his baking session, boxing up the now cool cookies. There was a treacle tart on the table, with a knife and plates.

"Hey, Nicky! You've been busy!" said Jeff, heading over to kiss his husband.

"Yes, I just felt the urge to bake come over me the moment that I got home. I thought that I would make a treacle tart, as I know how much you love it, and I just wanted to spoil my beautiful husband."

Jeff smiled, and kissed him, then stood back. "Okay, Nicky, what has happened? I know you; this is stress baking. What has your dad done now?"

"Nothing to me as of yet," said Nick, with a sigh. "My mom called. There is a big rally in Westerville the day after tomorrow. They all think that it is time, after he called Sue out on her family values, for me to tell the world what he did to me when I came out. Show everyone what his real family values are like. I am so sorry that it has come to this…"

"Why on earth are you sorry, Nicky! He is the one that should be sorry…" Jeff stopped as he saw the tears welling in his husband's eyes. He pulled him into his arms and held him close to his chest as Nick broke down and sobbed. It was at that moment, as his heart ached, that Jeff knew he would break his promise. There was no way that he was not following his husband to Ohio…

Of course, it was not quite as simple as that. Firstly, he had to get hold of Mike and talk to him in private about his plans; he had to ensure that Caleb would be fed, and so he had to bring him in on it. Fortunately, Mike was in complete agreement with his plans, and so happily agreed to say nothing. To be honest, Mike quite liked the idea of spending a night in with the little cat, and as Uncle Mike was known for providing little treats, he was sure that the feeling would be mutual. Secondly, Jeff decided that he needed to get Nick a bit more back up, and for that he needed the people that had witnessed the aftermath of the events of that day back in Ohio. He made a call to his parents and explained the situation. The Sterlings were aware of everything that Mr Duval had been saying, and they had been repulsed by the blatant lies he was telling. When their son asked them if they would come to the meeting and, if necessary, stand up to be counted as witnesses to Nick's injuries that night, they had only to think for a moment before they answered yes. They also offered to put the two of them up for the night. Jeff had to decline, but asked if instead they could put up the one other person that had been there at the time that he could actually call upon. They agreed without hesitation.

His next call was to that person. After all, two of the people that had been there the following day, Kurt and Blaine, were no longer with them, and three of the others were compromised. Much as he was certain that if he asked Burt he would be more than happy to bear witness, he couldn't ask him, as it would be interpreted as interference by a Democrat candidate from another district in the electoral process. For the same reason, he could not ask Carole; as Burt's wife, there would also be undue speculation about the veracity of her evidence. Trent, as one of Burt's recognised assistants in Congress, was also a no no. That left him with Sebastian. He wasn't sure that he would agree, but the fact that the rally was taking place on a Monday was a bonus; it meant that the theatre was dark, and so he was not due to be sitting there that night. In the end, he should never have doubted his old friend. After all, the fact that he was there would scare his father every bit as much as the others being around would scare Mr Duval.

Once Jeff had discovered what flight Nick would be taking, he was able to go ahead and make two reservations of his own. Nick was taking a flight from La Guardia; he and Sebastian would be flying from Newark, but he booked them back on the same flight as Nick and Grace. On that Sunday night, they sat down to dinner together, and the conversation was on every topic bar family and politics. They instead began to make plans for the big Warbler only party that they had scheduled for the following weekend at the beach house. It would be a full gathering of those closest to them, more or less; Cameron would be joining them, but there was nothing they could do about the Drew shaped hole in the festivities. They began to make plans for the menu, as they began to try and work out what quantities of food they would require to keep everyone satisfied. Jeff was of the opinion that as long as they had multiple boxes of cookies, gallons of ice cream and a huge quantity of chips, all would be well; Nick agreed they were important, but he felt that a few nice quiches, tarts and pies, plus meat for the barbeque would be just as vital for things to be perfect. Then of course, there was the important question of cake…

The atmosphere at Sunday dinner had been convivial, but the one at breakfast the following morning was far less cheerful. Nick was starting to stress out about that evening; part of him wanted to cancel, but he was not a coward. He had stood up to his father before, and now he just needed to find the courage to do so again, this time in front of a room full of strangers. In any case, as Mike pointed out, if he failed to show now then at the very least Sue would maim him…

Jeff was waiting for him in the hall when it was time for him to head to the airport. "Right, Nicky. Show that awful man that he can't get away with his lies anymore, and that in the end, the truth will always find you out. Whatever he throws back at you, just remember this; I love you so much, and I will be there at your side, every step, as we head along life's highway."

"I love you too, Jeffie," said Nick, pulling him into a hug. "I will see you tomorrow, and I will call you after the meeting if I am not in bits…"

"No, you make sure that you talk to me afterwards. I won't accept any excuses," Jeff replied. Nick nodded, and then left in a cab.

Five minutes later, Jeff had said goodbye to Caleb and Mike, and was hurrying in the direction of Penn station to meet Sebastian, and catch the train to the airport. He was convinced that he was doing the right thing by going. He knew that Nick was only trying to protect him from pain and harm, but that meant that he was exposed to the worst that the world could throw at him on his own. When they had married, they had vowed to be with each other for better or for worse; so he a duty to try and protect Nick too. He wasn't looking forward to tonight one bit, but at least when he confronted Mr Duval this time, he would be clothed. Hopefully they would not have to do this again; surely he would finally get the message that if he messed with them, then he would only end up being burned himself…

Plans often have a habit of going awry, and they did that day for Jeff. His flight to Columbus was bang on schedule in departing and arrived on time. As he and Sebastian made there way out through the arrivals area, he was startled to hear someone call out his name. He froze for a moment as he realised whose voice it was, then turned to his friend. "It's Nick's grandfather," he exclaimed.

"I thought that you said that his flight was due in before ours?" replied Sebastian.

"It was supposed to be…" muttered Jeff. He glanced up at the monitor and saw, as he had surmised, Nick's flight had been delayed, but was shown as due to arrive in just two minutes time. "Okay, let me do the talking," he hissed at Sebastian as the older man approached. "Hey sir, it is nice to see you!" he said with a smile as the other man came within earshot.

"It's quite a surprise to see you, Jeff, and young Mr Smythe if I am correct. I am guessing that Nick does not know that you are coming, particularly as his mother told me that he had decided that he wasn't prepared to expose you to all of this?" came his reply with a smile.

"He doesn't, no, and it does need to stay that way for the moment if you don't mind sir. I just had the feeling that Nick might need some back up - and well, marriage is a team, isn't it? We're are in this together, and so if he is under any sort of pressure or stress, my place is surely at his side. I am not looking forward to this evening one bit, but this is where I need to be," said Jeff.

Nick's grandfather nodded, and replied "Well, he won't hear anything about this meeting from me. Now, we can talk more later; a certain flight's status had just changed to arrived, so I think I should let you make your exit."

Jeff nodded, and he and Sebastian made their way swiftly to the exit where the taxis were waiting for business. They had no sooner stepped out than Nick and Grace appeared from the gates, and their grandfather hastened over to greet them, glad that he had chosen to park his car at the other side of the airport…

Nick called Jeff a little later, to tell him that he had arrived safely and that he was thinking about him. In the course of their conversation, Jeff managed to find out when Nick would be at the meeting venue for, and he made plans that he himself would arrive ten minutes after that. He finally rang off just as the cab dropped him and Sebastian at the Sterling's house. Jeff sighed as he thought what lay ahead for his husband; he just wished that they had some physical evidence of what had been done to Nick that night; some kind of conclusive proof. He was so deep in his thoughts as he walked up the path that he did not hear his mother greeting them, and it made him jump when she touched him on the arm.

"Sorry mom," said Jeff, as he hugged her. "I was just miles away in my thoughts…"

"It's no problem, dear. I guess that you have been reliving that night over and over again since all of this started up again. The memory of Nick showing up here in the early hours, apologising profusely for waking us all up as he stood there with dried blood on his face and matted into his hair, is one that has been haunting me since you asked us to attend the meeting tonight," sighed Judy. "I really wish now that we had managed to persuade Nick to go to the police at the time; your father and I were both of the opinion that he should, but he refused point blank. He was so insistent that he didn't want any of that for the sake of his mother and sister. We did have the foresight to insist that we got a bit of evidence, just in case he changed his mind…"

"Evidence?" said Jeff, confused, glancing at his mom and an equally puzzled Sebastian.

"We thought the day might come when he wanted to press charges, and so we took some photos off him before I started to clean up his wound, and wash the blood off his face. I'm surprised that Nick didn't get in touch with us about them. Maybe he has forgotten that we took them…" Judy stopped as her son pulled her into the tightest of hugs. Sebastian was grinning from ear to ear at Jeff's side. It was a bit of fantastic news that none of them had been expecting. Those images were the confirmation that they required, and would be a powerful weapon if the need to use them arose…

Across town, Nick and Grace were sat at their grandparents, enjoying a light meal before they headed to the rally. Nick was tense, and was picking at his food, his appetite gone. He also had the feeling that he was the only one around the table that did not know something. He saw the little looks and glances, and he was convinced there was something that he was not party to. He waited until his grandparents left the room to wash up, then he turned to his mother and sister. "Okay, I need to know exactly what is going on here. There has been tension in the air since we got here, and although that was only to be expected, it is worse between the two of you. I am guessing that there is some secret that I am not party to, and that I am the only one in this house that isn't. Tonight has brought it back to the fore, and the two of you have a difference of opinion about it. So, what is it? What don't I know about dad?"

Mrs Duval sighed, and was about to speak when Grace, shaking her head, got in first. "He has a right to know mom, and he always did! We have to tell him the truth now; he doesn't need protecting. I get why you didn't want him to know at the time. When you consider it, everything turned out well for him as a result, more or less. If we hadn't left Illinois, he might never have met Jeff, and Lord knows how the two of them would be if they were without each other! He is an adult now, not a teenage boy. Tell him, or I will…"

Mrs Duval now spoke. "I was merely trying to save your brother from being embroiled in the whole affair…"

"An appropriate choice of word, mother," hissed Grace.

"Very well, you're right… Nick, we did not move here to Ohio because your father was offered a new and better job. We moved here because it was the only way that he could carry on in his job; he had been virtually disbarred in Illinois."

Nick started at the news. "You mean he had lost his licence to practice as a lawyer? Oh my God, that is… Okay, why? What did he do?"

Mrs Duval didn't get a chance to answer before Grace jumped in. "Let us just say that his employer did not take kindly to the fact that he was having extramarital relations with the wives and daughters of a number of the firm's most important clients. His colleagues did not take kindly to finding out that he had been doing the same with some of their wives. And the final straw was when his immediate boss discovered that one of those wives had been his…"

There was silence for a moment as Nick processed the information - and then he couldn't help himself. He started to laugh, then desperately tried to stifle it as he saw the looks on his mother and sister's faces. "I am so sorry… I know that it isn't funny at all, but it is so desperately ironic. He blames me entirely for the destruction of his perfect nuclear family and all the time he had done his level best to ensure it himself by throwing himself at virtually every woman that he met. The hypocrisy of that man just plain astounds me. I am sorry that he did that to you mom, though I don't understand why you didn't just leave him at the time."

His mother sighed, then said "He told me that he was sorry, that it would never happen again and I believed him. I did tell him that being sorry just wasn't enough this time; he had to go to counselling. I also insisted that if we were leaving Illinois, then we weren't going to the west coast as he wished; we were going to Ohio, close to my parents, which he agreed to despite the fact that he couldn't stand them… I was brought up, you see, to believe that divorce was the very last resort, and he also convinced me that you Nick would end up damaged if you came from a broken home…"

"Which must have made him all the angrier when I did come out; in his eyes, I was damaged from that moment on. Of course, he blamed all of the external factors; Jeff, Dalton, my grandparents, and in the end, you. I never thought that I could despise him more than I already did, but now I want to make him suffer. All the time that he has been telling me that I am an abhorrent sinner, and he has a history of being a serial adulterer…"

"Now you know why I hate him so vehemently," said Grace. "Now you know why I rushed home when he told me what was going on with you. I knew that his reaction would not be great, but that day when I got to the Sterling's house and saw the wound in your scalp, it was so tempting just to head straight home and kill him. But I didn't; I played along with his game. The long game is always the better option, because I knew that in the end, mom would come round to our side. She just needed something to give her a push…"

"And when I saw what that boy had done to you in that courtroom, and realised that even then, subconsciously you were prepared to go through agony just to protect Jeff, I could no longer stand in your way and not support your love. I also knew that I had to leave your father. I do wonder what would have happened if I had left him and brought you back to Ohio with me, just the two of us. Would things have been better? We will never know…"

"Actually, mom, it would have been worse potentially. For a start, would I have gone to Dalton at all without dad's insistence? And let us not forget that it was only his insistence that I was going to Harvard that caused the rift between me and Jeff; if that hadn't happened, would I have ever admitted my true feelings to myself, and to him? In a way, when you think about it, it was his actions that made me and Jeff happen. We should point that out to him sometime…" As he said those last words, Nick gave his two companions a look of such innocence that they both burst out laughing, and Nick quickly joined in. After all, that revelation would make his father's day…

When Nick finally arrived at the rally, he was slightly overawed at the size of the crowd. As he glanced around the hall from the doorway, he was pleasantly surprised to see two familiar faces in the audience. He managed to catch their eye, and a moment later, Thad joined him. "I bet that you are wondering what David and I are doing here. Well, a little bird might have told us that you were going to be baring your soul, and we thought that you might like a little bit of moral support. On top of that, I will be a registered voter in this district come the election, so it is both my right and my duty as a citizen to come and listen to the candidates. As for David, well he is here for his mom if anyone queries it, although she has already decided that your dad is no decent sort of Christian, given all that he says. She also says that Mr trump reminds her of a film character, and she would never want that man for President. The film character in question is, of course, an Oompa Loompa…"

Nick snorted out a laugh, then pulled his friend into a hug. "I'm glad that you are both here. Just remember that we are kind of rooting for Sue, as much as that goes against every Democrat principle that you have ever entertained…"

"Don't worry; I know all about the principles of tactical voting. Just remember why you are here, and that Jeff loves you. We all do, if I'm being honest…" Nick nodded, and then made his excuses to go and hide in his spot backstage. They did not want his father to know that he was there in advance…

Thad and David got a surprise of their own a minute or so after the former had returned to his seat. David had glanced over to the door again, and had done a double take when he saw who had just walked in. "I thought you said that Nick was going to be here on his own? Because Jeff has just walked in, with Sebastian of all people, and it looks like the Sterling's are here too…"

Thad spun round, and just stared, open mouthed. Jeff saw him, and blushed, and then as Thad pointed at the four empty seats beside him and David, he lead his party towards them. He had no option given the intensity of the Head Warbler' stare.

"Okay, Jeff, what is going on? I was informed by Wes that you were staying at home on Nick's strict instructions…"

"I married Nick for good times and for bad, so I decided that I couldn't just stay away, not when he was so upset. Then there is the fact that the four of us are all witnesses to the injuries that Nick suffered at his father's hands. That is what Nick is here to say, to blow his family man credentials out of the water. He will try and dispute his son's words, so we will be able to stand up and confirm what Nick has said. Better than that, there is actually proof that I never knew about and that Nick has forgotten about. Mom and dad took photos that night…"

Jeff looked at his mom, and she opened her purse, and pulled out an envelope, which was handed to Thad. As David looked over his shoulder, he pulled out the contents, and the two of them winced at what they saw. They had no idea of the full scale of what had been done to their friend that night, as Nick had never told them. All they could think as they saw those images was that no man that could do that to his own child would ever be fit to hold any kind of political office…


	54. An Adventure in Politics Part II

**An Adventure in Politics Part II**

Eventually, with the hall now filled with local voters, the media and a large group of political activists, the chairman made his way out to the centre of the stage, followed closely by the four candidates that were standing for the seat in Congress. The Democrat came first, to a smattering of polite applause, with his agent at his side, and was closely followed by the Green party representative. Sue then strode purposefully onto the stage, shocking all the former Warblers by being in a business suit and not a tracksuit, accompanied by an equally well dressed Mrs Duval. She caught sight of Jeff as she walked across the stage, sitting with his parents, and she froze for a moment, before she broke into a small smile. Finally, Mr Duval stepped onto the stage to a mixture of applause and jeers, with Mr Smythe at his side. The latter looked quietly confident until his eyes too saw someone in the audience. It would have been hard for him to miss his youngest son, given that he was waving at him, but the sight filled him with a horrible feeling that everything was going to go wrong. Next to him, Mr Duval saw nothing, too caught up in the adulation of his loyal supporters and smiling for the cameras in general. Sebastian's waving was noticed however by Sue, who then saw not only the meerkat, but the blond and the two ex-councilmen beside him. She permitted herself a grin for the fact that they had come, and would obviously be rooting for her. She had to admit a grudging respect for the loyalty that those prep school boys had for each other…

The debate began with each candidate introducing themselves and outlining what they thought were the key points in the election. Once more the Democrat was applauded, as was the Green candidate. Sue was next, and she stood up to say that she actually had to agree with some of what both had her predecessors had said, but was against them on other issues. Likewise though, she was opposed to some of the more right wing ideas being mooted by her party's Presidential candidate; she felt that the last thing that would make the nation great was hate, and that was what he was introducing into the discussions in no small measure. She ignored the urge to strangle Mr Duval, who as she made her points was rolling his eyes, shaking his head, checking his phone and even laughing at something as she talked. Then it was the turn of Nick's father to speak. As he spewed forth the by now all too familiar Trump rhetoric, Sue closed her eyes and did not react, keeping down the urge to destroy him. This approach would make her look better in the eyes of the sympathetic media than her jeering fellow Republican. In any case, he was being heckled from the crowd, and she was sure she could hear yawning and snoring going on too…

The speeches made, it was now time to throw things open to the audience. The moment that this was done, Nick slipped into the room through a door in a darkened corner, and now slipped his way quietly down towards the front of the room. He listened as the first question about jobs was posed, obviously by a plant, and was answered; then continued to stand quietly in the shadows as a second one about defence was given the same treatment. The third question, on the issue of healthcare, did lead to a more lively debate. To Nick's delight, his father was booed loudly as he stated that in his opinion, the system known as Obamacare needed to be axed on day one, and indeed, the future of the entire Medicare system needed examined. He did not see why the hard working wealthy people in society should have to spend tax dollars on the poorer people in society, or indeed why he as a parent should be subsidising healthcare for children, including his own. As the boos grew louder, forcing his father to stop speaking, Nick knew he had just been given a perfect lead in…

"Our next question," said the Chairman once the noise had ceased, "is from the person with card No. 4. There is no name given here for the holder of this card…" He stopped as Nick emerged from the shadows, stepped right up to the lectern that the question posers had been allocated, and handed card No. 4 to the lady waiting there. On seeing who it was, Mr Duval went scarlet, and Sue hid her face to avoid showing the media her smile…

"I'd like to ask the panel about their opinion on family values, but I guess I should introduce myself first. My name is Nick Sterling-Duval, but before my marriage two years ago, I was plain old Nicholas Duval. And yes, I am his son…" There was an immediate buzz of chatter around the auditorium; the media, some of whom had been getting bored, now focused on the podium, sensing that there was a story here. It was at that moment that Nick suddenly caught sight of the familiar faces in the audience, including one that he should have known to expect, and he couldn't help but smile, all the more determined now to do what he had to do.

"So I am here to ask a specific question on family values. Do the candidates believe that it is ever justified to use violence and intimidation towards a member of your family? I ask purely because there has been so much in the media recently on the subject of family values. Most of it has come from my father, who is obviously such an expert on these issues. I just thought that it would be fair to let the other candidates have a chance to express their viewpoint…"

The answer to Nick's question came swiftly and in the negative from the first three candidates; the Democrat and the Green both now sensed that something was happening here, and that Sue knew what. That left the final candidate. From him there was a stony silence, and a look of pure thunder written right across his face. As the silence stretched, Nick could not resist the temptation to go in for the kill. "Well, dad, you've been quite vocal up until now on family issues, so please tell us what your opinion is. I mean, for example, would it be right to hit someone if they, say, came out as gay? Would it then be justified to push your teenage child so hard that they fall and crack their head open on a coffee table? Would it then be right to lock them up in their bedroom without even checking to see how serious said injury was? Would it be acceptable to try and force that same child to go to a gay to straight conversion camp not just once, but twice, the last time when they are an adult and married? Is all of that justified in the interests of protecting 'family values', in your honest opinion?"

Around the room, conversations had sprung up as people realised exactly what Nick was saying; that he was that child, and the parent in question was the candidate…

Then the man in question stood up, and spoke in measured tones. "Now you see, this kind of action and attitude is just what I would expect from a young man whose brain has been damaged and whose soul has been poisoned by our liberal educators. I believe that it is the father's duty and right to protect their child from harm, and to ensure that they follow the correct, Christian path. However, I would like to have one thing put on the record here and now. My son is a great storyteller, and none of the things that he implied right now are true. They are all figments of his warped imagination."

"I would beg to differ." The audience who had been engrossed in watching the spat between the candidate and his estranged son now spun round to observe the blond haired young man that was now standing up in their midst. "My name is Jeff Sterling-Duval; technically I am his son-in-law, but he would never acknowledge me as such. It was to my house that Nick fled on the night that his father assaulted him; he did so after risking further injury by jumping from an upper storey window, then having to drive with a throbbing headache, and possible even a concussion. He arrived with dried blood caked on his forehead and matted into his hair, and it broke my heart. His only crime was to fall in love with me. I was always told that in a real family, there is always love; that a parent's love for their child is unconditional. If that is the case, then what kind of family man does that make you, sir?"

"One that has the good book on his side in condemning the sodomites like you, boy. No wonder that your natural parents rejected you," came Mr Duval's immediate reply. There was a gasp from the audience at those words; the other three candidates looked horrified, and were all shaking their heads, although Sue was also trying her best not to smile. Behind Mr Duval, Sebastian's father was face-palming, as he realised just where all of this was heading. Then, just when he thought that it couldn't get any worse…

"I think that Jeff is quite glad that his natural father rejected him, actually, given that he was, and this is of course public knowledge, a man called Gordon Clarington…" As a few gasps of recognition went up around the room, the voice continued. "Yes, that Gordon Clarington. He was a close friend of yours at the gun club I believe, Mr Duval - and yours too, dad?" Sebastian smiled as he finished from his spot where he was now standing by Jeff, a supportive arm around him.

"That fact has nothing to do with anything in the current electoral campaign in any case, boy! In any case, you have no business in attending this meeting, any of the three of you! This meeting is for voters from the Westerville district, and as all three of you now live in the biggest cesspool of them all, New York City, you don't qualify. So I suggest that all three of you repugnant fags shut your God damn mouths and head back to your lives of depravity!" Mr Duval finished, his voice having risen as he spoke. There were a few claps of support, but very few…

"Well, Duval, I am a registered voter in this district, and I also witnessed the state of your son when he arrived at our place that night," said Mr Sterling, as he stood up next to the two young men. "So I'd just like to confirm that everything that has been said is true…"

"You might well live here, Sterling, but is the liberal minded assholes like you that have made this country the disgrace that it is. If you had taught your adopted son the right way in life, if you had beaten it into him if necessary, and you had had his sickness treated instead of tolerating it, then maybe my son could have been saved!"

"I could never have done that to Jeff, because I love my son. I would never have laid a hand on him, and I certainly wouldn't have condoned the idea of sending him off to some quack to be set straight as you so eloquently put it to your boy. I would never have considered it as it would have changed the child I loved, plus there are the statistics; do you realise just how many young people sent to those charlatans end up committing suicide? My job as a parent is to love him and keep him safe, not destroy him."

"Your job, Sterling, was to save him from himself, and to stop him spreading his disease to others. Better dead than a fag in my opinion…" screamed Mr Duval.

It took several minutes for the chairman to restore calm and order to the room after that outburst. To Sue's delight, the bulk of the room were baying for Mr Duval's blood; there were a few hardcore rednecks screaming in his support, but as the scuffles broke out, mainly caused by the fact that Nick had left the stage and pulled Jeff into a hug, she was concerned outside, but grinning inside. The polling would love this statement, and the fact that the cameras were still rolling, showing the events to those outside the room made it all the better. Behind her, Nick's mother had remained calm and dignified throughout. Mr Smythe had also kept quiet, although as she observed, he now had his head in his hands, as if all the trouble in the world was now pressing down upon him. She almost felt sorry for the man; he had to have been dreading what Sebastian might say, but now he must be feeling that an outburst by him would have been preferable to this.

As the melee died down, and some sort of order was restored, Sue glanced towards the door. There she saw Mrs Sterling, showing some photographs to a group of very interested journalists. She wondered what they were, and was determined she would find out later. In the end, she didn't need to. As the room fell more or less silent, Nick walked past his mother-in-law with Jeff and Sebastian at his side, and seeing Sue look over, he said in a loud voice "I'd forgotten that your mom and dad took pictures that night, Jeff, just in case I wanted to press charges in the future and report it to the police…"

Sue had to resist the temptation to cheer in delight; she could guarantee that those pictures would be somewhere in the media in just a few hours. She glanced at her opponent, who had gone pale, and at the man behind him, whose eyes were now bulging as he weighed up the enormity of the situation, and wondered how to get an injunction fast. Then she looked to the woman behind her, whose eyes were moist now.

"They have photographic evidence of what he did to Nick," Mrs Duval whispered. "I would like to see them, because I saw nothing at the time."

"It would be best for you to wait and see them after the meeting is finished. If they are as bad as they sound to be, you might not be able to remain as cool and calm as you have been, and you marching up to him and punching him in the face, however much he deserves it, would not be any good for anyone right now," counselled Sue.

"You're right, but once we are out of here, once the cameras are away, then I will be giving him a huge piece of my mind. I cannot believe that I stayed with that philanderer for so long!"

At that point, with decorum now restored, the chairman banged his gavel to restart events. Sue was left to wonder what she meant. Had her opponent had affairs? Was this another potential weapon against him in the dirty tricks campaign? Then, as the chairman asked for the question from cardholder No. 5, she looked up at the audience again. She almost grinned this time when she saw who was handing the card with the number five on it to the lady by the podium.

"Thank you. I am Thad Harwood, teacher at Dalton Academy. I would like to ask the candidates views on anti-bullying policies in schools; are they right, or should we just let the kids be bullied so that they can be toughened up?"

In corridor, Nick had remained close to the door, his arm still wrapped around his husband. He had hugged him and given him a kiss the moment they had stepped out of the room full of people. Sebastian had pouted a little, until Nick relented and had given him a hug too. Now, as he heard the next question being asked by Thad of all people, he had to control himself, as the temptation just to laugh out loud was great. It was exactly the question that Sue would have wanted someone to ask, but as far as he knew, Thad had done so off his own bat….

The Democrat replied first, in favour of the policies, and then went on to speak candidly about his own experiences in high school, and how he was glad that the country and the bulk of society had now moved on and recognised that bullying was a problem. The Green candidate also backed them. As for Sue, she too swiftly agreed, and cited her own work to bring in just such a policy at McKinley in Lima; the struggle she had had to achieve it in the first place, but then the positive things that had come out of it, not just for those that were victims of bullying, but for every student at the school. She then took a moment to praise Aaron Carmichael for being ahead of his time in bringing in the policy at Dalton, when it was the first of its kind in the state of Ohio. It had been from hearing all about the policy from one of her own bullied students about the wonder of safety he had felt there during a brief sojourn that had made her determined to bring in one at her own school. She concluded by saying that if she had her way, such policies would be enforced in every school across the nation. That earned her loud applause from the bulk of those in the room.

All eyes then turned to Mr Duval, as did three pairs of ears in the corridor outside. He was silent for a moment, then he spoke. "Thad Harwood… That name is familiar to me. I think that you were a student at Dalton yourself, and if I recall, was there with my son…" The last word was delivered with such an acid tone that no-one could miss his feelings towards Nick. "So, if that is indeed the case, aren't you a little bit young to be a member of the faculty? I mean, if you had said cleaner, or janitor, or even lunch lady, then maybe, but teacher - I don't think so…"

"A newly appointed teacher, actually. I graduated with the top marks in my class with a history degree from UCLA at the beginning of this month, and I officially took up residence at the school, in my rooms that come with my role as a housemaster, two days ago. As well as teaching, I will also have oversight over the Warblers, the school choir. That was the place that I met your son - and a more polite, kind and intelligent young man you could never wish to meet, in my opinion. I'd say he was a credit to you…" Thad said no more, leaving the audience to decide on how the sentence should be finished in their own words.

"Well, gosh, isn't that a glowing report!" came his reply, in a tone once more laden with acid. "Still, it is only to be expected; after all, that is what your kind do. You stick together. Now, personally, I don't think that people of your sort should be allowed to teach, but I suppose that there are only so many hairdressers, fashion designers and actors that we actually need…"

As mouths dropped open, Thad made eye contact with David, and with a tiny movement of the head stopped his friend from dashing up to scream at the man. He took a breath, then through gritted teeth replied, "Oh, certainly we do, just as people of other groups do. It is a natural defence mechanism." He went no further, determined to ignore the blatant homophobia. "Anyway, you still haven't answered my question, and I would be grateful if you actually would, given that there must be other people anxious to pose their own. I would hazard a guess though that you probably think that the intelligent geeks should be beaten up by the dumb jocks; that children from a different race or creed are just asking to be tortured, and as for the gay kids, well it's pretty much open season on them…"

"I don't believe that there is any point in wrapping kids up in cotton wool that doesn't exist in the real world. After all, all of the people you described have made their choices, and because of them, well life will be hard. It's nature…"

"Really? That is interesting, because I didn't think that a kid could choose their racial background, but then again, what would I know…" quipped Thad, earning himself a burst of laughter.

Mr Duval's face had promptly turned a puce colour with rage at the fact that he had been made to look like a complete fool. "You want my answer, then here it is. I think that it is a great pity that such policies exist, because if people like you had been sent to a proper school, where the laws of nature were permitted to exist, and the strong were allowed to rule the roost, then you might not be quite such a cocky piece of shit, and who knows, maybe you would have turned out right instead of being just another worthless fag!"

Thad blinked, then ignoring the urge to scream back, merely replied, "Thank you, Mr Duval. I think that you have just given all of us a very valuable insight into the beliefs that you would take, on behalf of the people of Westerville, into Congress, if we chose to elect you…"

Thad left the lectern, and retook his seat, where he immediately found himself shaking with the rage that he felt. David took his arm, and instructed him just to breathe. Around them in the room, the noise level was rising once again, people shouting out and heckling. Mr Duval just sat there, shaking his head, as were the other three candidates, albeit at something different. When Mr Duval noticed that, he jumped out of his seat and went over to the podium; then, at the top of his voice, he shouted at the audience.

"You see, this is the kind of namby pamby liberal mumbo jumbo that has ruined our country! Years of policies based on equality and diversity, on tolerance, have demonised the honest, good, hard-working, white family man like me. It has destroyed us! We have to end this scourge and end it now. We need to reverse the liberal agenda; crack down on the new order and revert to the good old ways. We need to return to everything that was good and valuable in the time of my grandparents! If you vote for me, and for Mr trump, then we will make it happen!"

Behind him Sue raised her voice and spoke. "The time of your grandparents? I'm guessing you mean the fifties? Homophobia, segregation, and the time that a woman knew her place, which was slaving away in the kitchen all day to make you your dinner when you go home from work?"

"That is exactly what I mean!" Mr Duval responded. Behind him, Mr Smythe groaned and Sue grinned, as the chorus of disapproval swelled into a roar of outrage, particularly from the women in the room…

After that, the meeting had to be abandoned; the chairman could not regain control of the room, his voice not enough to carry over the screams and cries of the disgruntled voters. There were naturally some in the room that agreed with Mr Duval, and it was one of them that started the small scuffle at one side of the hall, although some would say that his wife punching him in the face was the initial catalyst. Sue just shook her head sadly, and after the Green party candidate fled, she went to stand at the side of the Democrat party candidate, both of them condemning the actions of Mr Duval. This naturally lead to them being interviewed by the media

"It is not often that you will find me agreeing with the liberals," said Sue to the camera crew of the local Westerville news channel, "but if Duval is the kind of person that Mr Trump believes are fit to make America great again, then he needs to have his head checked. I am a Republican; I am not a homophobic, misogynistic racist, and such policies should be repulsive to anyone with any sort of intelligence. Let me say this, I will not be heading off into my kitchen anytime soon just to satisfy that man. If he had any kind of integrity and decency, then after what we have all heard tonight, he should consider standing down."

The reporter smiled, then replied, "His views were a little to the right of what we have come to expect…"

"A little…?" replied Sue. "Young man, it would not surprise me at all if he had a white pointy hat with eyeholes somewhere in his wardrobe! Let us not forget the main thing here. He has been lecturing everyone about family; after what he did to his own son, the man is clearly a hypocrite. I mean, what kind of decent parent would do something like that? I don't think that America was a great country when we all knocked seven bells out of our kids if they dared to step out of the rigid line we set for them. Let us not forget, the boy had no choice over the issue; I believe the phrase would be that he was born that way. No, anyone that votes for Duval is voting for violence and a return to the bad old prejudices of the past."

Outside, a female reporter was waiting to catch the candidates as they left the building. The first to do so was Mr Duval, and she seized her opportunity to try and get an interview with him. The camera was rolling and she was live on air; it therefore caught the moment that he pushed her violently out of the way. She was caught by a quick footed Mr Smythe before she could hit the ground and hurt herself too badly. As gasps of outrage were heard from bystanders, along with comments about that being what he had done to his boy, Mr Duval stalked on, and on spotting a Fox News crew and a male reporter, he paused and asked if he wanted an interview. He did not expect the reply that he received.

"An interview with the man that just torpedoed his own electoral campaign with a few words, and then went on to make friends with the media by carrying out a physical assault on an award winning reporter? You know what, I don't think we'll bother…"

In the aftermath of the rally, Sue cornered Thad and David, and invited them to visit her headquarters, and they felt they had no option but to agree. Thad in particular felt galvanised after the events of the night into taking a stand, and the very least that he could do was collect an 'I'm with Sue!' pin. As he did so, he almost laughed as he thought about how proud his father would be that he was finally giving his backing to a Republican after all those years of embarrassing him by having thoroughly Democrat leanings. If he did find out and get in touch, he would swiftly burst his bubble for him by explaining the concept of tactical voting to him. The Greens and the Democrats had no hope in the seat, and Sue was the lesser of the two evils.

By the time that the two of them got there, the others were in a slightly celebratory mood. Jeff had been a little concerned about what Nick would say to him once they were out of the public eye; after all, he had broken his promise to him to stay away. However, Nick just pulled him into a deep hug, and told him how much he loved him. Both Sebastian and Grace had breathed a sigh of relief for that. The Sterlings had come along too, and had already taken a pile of posters for their own windows, along with a pile to hand out to friends and relations. Mr Sterling was fully aware that there would be a lot of discussion about the merits of tactical voting amongst them in the next few weeks….

Nick's mom had taken him aside a little while later, and had hugged him close to her and told him how sorry she was. Having seen the photos, she was horrified that she had ever chosen to take her husband's side in the argument. Nick forgave her without even being asked. Now she was on her phone, waiting for a poll result, given that the footage of the meeting had been streaming live throughout the night; between that, and an exit interview or two, they would be able to obtain a snap judgement of how the land now lay. As Thad pinned on his badge, she smiled a little, and thanked the person on the other end of the line. She then turned to the room, and spoke. "Before tonight, we were trailing by 3 percentage points; now we are in the lead by 8! I think that he has done it now. There will be other polls tomorrow, but by then things will be all over the media. Furthermore, I don't anticipate that this is just a temporary blip. In the whole sample, only two women said they would vote for him initially, and whilst we were on the line, one of them changed her mind. She had just seen a clip of him being a complete sexist pig. I think we are a lot closer to saying congratulations to Congresswoman Sylvester after tonight…"

There was general agreement to that, but as the older adults went on to discuss the next steps, Nick still felt like he had done a deal with the devil, and his face betrayed it. Seeing that, Sebastian walked up to him, and whispered, "She is the lesser of two evils Nick. She isn't so bad really. At least we know that as long as she continues to loathe and oppose Trump, she can't become too powerful should he win. If she ever does get an office of state, then we can worry about all of this…"

Nick nodded, but quietly cursed his well meaning friend. Until that moment he had never even considered that prospect; now he was going to have nightmares in which she was Secretary of State, or Vice-President, or even worse…


	55. More Summer in NYC Part I

**More Summer in NYC Part I**

After another early morning flight, the three New York resident Warblers returned to the normal tenor of their lives. Nick went straight from the airport to a shift at the Law Library, glad that it had been on time. He stopped to grab a coffee and a bagel at the deli on the corner before heading in, and as a result was a minute or so late getting in. His boss was waiting for him; he smiled, and told Nick to go and eat his breakfast, then freshen up. He had seen what had happened in Westerville the previous evening on the news that morning as the story went nationwide. The whole thing had turned into a major embarrassment for the Republican Party, with some of its more moderate members demanding that Mr Duval be deselected at once in favour of Sue, as the man was damaging them all through his words and actions.

What his boss didn't do was mention the other subject that was all over the news. He, along with the rest of the nation, had naturally been told all about what his father had done to him all those years ago, during the report, and he was appalled. Nick would find out that was also common knowledge soon enough though. It wasn't long before he saw the story on the website of the _New York Times_ ; he knew that meant their would be more coverage of the issue over the next few days. Fortunately, the media was almost entirely on Nick's side; there were only a couple of very right wing journalists that dared to publish articles in which they lamented the fact that the liberals had made an attack on a poor defenceless man who had only been trying to get the views of the 'silent majority' out in public. Still, not all of the coverage was about Nick; the female reporter that he had cast aside at the door had also earned a lot of coverage, many stating that it reflected Mr Trump's own rumoured attitude towards woman, which might explain why he was so popular with Mr Duval…

Jeff had headed straight for home, and was greeted by Caleb as if he had been away for several months, not less than 24 hours. Mike had gone out to work, but had left a note, stating first and foremost that he had fed Caleb just before he had left half an hour earlier, so not to be fooled if he happened to arrive back bang on schedule; and secondly, that the entire event the night before was all over the media. Mike continued that he had come across the footage online at first, but then this morning it had been on the bulk of the news channels over breakfast. Nick had come across well; Thad was being hailed as a hero of our times for his calm attitude in the face of such blatant bigotry and homophobia; and Mr Duval was being pilloried as the worst of a very bad bunch in terms of the right wing of the Republican Party…

Jeff smiled, then went to make some coffee, glad that he had decided to go after all. He was being kept out of it so far, but that could change, he guessed. More importantly, no-one of any worth was attacking Nick. He poured his coffee, helped him self to a bowl of cereal, then switched on the news, watching it as he ate. He was soon rewarded with a report from the meeting last night, and he watched with a growing pride as Nick stood up and took his stand. Caleb had come to join him, and was not bothered by the fact that Jeff had not fed him; after all, Mike had fed him twice already that morning. He stared at the screen, and recognised the face upon it, which made him stare intently at the image. Then the image changed and he again recognised the face. Jeff was startled when he heard Caleb snarl as he saw the man that had tried to kick him. Then he smiled, happy at his pet's reaction to Mr Duval, and promised that he would give his little friend a treat at his next meal time.

Sebastian had time to return home and change before he had to leave for the theatre. Dave was still at home, and as there was time, he helped Sebastian in the shower with washing his back… It was thus a very happy and energised young man that ran in the stage door that morning, his cheeks flushed and a big grin on his face. He was greeted warmly by the crew and a few of the cast as he made his way to the room that he now regarded as a home away from home. Jenny was there, and he took his usual spot next to her, as the clique gathered in their own corner, and proceeded to dissect the character of yet another well known actor.

"I heard about what happened last night," Jenny whispered as he sat down. "It turned into quite a spectacle, didn't it?"

"It did, but I managed to stay mainly out of the limelight, and just fix the odd death glare on my father," Sebastian whispered back. "Thad was an unexpected arrival, but he did more than Nick in some ways. He made the man seem like some kind of evil force that believes in the bullying of kids, and of violence towards them, not to mention being totally opposed to any kind of equality. Even my dad looked horrified at the bile he was spewing out, and trust me, that is quite the achievement. Then again, maybe he is just starting to regret the fact that in people's eyes, he is now firmly attached to Mr Duval. That will do nothing for his popularity; he was already a bit of a hate figure as State Attorney, but this has made things much, much worse."

Jenny nodded, as she became aware that they were getting disapproving glances from the other side of the room. "Anyway, in other news, I take it that you, like me, haven't been invited to the party that certain people have organised for some of the cast next Monday? That lot over there have organised it, but we aren't on the guest list, and rumour has it that invites to the 'Ugandans' are also on the light side…"

"I wouldn't want to go in any case, my dearest Jenny," said Sebastian in a carrying whisper. "I think that it will be quite a dull affair, given who is doing the organising. I think that I can safely miss an evening of snide comments being made behind people's backs." Jenny burst out laughing as she saw the scowls from across the room, shaking her head. "In any case," Sebastian whispered, "I actually have Sunday off to go to Port Jefferson for a bit of a house party with my old school friends; you know, a group of young guys that know how to enjoy themselves. It will probably turn into a bit of a car crash; it usually does, but it will be fun." He smiled at the though, then settled down to run a few lines as he always did with Jenny. After all, you never knew what might happen…

After all of the drama of Monday night, Thad had been hoping for a quiet day in his new home, but as David had pointed out to him the night before as he had driven him home, he had given his name and his address to the media, and as it was live on screen, to the world at large. He was therefore not entirely shocked when the first knock came on the door to his little apartment that Tuesday morning. It was Principal Lefevre, who had arrived back from her visit to France the night before, and on opening her E-mail inbox this morning, had found it chock full of comments about Thad and his performance at the rally. When Thad invited her in, and she told him about all of it, he paled in horror. For a moment he thought that he had just managed to lose his first teaching job without ever having taught a class, but she was very quick to reassure him that was certainly not the case.

"The governors all saw the rally coverage on television last night, and although there is a general consensus that they wish you had not named the school, that is out of a concern for you, and not the institution. We are proud of our policy on bullying here and what that man is suggesting is totally out of line. The general view is that you are exactly the kind of passionate young teacher that we need here; strong, committed and willing to stand up publicly to ensure that the principles that we hold dear are maintained. I also have a number of supportive E-mails from both parents and alumni, all delighted that there was a member of staff from this school present at that fiasco to stand up and be counted…"

"I sense a but coming though," said Thad, and his boss nodded with a sigh.

"I have to say that we did also receive a number of quite vile messages, none thankfully from anyone associated with the school, complaining about you personally, and threatening to start a campaign to have you removed from the teaching register in every state in the country. Those were the mild ones… My first instinct was just to delete them all, but instead I have created a folder and transferred them all there, just in case something untoward happens. I doubt that it will, but you can't be too careful…"

"David warned me that this might happen," Thad said with a sigh, "but honestly, if I had the chance to go back, I would not change a thing, or do anything differently at all. People needed to know exactly what kind of man he was, and Nick and I have certainly shown the world between us exactly what sort of person he is. I am just sorry if in the process I have caused any harm to the reputation of the school."

"On the contrary," said Principal Lefevre with a smile, "we have actually had several calls already this morning inquiring about entry this year, and fees. We have had people telling us about their sons and the bullying and hatred they are being subjected to. They are asking if we have scholarship schemes, and thanks to Wes, we do. There has certainly been no harm done there. Now, I must get back to the office, but if I hear anything else, then I will let you know…."

The first of the media pack arrived at the door of the school, quite unannounced, about an hour later. They had no idea where they could find Thad in the complex of school buildings that made up the Dalton campus, and so they were forced to try and find someone that would be prepared to tell them. The person that they found was Mrs Carmichael, returning home from the supermarket; she told them forcefully that first off, they were trespassing on private property, and that if they wished to contact Mr Harwood they would have to contact the school office, by telephone, and enquire if he was available to see them and to comment. When they continued to badger her, she pulled out her phone, and pretended to call the sheriff's office; the threat of the law arriving did make them retreat.

Having removed them from the premises, at least temporarily, she headed home to tell her husband what had just happened. He in turn had placed a call to Principal Lefevre, and then to Thad himself. They met ten minutes later in the common room of the dorm that Thad would be overseeing, as it meant he did not have to walk outside. The office phone was ringing off the hook, and the school secretary was getting tired of dealing with the journalists. Between them they agreed that Thad had no choice but to give them an interview, as if he didn't, they would have the press camped outside the school gates for days. With great reluctance, the press were allowed back in to the school grounds, and Thad, flanked by the current and former Principals, gave an interview on the steps at the main door. He reiterated his stance, but made no comment about events with Nick, although he was pressed repeatedly. All they said was that he and Jeff were two of the most loved former pupils at the school, both amongst the staff and the alumni, and that his confession as to what his father had done to him had been a source of heartbreak to them all, given how much he had already suffered.

The media left after that, and Thad breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the worst had now to be over. Naturally, there was to be one final twist of events that day. Thad had returned to his rooms by the time that the car roared up the driveway to the school that afternoon. It was Principal Carmichael that went out to see who it was this time; he recognised the man at once, having seen him a handful of times over the course of four years, when he was still Principal. Thad's father had not been altered by the passage of time. He demanded to see his son, and Aaron Carmichael knew he could not stop it happening if Thad was prepared to see him. However, he did know one thing; the father had not changed, but the son certainly had.

As a result, Thad approached this meeting with his father with a lot less trepidation than he used to. He stepped into the room, and was immediately greeted by a raised voice. "Have you any idea what your actions last night have done to your family, Thaddeus? All day I have had to sit and endure patients talking about nothing else! Yes, you did take a valid stance, but you have affected the lives of all of us with what you did. It was highly embarrassing to watch you taking part in that public spectacle, and siding with that awful woman…"

"Well if I caused you and your wife to squirm, sir, I do apologise," Thad said, interrupting his father mid flow. "I am sorry if my speaking the truth caused you a degree of discomfort. I am afraid that I always will speak my mind, and tell the truth, so you may have further discomfort in the future. If that is all, then I will not keep you any longer; I am sure that as always, your patients are your priority, and they will no doubt be clamouring to see you. Drive safely back, and my regards to your wife and family." With that, Thad walked out of the room, leaving his father in shock.

He retreated quickly through the maze of corridors within Dalton that he knew so well, back to his apartment, knowing his father would get lost if he attempted to follow. Once safely behind his own locked door, he began to think, not for the first time, how one thing that a large number of Wes' boys had in common was issues with their parents. Wes certainly had, as had Blaine, and he certainly did. Flint's mother was very loving, but entirely overpowering. Cameron's parents had such great ambitions for him that in the end he had cracked up under the stress and strain of trying to be the son they wanted. Ethan's parents were a complete enigma; no-one had ever met them, not even Drew. Nick's dad was a nightmare, and the less that was said about Jeff's biological father, the better. David's dad was an absentee, consumed with grief over the death of his elder son.

However, David's mother was wonderful and more than made up for the absence of his father. Jeff had been lucky to be adopted by the considerate Sterlings, a couple he would place close to Burt and Carole in his estimation. Flint's dad was cool, and Beats' parents were the most lad back and friendly folks Thad had ever met; Trent's parents were exactly the same. Nick's mom had realised her errors and had changed to become so supportive, and Pam Anderson too had turned her life around after ditching her husband, her pills and her drink. The most fortunate of them all, they all agreed, was Kurt, as he had really won in the parent stake's with Burt. He might have lost his mom at an early age, but he had then gained the loving Carole. They treated all of the Warblers as sons, just as the Carmichaels had always done too. All that mattered to them was that they were happy.

He knew that he was the black sheep of the Harwood clan. He had no interest at all in any kind of career in the medical field, and there was also the fact that he was gay. He remembered still the day he had tried to talk to his father about that; in his opinion, a doctor should have known better than to say it was his choice, but he guessed that in a heated moment, even great minds could be irrational. He did believe that his father was a great and gifted man and one of the best surgeons in the USA, but what he wasn't was a demonstrative, loving father. He was controlling. He ordered his staff around at work, and had expected that his children would also obey his commands without question. He was an outcast, and thanks in part to him, Ollie was also now a pariah. He had chosen to take the job at the hospital in New York rather than doing what his siblings had done; head home to work in the same establishment as their father. Thad realised that he would have to call his brother, and let him know that he had been graced with a patriarchal visitation, and that he had, to all intents and purposes, rejected him. His life he knew was now contained within the walls of the school, with friends instead of a family in but one case. It was sad, but he had learned to live with it.

The media had moved on to new issues in the election campaign by the following day and so Thad was able to head over and visit the Thompson's without any fear that he might bring the paparazzi with him. He was welcomed with the usual open arms by Mrs Thompson, and taken through to sit with her, as always, in the kitchen. He was immediately offered coffee and cake, which he knew better than to decline. Her skills in the kitchen were a legend amongst his generation of Warblers, with only the great flair that Nick had discovered coming anywhere near to her. The conversation that they had in that room was almost entirely about him, of course. She asked him about his new job and his plans for the Warblers; she avoided the subject of the rally, and did not mention Wes. His death had hurt her more than she would ever admit, as he had been like a second son to her. She had been forced to grieve for him in private, her attention being directed at holding her son together as he coped with the death of a 'brother' for the second time in his short life. She had found support in her faith. She did know how badly the death of Wes had affected Thad, and she also knew what he had nearly done at Dalton; David had broken down and told her one night when he felt the loss of Wes keenly. It was no surprise to Thad that as David finally walked in, ready to head out, she had pulled him into a hug. He was told that he was welcome to come and visit anytime; in fact, if she didn't see him at least once a month, she would be upset. Thad promised to try, and she nodded, knowing that until he knew exactly what his new job would entail, that was all he could do.

They spent the day going round all their old haunts from those happy days at school. They had a coffee at the Lima Bean; had lunch at Breadstix, where if anything the breadsticks had got worse; and then they headed to the Westerville Mall, destination of many a shopping expedition. They checked out some of the stores they had always visited, but found that others had vanished without trace as the retail world spun on. After that, they had headed back to Dalton, and had walked up the hill to the spot where they had buried a casket of ashes. Thad had been up once already since he had been back, but he said nothing to David about how it now looked. His friend was thus overjoyed to see how well the red and yellow variegated rose bush was blooming. The simple stone that they had placed there with his name and dates was in good order, as if someone had been cleaning it.

"Not me," Thad said as David turned to look at him. "I think that the Warblers regard it as a sacred duty to keep this place in perfect condition. Even the boys that have never met him know the story, and I will ensure that it goes on being told…."

"You know, I never wanted to become a folk hero," came a voice, and they both turned round to see Wes standing behind them.

"Well, you have my love," said Thad quietly.

"You made us what we are Wes; cohesive and loyal. We know that you watch out for all of us, as you always did, and for the school too. You deserve the memorials; you changed my life, all of our lives, for the better," added David.

Wes contemplated what had just been said for a moment, then said, "Well, okay, that much is true, but a lot of what I did was down to the boys themselves, and I did have the constant assistance of my two councilmen. You two deserve just as much credit. After all, you still have to keep their antics in check at parties…"

That thought was one which would echo through the heads of David and Thad for the remainder of that day, and all of the next. By Friday morning, the whole thing was like a klaxon, warning them of the potentially troubled couple of days ahead. As Thad drove the people carrier that he had hired to the Thompson's place to pick up David and the wonderful collection of strangely flavoured soda they had collected in Oklahoma, he was bring torn between his responsible side - after all, as Head Warbler, he had to set an example, just as he had to in his new role as a teacher - and the side of him that just wanted to let go and party. That was the same side that now had him bungee jumping amongst other things. Staying sober and in control meant he would fret and worry all weekend; not giving a hoot meant just that!

The drive from Ohio to New York along the Interstate was nowhere near as long as the last trip he and David had undertaken together, but this was also a different kind of drive; no dawdling, just speed. Mrs Thompson had told them to drive carefully, and with the food that she had provided for them safely stowed, they joined the traffic heading east at just after 10am; if they hit no snags, they would arrive in the West Village for dinner at 8pm. With the radio tuned into a station playing modern classics, the two of them singing along from time to time, they made short work of the drive; they stopped to rest from time to time, and to change who was driving. They had lunch within sight of the roaring, continual stream of traffic, a complete change from the quiet spots they had paused in along Route 66. This was however the way of the world now; the need for speed and to be there yesterday. It was lamentable, and always reminded Thad of the line of poetry _'What is the world, if full of care, we have no time to stop and stare.'_ There was certainly no time to stare when you were driving on an Interstate…

They managed to make very good time, and they entered the Holland Tunnel, on the last stretch of the journey, with a good 40 minutes to go before there arrival time. Thad had requested a car with a built in Satnav. He was not that sure of the roads, particularly those he would need to follow to Port Jefferson the next day. On the interstate he had left it off, but as he approached the city, he had asked David to switch it on, so that it could direct him to the correct exit from the tunnel and then through the grid of streets in the city, that looked so simple, but thanks to a one way system were anything but. David would have been quite happy to have helped him navigate with the help of a street map, but he now just sat in silence as the voice of the box told Thad to keep driving straight ahead.

"It would be darn difficult to do anything else given that we are in a tunnel underneath the Hudson," Thad muttered in response, which caused David to snort with laughter.

Admittedly, the device did come into its own as their journey neared its end, directing them effortlessly through the maze of named, not numbered, streets of Lower Manhattan. As the little voice announced that they had reached their destination, Thad pulled in to a convenient parking spot, and then the two of them stopped for a moment to drink everything around them in. They had after all not seen the house until that moment; they had seen photos, but that never gave the full picture.

"Jeff has really landed on his feet here; they all have," whispered David. "It is the archetypical New York street, the one in the films and TV shows; the one that most normal people could not afford to live in, including the protagonists in said films and TV shows. But, he and Nick do, all thanks to an evil man. I am pleased as punch for them."

"It is the kind of place that Wes dreamed of living in too," added Thad. "Anyway, we had best head in and prepare for the grand tour. I am sure that they will be wanting to show it all off…"

Half an hour later, Thad and David found themselves seated at the kitchen table with Niff, eating a plate of Nick's Chicken Curry Lasagne, and making cpnversation. They had indeed been shown the entire house from top to bottom by Jeff, and they had both been more than impressed by what they had seen. The studio at the very top was ideal for their artistic friend; the main bedrooms were sumptuously appointed; and the guest rooms they would be using were every bit as palatial. They had been taken for a spin round the living room too, experiencing a sprung floor underfoot for the very first time. The other public rooms had made them smile, and as for the kitchen in which they were now seated, well it was vast…

Caleb had made himself at home with Thad, and even as he ate his dinner, the cat was curled up contentedly on his lap, half asleep. Caleb did not like curry, so there was no need to stay awake and beg for scraps. The lasagne eaten, Jeff helped Nick clear the table, and then dessert was produced. Nick had attempted to make Pavlova for the first time, and although it had not turned out exactly as he wanted it to, it still tasted delicious. Anyone could forgive the slightly wonky meringue when it tasted so divine, David had pointed out. Caleb had woken up as his fine tuned senses had detected the presence of whipped cream, and he licked some off Thad's finger happily when he discretely slipped some to him. After dinner, Mike returned home from work, and they all just relaxed in each other's company for a while, before it was time to head off to bed. They had a busy day tomorrow after all…


	56. More Summer in NYC Part II

**More Summer in NYC Part II**

All of those in the West Village house were awake reasonably early the following morning, although Nick was the first out of bed; by the time the others made their way down to the kitchen, he was in the middle of baking a batch of fruit pies. He had already prepared cookies and meat pies, not to mention the cheesecakes and other delicacies that resided in the fridge. He knew what a sweet tooth his fellow Warblers had, and when he had seen the cooking apples and cherries reduced in the supermarket the previous day, he had formed a plan. Certainly the sweet smell that filled the kitchen made them all smile as they watched as he prepared French toast to go with the bacon sizzling in the skillet, and the fresh rolls and croissants he had already set out on the table. As for tomorrow morning at the beach house, his intention was to enlist some assistance from amongst his fellows, possibly Flint, who had asked him for a few pointers in the kitchen, and prepare pancakes, as they were simple to make and cook, and would satisfy everyone.

The plan for the day was simple; Thad would drive himself, Nick and the food up to Port Jefferson that morning, whilst everyone else would assemble at Penn Station at lunchtime, and catch the train out together. Thad would then meet the train at the station and carry as many people as he could in the people carrier to the beach house, given that the house was a little way out of the charming town. Whilst he was engaged in this, Nick would be hiding some of the food he had brought to ensure that there was some left for Sunday. There was also the fact that not everyone would be there that night. Sebastian had to be at the theatre, and although he could have taken a late train after the second show, he had opted instead to catch an early one on Sunday morning. He would be accompanied by Skylar, who had chosen to work a shift at the diner to help out Michelle; he wasn't that keen on drunken parties. He had seen the worst of it through an uncle that had always been drinking at family gatherings, and things had never ended well, and so he was averse to that kind of event. In fact, he rarely drank alcohol at all, apart from maybe a glass of wine with a meal.

Amongst those joining the lunchtime exodus from Penn were Connor and Louis, who would be heading in from the west by train. Mitch and Gabriel were travelling via a different route; they would take the ferry from Bridgeport, along with Cameron, and then take a taxi from the ferry terminal in Port Jeff to the beach house. They would actually be the first to arrive, if the train from Boston ran on time, and if Flora dropped Cameron off without any delay on the drive down from Vermont. The chances were though that someone would end up being delayed, either by signalling or canoodling, depending on who you were talking about…

When the time came to pack the car, Nick insisted that he and Thad do it alone, as he did not trust either of the other two not to help themselves to some of it as they carried it out. Thad was sore tempted himself by some of the things that he saw neatly packed into plastic boxes as it was, but he resisted the urge to try them as he back them away in the trunk, and on the back seats, and in the footwell of them in the end. His reward for his good behaviour was two of his favourite cookies - peanut and raisin oatmeal - as he took his seat at the wheel. They were gone long before they crossed the East River into Long Island. The traffic was heavy, the sun having brought out a lot of people for a trip, but it was still flowing slowly, not snarled up and stationery. It didn't take long in the end to leave the city behind and head out into the greener parts of Long Island.

After a quick stop in Port Jefferson to pick up chicken, steaks and sausages for the barbeque later, most of which ended up being piled onto Nick due to lack of other space, Thad followed his directions to the beach house. The road gradually became narrower, and eventually they found themselves at a set of gates. Nick pressed a button on the key fob he had in his pocket, and they swung open. Thad shook his head slightly at the kind of lifestyle such things indicated. He drove up to the house, and as he approached, his eyes nearly popped out of his head as he realised just how wonderful the place actually was.

He climbed out of the car first, allowing Nick to transfer the meat onto his seat and climb out himself. He opened the front door, and the two of them then commenced to empty the car again, carrying everything through to the kitchen, Nick ensuring that all the food was stored away correctly and safely in the fridge. Then he gave Thad the full tour of the house, leaving the older man in shock and disbelief as he realised just how perfect the place was. Arriving early did allow Thad to lay claim to a good bedroom; he opted for a smaller one, that he could share with David and a couple of the others. Then he was taken down to the beach, past the crystal clear waters of the pool, to stand in awe on the sands of the private, secluded cove.

"Don't ever repeat this," Thad whispered as he looked out to sea, "but I am so jealous of all of this. It is a dream come true that all of us have access to something like this, but in the end, it does belong to Jeff, and in many years time, the two of you could happily retire here…" Nick nodded, but couldn't think that far ahead; not when he had a flock of hungry Warblers to prepare for…

The moment that Thad left to head back to Port Jefferson to help bring the others up from the station, Nick began to hide the food that he could; the stuff that he could safely store away in a cupboard in the main, though there was a small fridge in the utility room that he moved some of the desserts to. He then began to prepare sandwiches, that he would place on platters and serve up later; he knew that in the aftermath of an afternoon in the sun, on either the beach or around the pool, no-one would be in the mood to cook - and by that he meant himself - and everyone would be hungry. He was making good progress when he heard the sound of car tyres pulling up on the gravel driveway, doors opening and closing, and then a voice that he recognised as Cameron saying "All of this! Good God!"

He couldn't help but chuckle as he placed the platter he had been working on to one side for a moment, then headed to the front door to welcome in the first three arrivals to the party. "I'm afraid that it is all of this, including the pool and the private beach out the back, Cam!" he said in greeting as he opened the door, making the older man blush at the fact that his words had been overheard. Nick smiled, and then went on, "Come in, and I will show you where you can find a room to crash out in later. I'm afraid that Thad has already claimed the smallest for himself and David. Then we can head into the kitchen to wait for the others to arrive. If you're all good, I won't put you on sandwich making duty." He escorted them through the hallway, ignoring the gasps of surprise as they made their way up the grand staircase. He chose to show them to a room that could easily accommodate five, as that would allow Connor and Louis to crash out there too, a sensible arrangement given that they were closest in age to them.

By the time that the others arrived form the station, all three of them had volunteered to help Nick with the last of the sandwich making; as Gabriel said, it was not a hassle at all, given that they would be helping to consume them later after all. It had also given them a chance to have a catch up on what was going on in each other's lives; as a result, Cameron inevitably got the worst of it, as he was being repeatedly questioned about the nature of his relationship with Flora. Gabriel knew that they had to be close, given the way that he had seen the two of them kissing when she had dropped him off at the ferry terminal.

With a sigh, Cameron said, "Okay, I admit it, we are very close. The moment that I met her I knew that she was the someone that I wanted to be close to for the rest of my life, if she felt the same way. She is smart, witty, beautiful and best of all, she doesn't care about the dark days of my past. Then there is the fact that she lives in a wonderful part of the world; I had never been to Vermont before now, but I have to say that I think it has to be the most attractive part of our nation, at least on this coast. The whole ethos and lifestyle up there is much more laid back. Yeah, we are all working so hard at the moment to bring all of those old, semi-derelict buildings back into use, but there is still a finishing time every day, and we still get to enjoy ourselves. I have to admit that her moms were a bit wary of me at first, which is as it should be; that is how any parent would feel about their daughter's new boyfriend. We are getting on great now, though; in fact, they've invited my parents up for a visit…" He stopped to swat playfully at Mitch, who had started to hum the _Wedding March._ "You can joke, but I would be quite happy to marry her someday, once we have both finished at school. Anyway, changing the subject, how is life living with Mitch, Gabriel? Does his snoring keep you up all night?"

"It used to, but I have gotten used to that by now…" started Gabriel.

"We sleep in next door rooms and the walls are paper thin!" interjected Mitch. "Do not even attempt to go there Cameron!" Nick couldn't help but start laughing at the interchange, as Gabriel went red as he realised he had fallen into a trap…

The descent of an entire flock of Warblers meant that the conversation was postponed. Voices were raised in greeting from the hallway, and all four of them went out to greet the new arrivals. The hallway quickly descended into a scene of unorganised chaos, as everyone greeted each other warmly, until Thad, who had been watching from the doorway with David, pulled Mr Bangy out of his pocket, and rapped the gavel hard on the door jamb, getting silence at once from everyone but Jeff, who scolded him about his paintwork. Nick smiled and shook his head, then told those that had just arrived that he would show them to the unclaimed bedrooms, or to the spots that had already been chosen for them. Jeff nodded in agreement, then stated he would head to the sitting room, where they could all meet up after everyone was settled in.

As they split up, Thad stopped David going with them. "I have already grabbed us a room, and told Nick that Jasper and Brad can share with us. Let us take this opportunity to move our special soda out of the trunk of the people carrier, and squeeze it in to the fridge…"

David nodded in agreement, and leaving his overnight bag in the hall, he went back out to help Thad with the boxes. It didn't take long, and soon the two of them were in the kitchen, rearranging the contents of the fridge a little to fit in all the bottles. Thad decided that the best place to put it all was in the drawers at the bottom. It meant that their contents had to be moved up to a higher shelf, but it would be okay; Nick would understand. Just to ensure that, Thad moved the platters of sandwiches into the fridge too, placing them under the stuff from the drawers. This done, Thad guided David upstairs, this time ignoring the bedlam as people tried to decide who was sharing with who.

Back in the kitchen, everything looked good, as if no-one had disturbed anything. Nick would assume that the sandwiches had been placed in the fridge, but would not check on them. In reality, things were far from okay; in fact, the Head Warbler and his best friend had just made a serious error; one that could potentially turn out to have fatal consequences…

Once everyone had been allocated with a room to sleep in that night, had been given a full guided tour of the house by Jeff, and had been provided with drinks and snacks by Nick, they all moved without any hesitation to the beach, having changed into their swimming gear. They had also been provided with sunscreen at the insistence of both Nick and Thad; the latter ignored the sarcastic chorus of "Yes mom!" as he checked they were all using it.

"Guys, that isn't exactly fair. Thad is only being sensible; the last thing that any of us would want would be for one of us to end up with a severe sunburn," said Gabriel, and there were grumbled apologies all round.

It was all forgotten a few moments later when they reached the beach; some people headed straight for the water, whilst others sought out a good spot to sit or lie in and just enjoy the sunshine. Thad was amongst the latter, laughing as David virtually ripped his shirt off and after flinging it in his direction, hurtled down the beach to jump into the water with such a splash that he soaked those that had been being more careful. Within moments, water was being hurled in all directions in a mass splash fight; Thad was suddenly very grateful he had stayed where he was, with Nick, Trent and Gabriel for company.

"I look at them now, nearly all of them in their twenties, and I think to myself that at heart, they are still just a big bunch of kids. It's as if when we all get together they forget the travails of their lives and revert back to being the happy, carefree souls that we were in the happy days at Dalton…" said Thad.

"Oh, I agree," said Nick, "but that is no bad thing at all. I mean, we all had to grow up heck of a fast, and some more so than others. I mean, Trent had to go from being just another high school senior to having to cope with all of his friends going through the trials of drug withdrawal. It's nice to see them all relaxed and…"

Nick stopped as there was a shriek from the water. They all glanced over, and were shocked to see David of all people tossing Flint's swim shorts onto the beach as the young man in question chased after him; at the same time, Beats and Ethan were closing in on David in a pincer movement in support of their friend. Sure enough, David's shorts promptly landed on the beach beside Flint's just a few moments later.

Nick and Trent looked at each other, then started to laugh; Thad just shook his head sadly, as Gabriel's eyes began to almost bulge out of their sockets. Thad smiled, then said, "I wouldn't worry about it Gabriel. I think that we are perfectly safe as long as we stay up here; so are the others as long as they don't get too close. There is no harm in a spot of skinny dipping anyway, particularly when it is a private beach."

"To be honest," came Gabriel's reply, "that isn't what is confusing me. It's the fact that they are making no effort to cover themselves up that's got me wondering…"

"Oh, that's easy," said Trent. "No-one is bothered because it is nothing that we haven't all seen before really, particularly if you happen to be Jeff…"

Once Gabriel had got through his coughing fit, it fell to Nick to explain what Trent meant; the whole story of how two years ago, all of the Warbler's that had sung under Wes and were still in contact at the time, had posed for Jeff, without any uniform, in a recreation of a group photo that had been taken after Kurt had joined them.

"Didn't that leave you with quite a few gaps though? I mean, Mitch would have been absent for a start - and Cam for that matter…"

"We had substitutes; guys that Jeff suggested and we all agreed on. For a start, Rory joined me," said Trent.

"Sebastian was an obvious person to substitute in, and he persuaded Dave to join him," continued Nick. "Then we got Sam, Mike and even Kurt's brother Finn involved. It was all very tasteful…"

"So what you are telling me," said Gabriel, "is that there is a naked group portrait of the Warblers in existence, in Jeff's portfolio?"

"Yes, along with several solo ones of various people; mainly me, of course, but also a good few of Seb, Mike and Wes," said Nick, in a matter of fact tone. "It was all begun in the essence of getting Jeff a good start on his portfolio, getting him comfortable with drawing the human form, so it wasn't that big of a deal to any of us. In fact, of the guys here, apart from yourself, Connor, Louis, Mitch and Cam, only Seth, Colin and Edward haven't posed for him in dishabille."

Gabriel shook his head with a wry smile, then looked up and saw that there were now more than two pairs of shorts discarded on the beach; in fact, only Connor and Seth were still clothed. "Well, what can I say; maybe Jeff can show me that picture someday, just to satisfy my curiosity; and maybe, just maybe, I might pose for him… Right, by the look of it, it is skinny dipping season down there. Well, as they say, if you can't beat them, join them…" He stood up, dropped his own swimwear where he stood, then charged off down the beach to head into the water, leaving his three erstwhile companions laughing. He proceeded to make as big as splash as David had, much to everyone's delight, and whilst they were all distracted, he made a beeline for an unsuspecting Connor…

A minute or so later, Seth had run back out of the water and had thrown himself down next to the other three. "I'm just shy, I guess," he said in explanation. "I mean, I wanted to join them, but my parents always went on and on about modesty, and how nudity was a sin when in the presence of others… When I was a kid, they used to make me swim with a vest on, and Dalton always informed my parents that I still did whilst I was there. The problem is now I am an adult, and I don't want to be the odd one out anymore…"

"Look, when you're ready, I'll head down with you and we will do it together, okay," said Nick. "Until then, we can just chill here, and we will let you in on a little Warbler secret…"

Seth looked at Nick with curiosity; a few moments later he was listening in shock as he heard all about the world of naked Warblers… Not long after Nick had finished, with Trent's assistance, telling him the story of Jeff's drawings, Seth had stood up, and told Nick that he was ready. He and Nick had then walked down to the sea together, their swimwear left with Thad and Trent, getting a chorus of approval from those that were already in the water. After a while splashing around, Nick had pulled Jeff over to one side and whispered a suggestion in his ear; ignoring the comments that were being made at their secrecy, particularly the shout of "Wanky!" from Flint, which earned a laugh, Jeff had to agree with Nick that it was only right and fair. He made plans to approach people and see if he could add nine more drawings to his sketches, assuming that the guys in question were willing to pose for him. Nick was sure that given the way that Colin and Edward acted, it would probably only be eight more he had to do as they would insist on posing together. All that, however, was for another day.

After a couple of hours, everyone had moved from the beach back to the pool, as they had all started to feel thirsty and hungry. The move had been made all the more promptly when Thad announced that whilst they had been driving cross country, he and David had stopped off to buy them some special drinks. The only thing was, they would be handing them out Russian Roulette style. They would see no labelled bottle, just be given a cup to taste, if they dared. "It's moonshine! They must have picked up various types of local moonshine!" Beats stage whispered, making them all chuckle. Thad just shook his head, and motioned to them all to head back towards the house. It took no time for them all to be gathered at the poolside, most of them dressed again, but some staying naked, including Seth. No-one seemed to care one way or the other about it now, and the once shy young man was now actually revelling in being unclothed amongst his peers.

It took a few minutes, but eventually, David and Thad had set everything up. They called Beats up to join them first, the others laughing as they knew exactly why he had been chosen for that honour. He was handed a shot glass with a dark brown liquid in it and as everyone watched, he drank it down in one go - and promptly gagged. He grimaced, but managed to swallow, before saying "What in the name of all that is holy was that? It was chocolaty at first, but then there was a kick of something else after it that was just wrong…" Thad nodded, and then handed Beats the bottle . He went pale, and then just shook his head. "What kind of diseased mind would make a Chocolate _Bacon_ soda!? In fact, what kind of sick people would actually buy it and give it to someone?"

There was laughter at his face, screwed up in horror and disgust - but surprisingly there were a few takers when Thad passed the bottle round, even gamely taking a sip of it himself. "We need to keep some of this for Sebastian," said Ethan, as he shook his head at the taste. "He and Skylar can't be lucky and miss out on this!"

That got even more laughs. Ranch Dressing flavour, first handed to the unlucky Edward, did not, but Sweetcorn was judged as being okay in a small dose, as was Cucumber. The Candied Bacon flavour left Connor retching, but the Maple Syrup flavour handed to Seth was judged as acceptable. As for the Coffee flavoured soda, it went to Flint first, and the self-confessed coffee addict had to be forced to pass the bottle on. "It's like an iced coffee made without the milk," he stated. "I could actually drink all of that, but would probably end up bouncing off the walls all night afterwards as a consequence of all the caffeine."

Unsurprisingly, the chocolate flavour went down well, but the final flavour, which ended up going to Jeff, didn't. He approached the liquid with concern, and when he tasted the Buffalo Wings, he knew that he had been correct in just taking a tiny sip. "I'm hoping that no real meat was used in making this," was all he said to Thad as he handed him back the glass; when Thad revealed the flavour, his comment made sense to all the others.

Nick decided that now would be a good time to fetch out the jugs of iced tea and fresh lemonade that he had in the fridge; they would cleanse their palettes before he served up the sandwiches. He headed back inside with Seth at his side as a willing helper. He opened the first fridge, and brought out the pitchers, which he placed on the table that stood just inside the doors out to the garden. Then he opened the doors to the other fridge, pulled out the first platter of sandwiches, and then froze as he realised something was wrong.

Seth was startled when Nick suddenly yelled "The idiots; the clueless assholes! It's ruined! It's all ruined!" He walked over to Nick, who was standing there with the platter of sandwiches in his hand, shaking his head in disgust. Then in a calm and controlled voice, Nick said "Seth, can you go and fetch Thad and David for me? Tell them it's urgent and I need to see them right away…"

Seth nodded and disappeared; in a moment, the other two were walking into the kitchen, Seth having opted to stay outside by the pool, where he knew it was going to be safe… "So, guys, your sodas. You put them in this fridge, yes?" began Nick.

"Err, yeah," said David, looking confused.

"And you put it in the now empty drawers in the bottom, underneath all of the sandwiches?"

"Yes," replied Thad, who was now starting to realise that something was wrong.

"And placed the raw meat from the drawers, in the bags from the store, onto the shelf above the sandwiches? The shelf from which those bags have been dripping blood and lord knows what all else over all of the sandwiches? Of course, it is partially my fault for not covering them with film, but then I didn't imagine that two people could be quite so stupid! Where were the two of you on the day we touched on basic food safety at Dalton? The day that they told us that raw meat always had to be kept in the bottom of the fridge, never above other cooked or fresh foodstuffs? I shudder to think what might have happened if someone else had come in to fetch these sandwiches. They might not have noticed the contamination and just blithely set them out to be eaten. The fact is we can't risk eating any of them, not now. After all, none of us want a food poisoning outbreak on our hands, do we?"

After Nick had finished making his statement, there was silence for a moment, and then a contrite Thad replied. "We just didn't think, Nick. We were in such a rush to get everything into the fridge before everyone came back downstairs, and in our haste we plain forgot the most basic and simple rules of food hygiene. Judging by the amount of sandwiches I can see, you obviously spent a lot of time making them. All that work and expense for that matter in preparing them, and in a moment of stupidity, David and I have ruined it all. I am assuming that we don't have more bread and fillings to replace all of this?"

"We have more bread, but that is intended for breakfast time tomorrow; we have more fillings, but a lot of the meats and salad vegetables were intended to provide lunch tomorrow," said Nick, still mad at the two older men in front of him, even if their heads were hanging in shame and they looked heartbroken.

"Right. I assume that there is a supermarket of some kind in Port Jefferson, or nearby, and not just that butchers? I haven't had anything alcoholic to drink, so what I will do is drive there, and replace at my expense everything that has been spoiled. I'll just go and grab the car keys and put on a few more clothes. It's the very least that we can do," Thad finished, looking pointedly at David.

Nick sighed, then said, "That's is really appreciated, Thad. I'm so sorry that I snapped at you, but if it hadn't been me that came in to fetch these; well, half of the others wouldn't have noticed, and before anyone knew what was happening, the majority of these would have been consumed and the damage would have been done potentially. As for your plan - well, I think that you would struggle to find the supermarket in Port Jeff, even with your Satnav. It's not the biggest either, so it would be better to head through town to Setauket and the Stop and Shop there. It's easier to park there too. I'm going to come with you and maybe pick up a few extras whilst we're there. In the mean time, David could sort out the food here, and make replacement sandwiches. I will get Jeff and Trent to help out, before the ravenous hordes begin to descend on you. Just try and make sure that there is something left for me and Thad, okay?"

David gave Nick a salute in agreement, and then the latter ran off to fetch the other two boys. Left alone, David turned to Thad and said, "We really screwed up there! We could have made every single one of them sick because we just didn't take the time to think properly."

"Fortunately for all of us, Nick has his head screwed on. Honestly, he should be training as a chef though, not a lawyer," Thad replied. "Anyway, let's see if we can find the garbage bags and start disposing of these…"

"Actually, there is a composting bin for waste food that all of it can go in," said Jeff, standing on the threshold with Trent. "Don't worry, the fact that the Head Warbler and his deputy nearly poisoned all of us will go no further than me and Trent. Anyway, Nick has gone to get dressed, and will be ready whenever you are Thad. David, Nick has decided that we are to set up a sandwich making buffet instead of actually making piles of sandwiches, as it will save time. Nicky heard a few stomachs rumbling when he came out to fetch us, and knowing what they are all like about food, he decided time was of the essence. I also know what he wants on his own sandwiches, and I am sure that you, David, know what Thad likes, so we can make their's up and set them aside." David and Thad both nodded, then Thad ran off to get dressed to drive back into town.

The supermarket when they got there was fairly quiet for a Saturday afternoon, and they quickly found everything that was required. Nick placed sufficient quantities of bread and rolls in the cart as Thad pushed it, along with butter, cheese, salads and a selection of cooked meats. For his part, Thad added bagels and croissants, and several large packs of chips, as he anticipated that the supply Nick had felt adequate might turn out to be anything but when the late night munchies hit. He knew how Warblers could be after all. To that end he also insisted on heading down the candy aisle to add packs of everyone's favourite confections, along with plenty of chocolate. At the cash desk he refused to allow Nick to pay for anything; after all, it wasn't his fault that there had been a culinary disaster, and he had placed all the additional stuff in the cart as well.

Then it was back along the road to the beach house, the two of them singing along in harmony to the songs playing on the radio. Nick's initial anger had completely dissipated by now, as Thad had been so contrite, as had David in his own way. His penance Nick guessed had been trying to control the tide of hungry young men at the buffet table, all the little more bronzed than before from the sun; a tan that was all over in most cases. Thad replaced all the food and more besides, so he couldn't stay mad. Well, as long as there were a couple of well filled chicken and bacon sandwiches, on wholemeal bread, with mustard mayo, waiting for him; if not, then he would not be happy at all…

After they had finished unloading the car and restocking the fridge in a once more empty but still, to Nick's surprise, clean kitchen, the two of them sat down together at the table to eat their sandwiches. They had been made up and placed carefully in the cleaned fridge to keep them from spoiling. The others, having all eaten and then cleaned the place at Jeff's instruction, had headed back to the pool, were they were all laughing, joking and as Warblers, singing.

Thad smiled as he heard them, then said "It still sounds better than anything else to my ears; the sound of all of us harmonising together. Beats doing his stuff as ever, but being assisted by Connor; he was the 'Beats' of my freshman year after all. You know, Wes would have loved this so much. It was the sort of thing that made his heart feel light, and helped him forget all the bad stuff in his life. I think that was why he loved us all so much. We were his family; the people that he could trust; the people that cared for him…"

"And you were the one that he loved the most, Thad; his little one," teased Nick, making the other man blush. "He still does love all of us, protecting us from harm as much as he is permitted to do by all the angelic laws. He is our guardian angel." Thad nodded in agreement, and unbeknownst to the two of them, the angel in question nodded in the room next door, smiling broadly. He would announce his arrival formally at the barbeque; for now, he was quite happy to indulge in a spot of eavesdropping…


	57. More Summer in NYC Part III

_So a little bit of news for my regular readers. As from next Sunday, I will be updating twice a week until Christmas Eve. The second update will be on Wednesdays. There will be a storyline throughout that sees people doing what they do best... And now, back to Port Jefferson..._

 **More Summer in NYC Part III**

Their sandwiches eaten, Thad and Nick rejoined the others by the pool for a short time, as Nick still had a barbecue to prepare for and start up sooner rather than later. He would mainly be involved in the preparing of the meat for cooking, making marinades to dip the meat into before it was placed on the grill to cook. Thad had decided that whilst he would oversee the actual lighting of the grill, he would then stand aside and allow the others to fight over who actually did the cooking. Nick had point blank refused to have anything to do with it; his skills were with an oven and hob, not hot coals. It seemed that David would win out in the competition to be head chef that night over all the other senior Warblers. He had form after all, having done the honours alongside Wes at the impromptu party that had been thrown at the Montgomery house, without his parents' knowledge, the week before Wes had graduated from Dalton. Until then, they were all just content to relax in the sun, laughing and joking, without the use of any form of alcohol whatsoever. Nick would be using bourbon in one of his marinades, but he had kept the bottle hidden away. They all wished to avoid the usual train wreck that came from a group of drunken Warblers, at least until after they had consumed their barbecue supper. Then there would be a few bottles of wine brought out, along with some beers.

When Nick and Thad decided that they had best think about starting their prep, they found themselves in the company of three angels. Kurt and Blaine joined Nick in the kitchen, as the former wished to check that Nick's recipe for the marinade was up to his exacting standards. Nick had been aware of that fact from the moment he had first felt the draught of their wings, and as such he worked more slowly than usual, as he mixed herbs, tomato paste, honey and bourbon to create a rich, dark sauce in which the meat would be dipped prior to grilling. As he watched, Kurt couldn't help but make a few minor suggestions, and Nick listened. He took a couple of them on board, and he had to admit that they had improved on what was already a very good marinade. As well as the meat, he had also purchased corn cobs, which he gave a light honey glaze before placing them on skewers; this done, he scrubbed a quantity of good sized potatoes, which could be wrapped in foil and placed among the hot coals to bake.

With the bulk of his prep now done, Nick and Kurt began to chat about other culinary matters, which left Blaine shaking his head. He headed out to let Thad know that everything was ready, and that someone could head in and start collecting the food. When he got to the grill it was no surprise to find Wes at Thad's side, giving advice. As a result the fire was burning perfectly, particularly after a flap of his wings had given encouragement to the initially reluctant flames. Thad greeted Blaine warmly, then turned back to Wes to talk about his new job. Blaine shrugged, and headed on out to find David, who was sitting quietly by the pool. He informed him that the food was now ready to be brought out and cooked. David smiled, and tapped Seth on the shoulder, asking him to come and help him bring it out. He had done so on the grounds that Seth was closest, but he was only too happy to help. Blaine then headed back to the kitchen, glad that all of the Warblers had dressed again, knowing that nudity was still a source of embarrassment to his husband.

Later on, with the barbecue burning strongly, and the air filled with the smell of cooking meat, Blaine persuaded Kurt to come down and join the others at the pool. Wes had beaten them to it, and was talking quietly with some of the others. For a moment, Blaine forgot himself, and gave in to the temptation of the pool, tearing off his shirt, and glad in only a pair of board shorts, hurling himself into the pool. This left Kurt shaking his head, quite a few people wondering how he could make such a splash, given that technically he wasn't that corporeal, and of course, one person was also left wondering what on earth had caused it in the first place. Fortunately, Cameron had been far enough away from the pool to actually believe what he was being told about someone's shoe having been thrown in the water. As for the splash happening at all, Wes quickly pointed out that the water displacement was basically down to the same forces that generated the draught from their wings.

On coming out of the water, and after having been told off a little by Kurt, Blaine began to dry himself, and more importantly, to ensure that his wings were okay. As he unfurled them, he found himself with an audience, all eager to see just how they were attached to him. Blaine was happy enough to show them, and the fact that the join seemed totally seamless was a source of fascination. When he then put them away, and left behind a back unmarked by any scar or even visible sign that the wings had been there, they were all left to marvel in quiet.

Cameron had not noticed the way that so many of his friends had suddenly clustered together to look at one spot, where to his eye there would have been nothing. This was due in the main to quick thinking from Jeff, who had engaged the other man in a lengthy discussion about his intentions with his cousin Flora, which had left the older man blushing fiercely. Eventually though there came a shout from David that they could start making their way up to the grill for food. Before in such situations this would have triggered a stampede up the garden to the food, but for once they all behaved as the dapper young men that they were supposed to be, and made a leisurely progress up to the grill. After all, they knew that there would be plenty to go around on this occasion; Nick would have made certain of that…

The barbecue was a success, thanks in part to Wes keeping a close eye on the cooking, ensuring that nothing was left underdone and potentially harmful; or worse, so far gone that it resembled the charcoal it was cooking over. Nick's marinade was a success, and the baked potatoes and roasted sweet corn also went down a treat. The wine and beer were accepted by most of them, Cameron abstaining because of his meds, Colin because he still felt that he was far too young to drink, and Thad, on the grounds that today was his day to be responsible - which meant by implication that it was David's day to be so tomorrow. They all toasted Nick for his skills in preparing the feast, David for his skill at cooking, and Jeff for the venue. The sun was by now starting to set, and the lights began to come on around the pool; an automatic sensor turned them on when the light started to grow too dim as a safety precaution.

It wasn't long after that they all decided it would be best to move inside; admittedly that decision was influenced by the fact that Nick refused to bring dessert outside. As they came in, they all brought some of the dishes that they had used inside with them, each of them stacking them neatly in the dishwasher; they all felt that if they didn't, then Nick might refuse to give them any kind of dessert at all. Once this was done, Nick brought a stack of plates out, and placed them alongside forks and spoons; then he went to the fridge and brought out the cheesecakes and pies - well, some of them at least. He had already cut them into generous slices, and so people could just help themselves, which they all proceeded to do. Thad kept a watchful eye over them, just to ensure that no-one took away half the table.

The night ended with them all sitting in the lounge in a circle, playing a game of charades, after spin the bottle had been firmly ruled out. They then proceeded to sing some of their old standards, those well known tunes that they could all harmonise in almost perfectly even now. For their angelic guests, it was a chance to listen to the voices that they missed raised once more in unified song. The only problem was that with Cameron to consider, they could not join in as loudly as they would have wished to; he might not have heard their voices, but he would still feel that something odd was going on, particularly if Blaine had started to sing the lead in the likes of _Teenage Dream_ and _Raise your Glass._ What made the former lead soloist proud was the way that the others filled in for him. After that, a remarkably sober group of Warblers made their way to bed, all tanned, well fed and tired after a day of good company and fond memories.

The following morning, Sebastian met Skylar at Penn Station in time for the 07.22 train heading out to the island. It was not a direct train to Port Jefferson, but that was okay. As the train moved off and headed through the tunnel under the East River, they chatted away, both of them looking forward to the day.

"How hungover do you think that they will be?" Skylar asked Sebastian as they stood and waited for the connection a while later at Huntington station.

"Based on the normal at this kind of out of school, Warbler only house party, I think that coherent sentences might be an issue for some of them. We will have to tiptoe around for a little while, and we may even have to find a drugstore and get them some more Advil," came Sebastian's response, a smirk on his face.

"That is kind of why I stayed away last night. I hate feeling like that myself, and I am not the most sympathetic person towards others in that state. I will even admit that the morning after one big party in my senior year, when only Colin and I were in any fit state, I might have played the _1812 Overture_ full volume in the dorm corridor…" said Skylar.

"Now that was just cruel! Their poor heads with all those cannons and stuff! I don't suppose you have it on your iPod?" replied Sebastian with a grin, which made Skylar laugh.

Alighting from the train at Port Jefferson, they headed along with a horde of other people in the direction of the taxi rank, but then found themselves being hailed by Thad and Colin. "We knew what train you were due to be coming in on," Thad explained, "so we thought that given how many people head here on a nice day like today, it would be advisable for us to come and fetch you. This way, you might even get some breakfast." Both of the new arrivals were grateful that they had thought to come, as the queue at the rank was horrendous. They were also happy to see that at least two of their number were not nursing the hangover from hell.

The big shock as they drove up to the beach house was not the sheer beauty and scale of the place, but that from initial appearances, it would appear that none of their friends were suffering from an excess of alcohol the night before. They could hear music playing from the direction of the beach, and the sound of happy laughter was filling the air. Having escorted them inside, Thad and Colin headed off outside to join the others at the beach, leaving the two new arrivals standing beside a kitchen counter that had the remains of a buffet selection of bread and pastries laid out on it. Nick was at the stove, and greeted them both as he prepared fresh pancakes for them without even asking. He also produced a dish filled with bacon and scrambled egg that he had been keeping warm for their arrival.

As Sebastian began to help himself to the food, neither of them having had more than a plate of cereal before heading out for the train, he asked "So, Nicholas, did you forget to pack the alcohol when you were setting up the food and drink for this trip? There do not appear to be any dying ducks around here today; a Warbler party without a quantity of hangovers in the aftermath is unprecedented to say the least!"

"I did pack some, but maybe we are all just starting to grow up and be more mature; to realise that we can have fun without the aid of alcoholic stimulants. We had a good night all things to be told. Anyway, eat up the pair of you; there are burgers made up to be grilled for lunch, and I saved enough dessert for today too. Oh, and I believe that Thad and David have saved you both something special too…"

As both Sebastian and Skylar pondered what that could be, they heard a voice saying "Hey guys! Glad you could make it. As you can see, my husband has all of the catering well under control. Now hurry up and come and join the rest of us at the beach!" They had both turned round to see Jeff as he spoke, and now watched as he made his way over to his husband, gave him a quick kiss, then collected the ice he had come in for from the freezer. "Don't be too long - and that includes you Nicky!" he said as he headed back out the door.

As he left, Nick turned back to the two new arrivals. Skylar was frozen in shock, his mouth wide open and eyes bulging. As for Sebastian, he just had an eyebrow quirked. "So, would you like to explain about that?"

Nick smiled, and in a matter of fact tone said, "It kind of started off as a bit of skinny dipping, but it seemed to then morph into mild naturism. For the first time, the Warblers have gone clothing optional at one of their house parties…"

Sebastian chuckled, then laughed out loud at the fact that Skylar still seemed to be frozen in shock. "What can I say to that statement, Nick? The Warblers are all grown up now, and behaving more like adults than children. So half of us are now running around naked - so what? It's nothing that we haven't all seen before, in the main. Okay, so I am going to head down to the beach and join the guys; where can I go to get changed?"

Nick gave Sebastian directions to his own room upstairs, and he took off, leaving Nick with a still shocked Skylar. "Look, I know that this is a lot to process. You were expecting drunkenness, and instead you've got nudity. Admittedly, they often go hand in hand. So it isn't actually compulsory to be naked down at the beach; I'd say that it was about 50/50 split at the moment. It just kind of happened. The funny thing is that it was all started by David. There was some splashing around going on down in the water, and during the usual mucking about, he pulled down Flint's swim shorts in revenge for something, and threw them onto the beach… He did the same back to him, and that was how it all began. Let's face it - it isn't that abnormal really. I used to read the old history books about the school back at Dalton, and right up until the mid 1960s, the swimming pool at the school was strictly a no trunks zone. Apparently the swim team only ever wore trunks at competitions, and when they had a meet with the girls from Crawford County. My advice on how to handle the situation is quite simple; just go out there, be yourself, and keep your eyes up!"

"I'm not sure that will actually be enough, Nick," Skylar said in a low voice. "I've never been great with being naked around other guys, or them being naked around me. I used to hate games at Dalton, when we all had to use those communal showers afterwards. I used to go out and actually jog around the grounds for ten minutes or so after everyone else had headed in so that the showers would be empty by the time I got back…"

"Well, that gives you something in common with Seth. He was brought up with the notion that nudity was sinful, and as a result he was left horrified yesterday when everyone else was running around naked. I had a chat with him, and told him that when he was ready, I would support him. In the end, it is difficult to be the odd one out; in a way, being one of the few dressed people was worse for him. So, as I did yesterday for Seth, you can stick with me. I have no immediate intention of taking anything other than my shirt off. To be honest, I used to be very uncomfortable like you, but Jeff, he was always much more of an exhibitionist. Of course, the fact that he needed a nude model changed things for me," finished Nick with a smile.

Skylar nodded, and smiled a little too. Before he could speak, Sebastian reappeared, carrying a beach towel and a pair of swimming trunks. "Start as you mean to go on!" he said as he walked past, giving them a wink, before heading down to the beach.

"I just hope that he has remembered to use sun block," mused Nick, his brows knitted together out of concern for his friend. It was that look that made Skylar start to laugh; that and the total nonchalance about the fact that Sebastian was naked. As he heard shouted greetings and cat calls from outside, he knew that he had to face his own fears. He had to head out and join in with the fun the others were obviously having.

As he walked out, with Nick at his side, he followed the older man's advice, looking at faces as people greeted him, keeping his eyes well above the navel. He found a comfortable spot to sit down next to Seth, who welcomed his housemate warmly. Nick headed off to join Jeff, allowing Seth to regale Skylar with tales from the day before. His first words were simple. Do not accept any soda offered to you by David or Thad. When he explained why, Skylar had to admit that even the idea of a bacon flavoured soda made his feel nauseous. The subject then turned to the new dress code, and Skylar confided his worries in Seth.

"I was the same as you yesterday; I was suddenly seeing a lot more of these guys than I was used to, and I had a little bit of a freak out. But eventually, I calmed down, after a chat with Nick. Did he tell you about the naked Warbler group drawing that Jeff did, a few days before their wedding? It turns out that all of the guys that were in the group photo the year Wes was Head Warbler, that were still in contact, posed naked for Jeff to draw, and I'm including Wes himself in that of course. It was suggested last night that the rest of us could pose for Jeff to in the same state of dress. Colin and Edward said yes last night without hesitation, and I think that the older guys, the ex- Head Warblers, are also down for it, after he said that they could all pose with their respective gavels. It turns out that Wes did a pose like that for Jeff, just for a laugh, but now they are serious about doing it. Thad has even suggested he could pose again with Mr Bangy…. I think that Mitch and Cameron will do it too, which just leaves the two of us… So, if you do it, then I will. It could be quite cool to be immortalised in our youthful best by a well known artist, don't you think?"

Skylar was still trying to process the fact that there was a whole heap of drawings of naked Warblers out there, but just as Nick had said, being the odd one out was not an appealing prospect… "Well, I guess we could do it… I guess I just never expected to see the day that we'd end up in this situation! The Warblers were always so proper and dapper; now it seems that we are behaving a lot like a frat!"

"From what I've heard, a frat would be behaving much worse than this… Anyway, I think I'm going to go for a swim, and now that I've experienced the other way, I really don't want to be hanging around in wet shorts afterwards…"

Seth paused to let what he was saying sink in for his friend. Eventually, Skylar nodded, then stood up, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Well, a swim does sound quite appealing - and in the circumstances, getting my shorts soaking wet doesn't really appeal…"

Seth got up and stood at his side. "Okay then. On the count of three…" A few moments later, the two young men were charging down the beach and into the water, their shorts left where they had been sitting…

For the second day running, alcohol was more or less absent from the party. They swam, laughed and just lazed in the sun, enjoying the company of their oldest and best friends. The most hilarity came at the moment that Sebastian, who had not been given any warning, drunk down a mouthful of chocolate bacon soda; seconds later he was chasing David and Thad down the beach, threatening them with the direst punishments. They placated him eventually, and a glass of homemade lemonade was swift in removing the aftertaste. It was mid afternoon before the grill was lit once more, and David resumed his role as chef to cook the burgers, once more with an angel at his side. There was no repeat of yesterday's incident which had left them having to make hasty explanations to Cameron, as they were all being extra cautious. It did create difficulties, but nothing they could not overcome.

After they had finished their perfectly grilled and seasoned burgers, Nick brought out the last of the desserts that he had prepared, which were devoured with the customary gusto. After that, a clean up team designated by Thad took care of the mess, whilst the rest of them returned to the beach to soak up just a little more of the sunshine. After all, they all knew that the party would soon be coming to an end, and all of them had to make their way back to the places that they needed to be on Monday morning. Thad and David would be staying a few more days in New York, but the older members of their group had to head back to various cities for work. All of them agreed on one thing; the event had been a success, and they wanted to get together again as soon as possible.

The gathering broke up in the early evening; the time of the last ferry back to Bridgeport had to be taken into consideration for those heading back to Boston and Vermont. The time of the trains back from Port Jefferson to the city also had to be judged, as it would be a long journey back by taxi, not to mention an expensive one. Trent had to get back to Washington, as he had work to do for Burt the following day, seeing as Rory had been on duty all weekend. There was also the small matter of his work for college, which had become all the more important as he entered his final year. He would be joined in a taxi by Louis and Connor, who would be boarding the train at Port Jefferson with him to head in the direction of the city. They would travel together as far as Jamaica Station, where Connor would alight to catch the air train to JFK, where he would be catching a flight to Vancouver, where he had an important meeting scheduled on Monday afternoon. Louis and Trent would carry on to Penn Station and the Amtrak to Philadelphia and Washington respectively.

With the departure of the older generation, the party became more muted, but it did mean that they could all finally publicly acknowledge the presence of the angelic members of the group. "It's such a pity that Cam can't see you," Beats said to them with a sigh as the taxi disappeared out the gate. "We couldn't include you guys as much, and had to think on our feet, particularly when Blaine jumped into the pool."

"Yes, that was an error of judgement on my husband's part, but I think that we got away with it," replied Kurt, as beside him the man in question blushed.

"I think that Cam was just glad to be accepted back into his circle of close friends," remarked Wes, "even if some of them were acting totally out of character. I mean, David, chasing Flint and then doing what you did! That was a bit childish, even for you!"

As David bowed his head, Flint spoke up. "I didn't mind Wes. Dalton Flint would have been mortified beyond belief, but for me these days it wasn't a big issue. After all, most of the population of gay men in Princeton have seen me dressed like that…" Flint stopped and blushed as he realised how that sounded…

"As our only female honorary Warbler would say, Wanky!" quipped Sebastian. "It is true though. I think that it is a sign of how close we all are to each other and how mature we have become that we can run around naked with each other and not even bat an eyelid. If Warbler gatherings such as these are to be clothing optional from now on, then I have no issue whatsoever."

"I don't think that such a rule could apply to all of our gatherings, but I don't see that it would be an issue at the appropriate events," mused Thad.

"It was at first," Seth added, "but after a while you actually forget that you are naked. Once I got undressed, it didn't matter, as I was having too good a time."

"Plus it does mean no tan lines," remarked Skylar. "Of course, Sebastian will have to explain the absence of those to Dave when he gets home, which might well be an interesting conversation."

"Trent will have to have the same talk with Rory," Sebastian spat back.

"Oh, he might have done, had he not called Rory up last night and told him all about it," said Nick with a grin. "Tell me, Seb, did you call Dave…?"

It wasn't long after that conversation that a group of taxis arrived to ferry the majority of the guests back to the station for the train back to New York. David would be taking the wheel of the people carrier for the drive back into the city, and as it no longer had to carry a mountain of food this time, there was room beside him for a total of four passengers. Thus when the taxis left, they did not convey Thad, Nick, Jeff or Sebastian. As the others departed, Flint, Beats and Ethan had made a bet as to who would get back to the West Village first. The last task of those still at the house was to ensure that everything was tidy and secure, and then they got into the car and headed off.

They had barely left when Nick's phone rang. It was Trent, who told them that he was still in New York. He had been about to step on the train to Washington when he had been called by Rory. Burt had decided at the last minute to take a week's vacation before the election campaign became too heated. Having made the decision, an eagle eyed Carole had spotted a cheap last minute flight to Dublin, and Rory had used his contacts back in his homeland to source them a good hotel at a very low price. After all, they had promised last year that they would head to Ireland to visit Rory's Nana at home. Burt had not originally planned to leave the country during his week off, and he had protested at first. Then Carole had pointed out that a few days away would do them both a lot of good, and that Congress would still be there when he got back. Burt had seen that Rory was about to point out that he would be mad not to, and so he had given in. They were scheduled to take off from Dulles very shortly, and Rory's Nana was overjoyed they were coming.

Rory had hopped on the train to New York, and he would be arriving shortly at Penn Station, the two of them going to stay in the house that would one day be Mike's. The news that Trent would be in town was greeted warmly by all those in the car; with Thad and David also staying around for a few more days, it meant that the big catch up could carry on.

In the end, the people carrier arrived in the West Village first, triumphantly passing the others as they walked down from the subway. They accepted their defeat, and when told, were every bit as pleased as the others that Trent was going to be in town. Then they all headed their separate ways. The four youngest wondered what Luke and Duncan had been up to whilst they were absent. Beats went home to a very warm welcome from Elliott, who had felt lonely and bereft all weekend; he would remark about how much he liked the overall tan later on that night. As was to be expected, Jeff was greeted with distain by Caleb over his perceived desertion; at least until he was offered some of the tuna left over from the previous day's sandwiches, and suddenly Jeff was his favourite person in the world again. In Murray Hill, Sebastian confessed to his absence of tan lines the moment he stepped in the door, and his husband just laughed at the idea of all the Warblers running around bareass. The two of them enjoyed a quiet few hours together, although Sebastian did wonder how the big cast party he had not been invited to was going. Part of him was hoping that it was an unmitigated disaster…


	58. The Show Must Go On Part I

_So here we go, with the plot that will run up to Christmas. It always seemed it would be perfect for the boys, and I just hope you all agree..._

 **The Show Must Go On Part I**

The following Monday morning dawned bright and clear, the city basking in the sunshine. It was destined to be another hot and humid day, and so many people were up and about early so that they could complete those chores they had to do in the relative cool of the morning. As a result, the early morning trade at the Spotlight was brisk, as people heading to their work stopped in to pick up a coffee to go, or one of the breakfast sandwiches that had become something of a speciality. In the West Village a group of young men scattered between five houses had also woken early. None of them had any concrete plans for the day, as they had all anticipated that they might be recovering from a hangover they had earned at another epic Warbler party. The majority had agreed the night before that they would pop over to Nick and Jeff's for a spot of brunch, and then they could decide on some group activity; possibly a trip up to Columbia to see _The Judging Angel_ for those that had not seen in it person yet perhaps, and a must at some point for David and Thad.

They had still made no firm plans as they finished off the last of the food, and offered to help Nick with the clearing up. Jeff vanished, and returned with his portfolio case; the one that contained all of his sketches of his friends. He had come to the conclusion that the best way to get the four youngest Warblers to agree to pose for him would be to show them the drawings of the others; if they could see how sensitively he had drawn all of their older compatriots, then posing themselves would be less of a big deal. The others were equally keen to sit and revisit those images, from the sketches he had done for the big group drawing through to those that he had done solely for fun; the ones of Kurt with a halo, Blaine wearing only a bowtie, and Wes clutching his beloved gavel. Those three images made them all chuckle, and tempted most of the others to consider posing for him again. Jeff could see no reason why they couldn't either…

Across town in Murray Hill, Sebastian was also up and about. A Monday was normally his one remaining day he would definitely be working at The Strand, but he had booked a day's holiday, out of fear that he would be feeling like hell, and unable to leave a darkened room without wincing. Instead he felt fresh as a daisy, had a perfect tan, thanks he had to admit to all of Nick's nagging about sunscreen, and the house to himself. Dave had a coaching session to run over in Queens and so had left early, but they had enjoyed a very good night… It wasn't an issue, as it gave Sebastian a chance to start planning something for their wedding anniversary, because strictly it was nearly a year since that fateful night in Las Vegas…

His train of thought was disturbed by his phone ringing. He grabbed it, and on seeing that it was the theatre calling, answered it straight away, rather than allowing it to go to voicemail. He barely had a greeting out before he was interrupted by the voice of the show's director.

"Sebastian, please tell me that you are fit and well…"

Intrigued, he replied, "Never felt better if I'm honest. Had a relaxed day yesterday and now I'm just pottering around…"

"Thank God for that! I need you here yesterday! How long will it take you to get here?"

"I can be there in about half an hour if I walk fast enough."

"Don't walk. Get a cab. Charge it to the theatre. Just get here, Sebastian, ASAP. We need you to go on tomorrow in a named role, and we need to start rehearsing now!"

The line went dead at that, leaving Sebastian open-mouthed. He was going on… He was going on in a named role… He was making his actual Broadway debut tomorrow! In less than a minute he was outside, still pulling his jacket on whilst trying to hail a cab. There was no way he was going to let this moment pass…

By the time that he got to the theatre, he had calmed down just a little. Yes, he was going to be out there on stage, but it would still be in a relatively minor role. Yes, he would have a name, not just be third Mormon from the left in the opening number or something, but he doubted that he would be credited in the Playbill. He'd be lucky to get his photo on a slip of paper hastily shoved inside. However, it was still a foot in the door, a first step on the ladder to the stars. He was still going to be appearing on an actual Broadway stage in front of a paying audience.

After getting a receipt from the cab driver, he headed in through the stage door, and nearly ran in the direction of the green room; there would be someone there that could help him find the director, if he wasn't there himself. Sure enough, his good friend Jenny was sitting there, but he couldn't help but notice that she looked so sad. Before he could speak, she said, "So he called you too? I guessed that he would have done. The thing is, since he did, things have gone from bad to worse…"

Sebastian looked at her, and then on hearing steps, he turned to the door to see the man himself walking in. "Well, that was quick, but alas, pointless as it happens. When I called you it was still a possibility, but now, now it isn't. All of them! Every single Mormon in the cast struck down with food poisoning from that darn party! All of them off sick until Wednesday! I guess that we will just have to cancel the show tomorrow. It's not like I can find a whole group of young men, that can sing and dance enough to replace them overnight! I'm so sorry to have raised your hopes, both of you, but your Broadway debut has been cancelled…"

For a moment, Sebastian was frozen as his heart shattered. He had been so close to achieving something that he had always dreamed of - and then it had been literally snatched out of his hands. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right, but he was determined that he wouldn't burst into tears, however much he felt like doing exactly that right now. It wasn't the poor director's fault in any case; if all of those that had been at that party had fallen ill, then he had no option. After all, where on earth could he find a new group of young men that knew how to sing and dance…

That was when it hit him. He knew exactly where they could find a group of young men that could sing; a group of young men that were used to performing together; a group of young men who could learn the show's simple choreography fairly quickly and with a high degree of accuracy… In the back of his head a voice cried out 'Don't even try, Sebastian! He will never agree to that, not in a billion years.' But he had to try, as he had nothing left to lose by putting it out there, unlike the show. The cost of all those refunds would be well into the thousands of dollars, plus they would be the talk of the Great White Way for all of the wrong reasons. After all, when had a show been cancelled due to cast sickness before? In fact, had it ever happened before? The director had turned to go whilst Sebastian had been musing, and so he had no choice but to blurt it out before he left. "Sir, I think that I could find you a replacement cast for tomorrow night!"

The director turned round, and shook his head. "I'm quite certain that you could assemble a group of students from NYADA, Sebastian, but they would not have the benefit of months of working together. The show works because those guys are a team; a family so to speak. That can't be created in a day, but thanks for the suggestion…"

"Give me an hour. Come back in an hour, and I will show you what I can get you. Please, what difference will one hour make? It won't even be midday, so there will still be time to announce the cancellation of the show tomorrow night if you don't like what you see. What have you got to lose by giving me a chance to do this?" Sebastian stopped, and channelled his best puppy face, and waited.

"Fine. I will give you until midday; so an hour and a half to show me that your idea could work. However, if it doesn't gel with me then…"

"Then it is cancelled; just like that. I'm hoping not though," said Sebastian. The director nodded, then walked away.

"Are you crazy?" said Jenny. "He is right about the team thing…"

"Oh, I know he is. Which is why I am calling on a band of amateurs that I know very well. Jenny, my friend, I think it is time that you made the acquaintance of the Dalton Academy Warblers…" Sebastian grabbed his phone, and after a moment of thought, he decided to call Thad. It was a choice between him and Nick, as he knew that they had been planning a get together that morning. Thad had no sooner picked up his phone than Sebastian shut him down. "Thad, I need help. I need all of you guys to head down to meet me at the theatre right now. As one Warbler brother to another, I have a major emergency, and I need all of you, and I mean all of you, to meet me here."

"Okay, what kind of emergency?"

"I will tell you when you get here. Just come, and now. Once again, I need as many of you as you can get, and particularly Nick, Jeff and Trent. Actually, bring Rory with you too. Please just get here now!" Sebastian hung up, and as a bemused Jenny watched, he placed another call, this time to a fellow NYADA student…

At the table in the kitchen in Niff's house in the West Village, a shocked Thad tried to call Sebastian back, but just got a busy tone. He looked up at the expectant faces around the table. All the people he had named were there, along with Beats, Flint, Ethan, Skylar, Seth, Colin and Edward.

"What's going on, Thad?" asked David.

"I'm not entirely sure. Sebastian says that he has a dire emergency at the theatre, and he needs all of us there yesterday. I am certain by the tone of his voice that he does have some kind of crisis going on that needs all of us, as his bird brothers, to help him out. It can't hurt if we just go up there and see what is going on…." replied Thad.

"Well, it looks like we are all heading up to Broadway guys!" said Nick, and he began to clear the table, assisted at once by the others. They knew what they had to do. After all, Wes had always said that a Warbler had to help out his fellows in their time of need. They all just hoped for Sebastian's sake that his crisis was real…

Back at the theatre, Sebastian had made one more call after telling Mason to get himself down to the theatre right now. He called the Spotlight, knowing that Mike was working there on his final week of shifts. Five minutes later, with Michelle's blessing, the young man in question was also heading north to Broadway, his curiosity roused. Why after all did Sebastian need him, but none of the other honorary Warblers? As he reached the subway, it hit him; Sebastian must have finally got his big break, but needed some intensive help with his choreography - and that made him his first choice.

As the people that Sebastian had called converged on the theatre, Mike was the only one that had guessed what might be going on with any degree of accuracy, and even he was wildly out. He could not have anticipated the scale of the challenge that Sebastian was about to throw at him. His fellow Warblers still had no idea at all as to why he needed them all so badly. If they had, then quite a few of them would not have been heading to his aid…

Sebastian was left to pace the floor of the green room, resisting the temptation to bit his nails, a bad habit that he had had until he had found himself living in Paris, where other bad habits had presented themselves to him instead. Jenny had done her best to get him to sit still, to have a coffee with her and just chat over the mundane stuff they usually did, but to no avail. All that he had said to her in fact was that she had to be ready to play the part of Nabalungi, and to support the guy that would be playing Elder Cunningham with his part of the show. She had to admit that playing the lead female role was a dream come true, but unlike Sebastian, she was not prepared to get her hopes up. After all, what he was proposing just would not work, not in a million years. This was not show choir; it was one thing to sing a few songs together, and another one altogether to perform a successful Broadway show. Still, she had to admit that it wouldn't hurt just to run through those lines. It was all good training for the day all her dreams came true, and she was able to take that role…

Sebastian only stopped pacing when he heard the sound of footsteps, and Mason walked into the room, his cheeks bright red from having hurried at full speed across Manhattan. "Right, I am here Sebastian. What's the emergency? Right now, I see no fire, no dead bodies, no flood or even pestilence," he said breathlessly.

"Trust me when I tell you Mason that there is a big issue here, and you my friend are one of my best hopes at being able to resolve it to everyone's satisfaction," came his reply.

"Flattery will get you nowhere! What is going on…?" said Mason.

"That's what we would all like to know too," came a voice, and Sebastian's face positively lit up as he saw not only the speaker, Trent, but behind him the rest of his group of Warbler friends. "I guess you were stalling in telling Mason until we were all here. So, are you going to speak up now, or are we to expect more people?"

"No, pretty much everyone I need is here; there is still one person missing, but I am certain he will be here very shortly," said Sebastian. "Okay, so short version; this morning I got a call to come to the theatre as there were some issues with illness among the main cast. Implication was that I was about to be making my official debut on the Broadway stage."

"Whilst that is great and all, Sebastian," interjected Thad, "I don't think that classifies as an emergency worthy of summoning all of us here."

"If the Head Warbler would refrain from butting in, I could have told you all what is going on by now," snapped Sebastian. "When I got here it was to discover the issues were far bigger than they had thought. All of the Mormon boys were sick. They all got a nasty case of food poisoning at that party that I wasn't invited to…"

"Ha, ha, now that is what I call poetic justice," remarked Flint.

"Oh, it is, but it also put the kybosh on my big break. You see, you can't really do a show called _Book of Mormon_ without the Mormons, and as it stands, I am the only man standing that can play a Mormon. The only way that I can still get my big break on the Broadway stage tomorrow night is if I could find a group of clean cut young men who know how to sing and are not bad at performing a bit of simple choreography. A group of guys that have sung together in the past, happen to be free tomorrow night, and are likely to stick to their solemn oath that they took; that they would support their bird brothers in any endeavour in which they might come across difficulties…"

Sebastian watched then in silence as slowly, the penny dropped. When it did, it was to stunned reaction.

"Are you suggesting…" began Nick, who then stopped again as he contemplated the magnitude of the notion.

"The way that I see this, guys, is that it is really just like Regionals, but on a massive scale. A few more songs, a little bit more complex choreography. This is probably my only chance to get on that stage this year. I am therefore asking you, as my friends and fellow Warblers, to back me up and help me out…"

"Sebastian, this isn't just 'back up'. It is asking us to become something that most of us have never even contemplated - stars on a Broadway stage," said Beats. "It isn't just a case of three songs were most of us just back up the lead, not really. It is going out in front of a paying audience and baring our souls!"

"It's not that different from what you and Flint were doing in Princeton, Beats; you were just baring something else then!" Sebastian replied, then before either of them could protest, he carried on. "Look, this is how I see it in my head. Thad, we all know that you have the ability to hit and sustain a big note, just as Elder Smith does in the opening number. Flint, I see you as Elder Greene, who in the same song repeats the words 'Jesus Christ!' with too much enthusiasm all the time. I see my Niff as Elders Grant and Young, the two most adorable buddy Mormons. I see you, Mason, as Elder McKinley, not just for the obvious reason; you are probably the best dancer here, and the part calls for some of the most taxing choreography. As for Elder Cunningham, well that part is just written for Trent. He is a bit of a dreamer, the odd man out, but in the end, he is the one that saves the day… Look guys, we can do this… And before I forget, there is even a role for David. He was born to play this part; he would be perfect as the rebel leader that terrorises the community the Mormons are sent too. The role of General Butt Fucking Naked is his…"

The indignant look on David's face at that suggestion was all that it took for the laughter to start up all around the room. It made them all smile, but did not alter for one moment one simple fact; they were not aspiring Broadway actors. They were former Warblers, all occupied with the rigours of college, or about to enter the world of work. It was different for Mason and Sebastian; this was a career opportunity for both of them. It wasn't for them - it was a scary prospect, a move that could lead them subject to ridicule. Yet Sebastian had raised an interesting point; they had all pledged to help and support each other in all of their endeavours; it was just that going on stage in a Broadway musical had never been mentioned. In time, the laughter faded and they all turned to look at Sebastian again.

"I'm kind of begging you all here, guys. I know that this isn't what you want to do, or ever wished to, but it's for one night; one night when I get to live my dreams. This is my opportunity to show the world what I can do, given the chance. It might be a disaster, but it might not; and if it isn't, then it will help both me and Mason in the future. I will understand if you all feel that you can't do it, and I will not hold it against anyone if tomorrow night this theatre does indeed go dark. I promise you that. Please, though, just consider it. We can do this; the Warblers can show Broadway that the show choir judges got it wrong. We can prove that we are the best; I know that we can…"

"I'll do it." All heads spun round to stare at Trent, who had surprised Rory and even himself by the swiftness of his response. "Sebastian is right. We have always vowed that we would have each other's back. He needs me to sing with him so that he can get the limelight. I know a little about the show, and I am flattered, because he has basically asked me to be the other lead. I am guessing it is because the character of Cunningham is sweet, a bit misguided, and doesn't have quite as much dancing to do, which caters for the fact that I have two left feet. Yes, it will probably be the most embarrassing thing that I ever do, but so what? It will be fun, like it was back at Dalton…"

There were glances from one to another at his statement, and low talking.

"I guess that if Carmen found out that I had turned down an opportunity like this, she would never let me forget it," said Mason, his face coloured as he pictured her reaction. "It's just that Elder McKinley is such a big role, and he does a lot of dancing! I'm not sure that I could learn all of that choreography and be good enough at it by tomorrow night…"

He stopped as the door to the green room swung open, and Mike walked in. "Sorry, the subway got held up! So, what's the crisis?"

Sebastian just grinned as Mason smiled broadly at the new arrival. "You'd already thought about that problem, hadn't you! You arranged for the best dancer that any of us know to be here to tutor us!"

As Mike looked by turn both startled and confused, Sebastian nodded. "If any of you need a hand with the choreography, then I am sure that Mike will whip you into shape. So, I have got two; come on guys, help me out! As Trent says, it will be fun…"

Nick looked at Jeff, and his husband shrugged and nodded. "Okay, count the two of us in as well, Seb. On your head be it though!"

"I guess that it might be a laugh - and as Head Warbler, I should always be the first to uphold our values. Oh, what the heck! Count me in!"

"Well, if Thad is in, we'd best just get this show on the road," sighed Flint. "I don't think Beats or Ethan can decline now either…"

"True. We have been kind of railroaded into it, but we are both a little hurt that you haven't given us names!" replied Beats, which made them all laugh again.

All eyes now turned to David, as Trent quickly filled Mike in on what was actually going on, leaving the young ballet dancer shocked, but proud that he had been selected to help out. "Sebastian, please tell me that General whatshisname isn't actually…"

"No, David, General Butt Fucking Naked stays fully clothed," said Sebastian, trying hard not to laugh.

"Well, I kind of have to do it now that everyone else is, don't I? Well done Sebastian, you've got a cast…"

In the next twenty minutes, Sebastian quickly taught Trent the lyrics to _You and Me_ in one corner, playing the soundtrack album so he could pick up the tune. The others, with the exception of David, where all huddled around Mike, watching a video of the big dance number that was lead by Elder McKinley. They all paled initially, but then when Mike broke it down into it's component parts, they all suddenly saw that it wasn't that hard to do. The actual execution of the dance would be a bigger issue. Mason after all had no real experience of tap; Nick and Jeff had a little, having learnt from Mike. Yet after just a few minutes of patient tuition from Mike, the two husbands were flying through the closing part of the number, Mason between them, mimicking what Mike was doing to one side. Behind them the others stood in formation, watching at first, then tentatively joining in with the steps. As David watched from his spot next to Jenny, he had to admit that they looked okay for a first attempt. The thing was, would all their efforts be enough when the director came to make a first judgement…

Jenny had been watching the whole thing in relative silence, keeping a close eye on Trent naturally. After all, he was potentially going to be her onstage love interest if Sebastian's audacious plan came off. Trent had a good voice, and his face made her smile; he had that air of sweetness and innocence that in her opinion Cunningham had to have. As for the others, they all seemed to be good at the art of quick study then mimicry; and the big dance number in the show for the Mormons was essentially that. They all just aped the ones at the front for the most part. Bringing in Mike Chang was also a stroke of genius. She had heard all about him from Sebastian through their daily chats, and from what she had read about him online, Mike was a dancer with a real talent and flair. He also had the patience to teach these young men what they needed to know, and quickly.

Fingers crossed, Jenny watched as the hand on the clock slowly moved round to midday, and then, bang on schedule, the director walked in the door. His appearance could not have been more timely. Mike had just started the majority of the boys on a run through of the finale of the big number _Turn it off!_ and Sebastian and Trent started to sing through _I am here for you_. Jenny watched as his face changed. It had been grim, and resigned to the fact that tomorrow night, for the first time in five years, they would have to cancel a performance for a reason that was entirely under their control. Now he had a little hope. He had probably imagined he was about to stroll into a disaster area, but no, he could see that they did have the talent to perform. It might not be the kind of perfection that Broadway usually demanded, but to be fair, it wasn't the worst amateur production either. The dancing wasn't perfect, but with a little more time, he saw that it could be. The guy standing at the front, the proposed Elder McKinley, would fit the bill perfectly, and apart from the length of the hair of the blond guy next to him, the rest would pass perfectly as Mormon missionaries. Then there was the guy that was singing with Sebastian; he was pitch perfect, harmonising well with his friend, and yes, he had the look of a perfect Elder Cunningham. The moment that the singing stopped, he couldn't help himself. He applauded them.

That was the moment when they all noticed him standing there for the first time; the dancing stopped, and they all just stood and looked at him. Sebastian took a breath, then began to speak. "Well, I told you I could get you another cast, and here they are. These are the guys I sang with in my old high school choir, the Dalton Academy Warblers, with the exception of Rory and Mason - the guy at the front there - who went to our rival school. It was called McKinley High, appropriately enough. I should also introduce the guy that is patiently trying to get them perfect in the steps for _Turn it off!_ He is another McKinley alumnus; Mike Chang, who graduated top of the class from Julliard this year, is the newest member of the corps at the City Ballet, and seems to have a knack for teaching choreography…"

As the director listened, nodding, Sebastian realised what else he needed to prove. "I think now that you need to hear the others sing - Nick, do you think we could manage _Uptown Girl_?" Nick nodded, the others moved into formation, leaving Rory and Mason to sit with Mike at one side as the Warblers performed the number. What impressed them most was the fact that they knew Colin and Skylar had never sung it with them, but they still managed to find a part and harmonise in.

At the end, the director looked at them all, and said, "I must need my head examined, but Sebastian, you have a deal. It will be on record though that this entire crazy escapade was your idea. If it fails, then everyone will blame you; on the flip side, if it succeeds, then you can take all of the plaudits and deservedly so. Now, we had best do the formal introductions, and the names of the parts you intend them to play. After all, I will need to get the details to the Playbill people…."


	59. The Show Must Go On Part II

**The Show Must Go On Part II**

With the words of the director still ringing in their ears, the longest afternoon of the Warblers' lives began. Lunch was ordered and brought to them, all other plans for the day forgotten. It was quickly eaten, and then they were back to the business of learning their parts. The theatre's pianist had been summoned, and once he had got past his initial shock, he had settled down to play through all the relevant numbers with them, repeating each song until they had learnt it to everyone's satisfaction. That was the way that they had always done things back at Dalton, and it paid off. Mike had found himself sitting next to David, playing the doorbells for the opening number, in which Flint proved to them all why Sebastian had chosen him for the part of Elder Greene; the way that he said the words Jesus Christ, imbuing them with such a manic joy, had made both Mike and David burst out laughing. That had meant that they all had to stop singing, but that gave them all a chance to get past the initial giggles.

There was no real time for levity after all. It was late in the day before they all decided that they had to stop, but by that time, through hard work, they had learnt all of the songs that they were involved in, had made good progress in all of the dance numbers, and were feeling a lot less nervous about the whole thing. It had also helped that whilst the pianist had headed out for an hour, accompanied by Jenny, to fetch in some more food, Wes had appeared and taken charge; Kurt was soon helping Mike with the dance training, being a good critical eye, and Blaine had settled down at the piano to play for them, quite happy to repeat short sections repeatedly until they had it perfected. Whilst all of them had grown into their roles, Mason in particular had managed to embrace the part of McKinley as if he had been born to it. After all, he had realised that this was his big moment too. He had just finished his freshman year at NYADA, and he was going to be playing a big part in a major Broadway show, even if it was only for one night. His only regret was that his family wouldn't be there to see his moment of triumph…

It was a regret that he expressed on his phone to Roderick during a quick break to eat the food that Jenny and the pianist had brought back. They had all decided that they would not let anyone know the exact extent of their roles in the production, but Mason had to explain to his friend why he would not be able to see him for dinner that evening after all. When pressed as to why, all he said was that he was in rehearsal for an appearance on stage the following night, thanks to Sebastian. He rang off as quickly as he could after that, before Roderick realised exactly what that implied and start to ask more awkward questions. He was unaware that his conversation had been overheard by Ethan, who realised that Mason was not alone in his regrets. The majority of them would have their Broadway moment witnessed by any of their family.

Sebastian had taken a moment to call Julian at his office, just before he was due to leave for the evening. He had casually asked him whether he had any plans for the following night; when he responded in the negative, Sebastian had merely stated that he was going to be performing on stage, and would he like a ticket…

He had laughed as he was forced to hold the phone away from his ear as his big brother had squealed like a little girl. "Oh my God, Bazzy! You're going to be on Broadway. My little brother is going to be a bona fide Broadway star! Can I bring Isabelle? Have you told your mom?"

"Yes, you can, and yes, I did. She was just as pleased as you, only quieter… She would love to come, but she doubts whether she could get a flight. It's sad, but at least my big brother will be their to cheer me on in my little part…"

The tail end of that conversation had also been overheard by Ethan, and now that he had heard Mason's call too, he had time to think. For the first time in his life, he realised that he could help out by taking advantage of the family wealth he usually despised. He made a mental list of all the people that should be there tomorrow night; Nick's mom and grandparents; Jeff's mother, and his mom and dad; Beats' parents; Mason's sister and parents, plus his girlfriend Jane and Roderick of course; Trent's parents and sisters; Rory's brother and sister-in-law; and last, but not least, Sebastian's maman. He could get them all there; he had the means at his disposal. Always had, but had never taken advantage of it before. Now, for his friends, he would call the number on the card and request the use of the Mackenzie family jet. He would just need to get hold of a lot of telephone numbers on the quiet. Sure, he could easily get in touch with Julian and get a number for Sebastian's mother, but the rest might be tricky. Then it hit him - Roderick would know all of the numbers for Mason, and the rest he could obtain by calling one person at Dalton. Mrs Carmichael would know them all - and of course, she and her husband should also join everyone else in the audience. After all, they would want to witness Sebastian's big moment too…

The majority of the group finally left the theatre just after 9pm, heading in the direction of the West Village. Trent was not with them; he and Rory were staying back another hour with Sebastian; Rory was not singing, but he couldn't resist the chance to sit in the stalls and watch as his husband and Sebastian took to the actual stage to run through their numbers. Jenny was still there too, as she wanted to run through _Baptise Me_ with Trent. As they did, Sebastian jumped down to watch with Rory in the front row. He was exhausted, but his whole idea was paying off. It had been a mad notion, thought up in a moment of desperation when he saw his chance of an actual appearance on a Broadway stage being snatched away from him. It had worked, and he was increasingly confident that he and his friends would be able to keep a paying audience entertained the following night. His brother had faith in him, and so did his maman. Carmen Tibideaux, when he had called her and told her what he had done had been silent; then she had asked him for a ticket, and one had been reserved for her next to Julian and Isabelle.

He looked up now at Trent, singing his heart out with Jenny, and he knew that he had made an excellent decision there. It had been between him and Nick for Cunningham, but Trent's facial expressions were just the icing on the cake. It was getting late now, but in less than 24 hours, they would actually be doing this for real in front of a full auditorium. Suddenly, he realised with a start that there was one person that he hadn't shared his news with; one person that would understand it better than anyone. He hoped it wasn't too late to call… He dialled the number, and immediately had doubts over whether he should have done so.

Then it was answered. "Hello, darling boy! I was hoping that you would call; there is a wild rumour doing the rounds that a bunch of silly Mormons ate some off seafood, and as such will be unable to conduct their African mission tomorrow…"

Sebastian laughed. "I should have known that you would know. The rumour is true. I was the last man standing… That is kind of why I'm calling you. Do you recall that I told you all about my high school choir, The Warblers? Well, tomorrow, they are all becoming Mormons, and I am Elder Price… Too mad a scheme?"

"You want me to be honest? It does sound it, but I am sure that you will shine regardless! Of course, I will be there to cheer you on, and offer my support in whatever way I can."

"Really?"

"Yes, I would not miss it for the world. You can always count on your Auntie Bette…"

Everyone was up early the following morning, getting ready for another day of frantic rehearsal. More than one of them had concluded that the whole thing was just madness; with the best will in the world, there was no way whatsoever that they could pull this one off. They had no issues concerning the costumes though; after all, they all had a white short sleeved shirt at home, and Sebastian had suggested that they all should all bring their Dalton ties along with them, as he thought it would be a little twist. The only exception to the rule was David, but he had been assured that the wardrobe department, supplied with his sizes, would be able to sort him out so that he looked the part of a rebel leader.

There was one other issue; Jeff's hair. It was far longer than any Mormon would have it, at least whilst he was on missionary work. When it was tentatively suggested to him that he might need to have it cut, he had politely informed them that if that was necessary, they would need to find another Elder Young. Once again the wardrobe department had come to the rescue, and had sourced a wig that looked convincing, and that they could pull on over Jeff's own hair, as long as they piled it up and flattened it down above his neckline. It wasn't the most comfortable of arrangements, but Jeff was prepared to suffer it to keep his locks intact - and though he didn't say it, that kept Nick happy too.

As for Ethan, he had spent most of the time after he had returned home the night before making phone calls, apologising for the lateness of the hour. He had then made his offer, stating only that Sebastian was going to be performing on Broadway, but the chances were that the audience would be sparse, and he was calling round on his behalf to try and fill all of those empty seats. There were a lot of people that were quite surprised that they had been singled out to be asked. In most cases, people agreed when he pointed out that in essence what he was offering was a free trip to New York. All of his original mental list agreed to come, with one exception; Mr Harper had an important meeting the following afternoon, and so his wife would be travelling on her own. He had discovered that Roderick had been let in on the secret that Mason would be performing when he contacted him, and he had suggested a couple of other names for the list. Thus Will Schuester, Spencer and Alistair had been added to it, again not being told why they had been invited to come to the city. Roderick had been sworn to secrecy, so there was no danger he would say anything either. Ethan was glad that the company jet was large and that he could accommodate so many. There had even been one person that had asked if she could bring someone with her. It was a surprise, but he could see no reason why Sebastian's mom couldn't do so. He might have done had he been aware that the person she was bringing along was actually the first Mrs Smythe, Julian's mom…

On their arrival at the theatre, they had all handed their 'costume' to the wardrobe department, then had gone straight into rehearsal. This time was different as they were on the actual stage, and were doing a run through of the show from start to finish at the same time. There was more space for the dance numbers, and they were all able to find the spot in which they would stand in the actual performance. This was just a first run through; the rest of the cast would join them later to do a full performance. All they could do was practice. Most of the crew were in to assist, and they were pleasantly surprised; having expected the worst, they saw that in actual fact, these young men were good. Given how little time they had been doing it, they had picked things up surprisingly well, with the choreography almost flawless, although they noticed that there had been a few subtle changes, suggested by Mike, that made it easier for them to perform. Mike was no longer working alone, but was working alongside the shows own dance coach, who was impressed at what the younger man had achieved in such a short time. He could not fault him on his teaching skills or on his inspirational techniques. The vocal coaches had also come in, but conceded that they had very little to do, other than support the talented band of amateurs. Of course, that status had threatened to cause an issue with the actor's union; they had intimated that they would pull the plug on the show at one point, but a quick call by Sebastian and some words to them from his Auntie Bette had sorted it out…

It was around lunchtime that another group of people got their invites to the show that night. There had been invites delivered to the Spotlight for both Elliott and Michelle, but the latter had initially declined, not wanting to put an extreme workload onto Dani. After all, they were already having to cope with Jeff and Skylar being out of the picture that night, and she had also been told that Luke, Santana, Brittany and Sam were on the guest list. It was a pity, as Ollie Harwood had been invited, and it would have been nice to go with her boyfriend. On hearing this, Sam had offered to work, and let her go, and refused to take no for an answer. It would not be easy work that night, given that most of the Warblers appeared to have gone AWOL…

When Sam heard that Mme Tibideaux was also going to be at the show, he began to wonder what was really behind all of it. He guessed that Sebastian might be going on, but he couldn't quite understand why so many people were being invited to that. Just after lunch, Rachel called him, wanting someone to share a bit of gossip with. She took great delight in telling him that it was all round the theatres that one of the shows on Broadway had lost half of its cast to sickness, but had somehow managed to find a new cast at a moment's notice, and was going ahead…

That was the moment that Sam Evans put two and two together and got four. He said nothing of his suspicions to Rachel. When Sebastian phoned him half an hour later to ask if he could do him a favour, he also said nothing. He agreed to record what he wanted him to, and send it to him ASAP. He had laughed at the notion, but he was more than happy to assist. At the end of the call, he wished Sebastian all the best for that night, and hoped that he and all the Warblers would 'break a leg.' After a moment's silence, Sebastian had laughed, then told Sam he was good, and should have been a detective. Then he rang off, leaving Sam as the sole keeper of one of the biggest secret's on Broadway for years…

* * *

In no time at all, it was early evening. At the theatre, having performed their full run through with the half of the cast that had not been invited to the party, the group of young men involved were taking a rest and food break. Although they had never met, the two groups seemed to gel together almost at once; the numbers that they had to perform together just seemed to fall together, and by the time that they came to the finale, _Tomorrow is a Latter Day_ , it was as if they had been performing side by side for weeks. Mike had made some more changes to the choreography in conjunction with the dance coach; the alterations had not been hard to learn for any of them, but the end results still looked spectacular. It looked as if they had been achieved after months of careful rehearsal, not in just under half an hour. The director had breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the run through; yes, it was not quite as good and polished as the usual performance, but it wasn't amateur night either…

The amended Playbill had been delivered, but it would not be handed out to the audience until the interval, at the suggestion of Ethan. None of the others had understood at first why he had said that so vehemently, but they did see the point and agreed it was for the best; if people came in and saw that half the cast had been altered overnight, they might run for the door and demand an immediate refund. If they had looked at the inside of the new Playbill, they would all have been shocked but delighted to find that they all had a headshot; it was only on closer inspection that they would have realised where the majority of them had been taken… Again, it had been Ethan that pointed out to the director that for the ex-Warblers, Dalton would have a head shot of them saved on file, and that if he spoke to the school nicely, they would probably be able to E-Mail them across. If nothing else, the Playbill might be worth money in future.

As they all relaxed inside, trying to keep their nerves at bay, a procession of familiar faces began to line up outside. First to arrive had been Artie, with Kitty, Marley and Ryder. Their tickets had been hand delivered that afternoon with a note attached which said 'You don't want to miss this!' They had all had plans for the evening, but their curiosity had been piqued, so they set them aside. It wasn't often that you got free tickets to a Broadway show after all. Artie had gone so far as to download the soundtrack album, and had laughed for a long time… They had all kind of guessed that Sebastian had finally landed himself a part, but they were all a little concerned at the expense that he seemed to have gone to; after all, he had bought them tickets, and it wasn't as if they were particularly close friends…. "If he wants to waste his money showing off, then so be it!" Kitty had rationalised, "Never look a gift horse in the mouth and all of that."

They were soon joined by Santana and Brittany, and to everyone's surprise and delight, Puck and Quinn. The former had a week's leave, and had arranged that the two of them could spend a few days at the beach house in Port Jefferson. They had arrived on Monday night; that morning a courier had arrived with their tickets with the same note, and details of the train times that would get them in and out of Manhattan. It had seemed churlish to refuse, and they anticipated that a lot of their other friends would be there, so it was a good chance to catch up.

By the time that the doors opened to let them in, they had all spotted other familiar faces in the line; they had recognised Mitch and Gabriel, standing in the line with Luke, Duncan, Cameron, Flora and Elspeth. "Why on earth would Sebastian send an invitation to Jeff's mother?" queried Santana - then looked back down the line to see Séamus and Becca, which made her even more curious. It was too late to head back down the line and ask them why they were there; she just had to head in and take her allotted seat. It was only then that it hit her; there had been no sign of any of Sebastian's contemporary Warbler brethren in the line, and that was extremely strange indeed…

Julian and Isabelle arrived at the theatre just after seven, and joined the back of the moving line. A moment later they were joined by Carmen Tibideaux; they greeted each other warmly, then started to talk about Sebastian and what this evening would mean to him. "It will be a big deal for my little bro. He is going to be on a Broadway stage tonight, and no matter how small his part may be, that is quiet an achievement in my book," said Julian.

"I agree. Not many of my students have ever been able to claim what he will be able to," mused Carmen, not referring to Rachel naturally.

Once inside they headed to the bar, and were not surprised to discover that Sebastian had left word that their drinks were to be charged to him. Having collected them, Julian looked around the busy room for a place to sit - and froze as his eyes alighted on two familiar faces that he was not expecting. He knew that he had to go over to them, and that his two companions would follow…

"Hello Julian, how are you? This is quite the big night for our Sebastian…"

"Yes it is, and it is quite a big night for me too now… Carmen, Isabelle, I don't think either of you have had the pleasure of being introduced to Eloise Beaumartin, Sebastian's mother…"

Neither lady had, and introductions were made. Eloise engaged Carmen in chat, and that allowed Julian to move on to the lady that was with her.

"Well, I certainly didn't expect to be saying this tonight, but Isabelle, I'd like to introduce you to the lady that one day I hope will be your mother-in-law. Mom, this is Isabelle, the love of my life…"

Isabelle was as surprised as Julian to see his mother in New York. She knew the truth, that his mother was alive and well and living in Canada, not dead as he had been told by his father at the age of 8. Julian had broken down one night, shortly after he had moved to New Jersey, and had told her the truth, swearing her to secrecy. He had travelled to Montreal to visit her at Easter; she had not offered to go with him, and he hadn't asked. She knew that it was something that he had to do on his own. The first Mrs Smythe did not look as she had imagined though; she was far smaller and much more lightly made than her son.

"It's lovely to meet you at last, my dear. At Easter, once we had cried for quite some time at the pleasure of being reunited, he showed me all the photos of the most important people in his life; Peter, my grandson; Sebastian, his half-brother; and you, my dear, the love of his life. You are even more beautiful than you are in your photos. And of course, impeccably dressed, as befits the online editor of _Vogue_."

"He's kind of the love of my life too; well, after my kittens, Elvis and Presley. You have to get your priorities right after all," replied a blushing Isabelle.

"Quite right, my dear. I did catch a glimpse of them in one of the pictures that he showed me, and they were adorable."

"Well, if you aren't heading straight back to Canada, you could come and meet them. My apartment isn't that far from here, and after the show I am sure that you would appreciate a coffee."

"I would like that my dear; it would be a pleasure to spend a little bit of time with my future daughter-in-law. I think that it should be okay. By the same token, you will have to come up and visit me in Montreal soon; both of you."

Julian had been sitting quietly just listening until that point, happy that the two most important women in his life were getting along so well. "Well mom," he now said, "I am due some holiday, and so if Isabelle can arrange some time off, and more importantly a cat-sitter, then we will come and see you…" His voice trailed off as he saw who had just walked into the room and he paled.

"Are you alright, Julian?" asked a concerned Isabelle.

"No, not really. You see, most of the world thinks that my mom is dead, including the lady that has just walked in. I have no idea what she is doing here, but she is…"

Isabelle spun round to see who he was referring to, and then turned back, every bit as pale as her boyfriend. "Why on earth is Nick's mother even here tonight?" she whispered.

"I have no idea," said Julian, turning back to his curious mother. "Mom, that lady there is the campaign manager for a woman called Sue Sylvester in the upcoming elections. Dad is the campaign manager for her opponent, who just happens to be that lady's ex-husband. If she discovers who you are, then she will probably tell Sue, and she might expose the whole thing to try and smear Mr Duval by association."

"So if anyone asks who I am, then tell them I am your aunt by marriage; Eloise's sister. We have done that before now my dear, trust me. I will let her know, but in the meantime, someone should inform your half-brother that he has an aunt…"

Julian nodded, and taking out his phone, composed a quick text message to his brother, telling him to break a leg, and that by the way, if anyone asked, his maman had a sister, who had just happened to be visiting…

In the dressing room, the stress levels had started to build. Mason and Trent seemed quite calm, but that was largely due to the fact that they had swallowed a couple of herbal stress pills each. Nick was the one that had a sudden freak out, and was currently breathing in and out into a brown paper bag, whilst Jeff cooled his brow with a damp cloth. Thad was meditating in one corner, along with Ethan, Beats, Skylar and Seth; Mike was leading them in it, although he could feel his own stress levels building, and he wasn't even going on! David, Flint, Rory, Colin and Edward were in another corner, watching TV, and trying to pretend that the whole thing wasn't happening at all. Sebastian's phone buzzing made them all jump in the otherwise silent room. He grabbed his phone and read then incoming message, his brows furrowing as he tried to work out what Julian meant.

Jeff noticed, and asked, "Are you okay, Seb? It's not bad news, is it?"

"No blondie, I'm just wondering what the heck my brother means by something," came his reply, as Sebastian sent a querying reply to his brother out in the bar. The answer came back swiftly in the form of a photo, which made Sebastian gasp. "She's here! She told me she couldn't get a flight, but she's here! My maman is here!" he paused as he studied the picture more closely, ignoring the chorus of awws that echoed from around him. He couldn't tell anyone the identity of the woman sitting next to his own mother, but he could mention the woman in the background. "Okay, so now I can see that bizarrely, Nick's mom is also here…"

The brunet Warbler, who had just managed to put down the paper bag, grabbed it again, and started the breathing exercise once more, trying to calm down and control his new panic attack.

"I don't get it - why on earth would Mrs Duval be here?" said Trent, voicing what everyone else was thinking.

"That might be down to me," came a sheepish voice, "and she isn't the only parent or loved one that is actually here tonight…" All eyes turned to Ethan, wondering exactly what he meant… "I might have made a few phone calls; after all, this is a big deal guys! I knew that Sebastian had attempted to get his mother here to witness his starring moment, but that she couldn't get a flight. That made me sad, and so, for the first time in my life ever, I took advantage of my family connections to get a loan of the company jet, and arranged that it should go to Montreal to pick up your mother, Sebastian."

All eyes turned to look at Sebastian, and the younger man looked as if he was about to burst into tears. "So that's how she made it! God, Ethan, I don't know how I can ever repay you for this…"

"You don't have to; trust me, it's nothing Seb… The thing is, it is quite a big jet, and it seemed wasteful just to send it to pick up one person. So I thought to myself, who else would love to be here to see the moment that you guys take to the Broadway stage for, in most cases, the first and only time? So, as I said, I made a few phone calls. The first was to Roderick, who supplied me with a few numbers in Ohio. Mason, your sister and your parents are here…"

"Madison is here with mom and dad," whispered Mason. "That's scary, but wonderful too…"

"And Roderick organised things so that Jane is here too - and he asked me to sort out things so that two guys called Alistair and Spencer would be in the audience too…"

Mason just stared at Ethan, mouthing the words 'Thank you' whilst swiping at his moist eyes. Ethan needed no more thanks than that from the former New Direction, and he didn't mention the fact that one other person invited for Mason, Will Schuester, had been unable to accept. Ethan turned back to the others, and spoke again.

"Of course, as the plane was stopping in Ohio, it made a lot of sense to pick up a few other folks whilst it was there. So it brought the Carmichaels, Nick's mom and his grandparents, Jeff's parents…" - he paused and tried not to laugh as Jeff snatched the paper bag from his husband and took a few breaths from it himself - "and a few other assorted parents. It also made a second stop in Ohio to pick up your mom, Beats. Your dad couldn't get away to join her, but he does send you his love."

"My mom is out there? Like Mason said, that is scary but wond…" Beats stopped dead as Flint snatched the paper bag from Jeff and began to nearly hyperventilate into it. His best friend promptly hastened over to put an arm around his shoulders, and looked at Ethan in slight horror.

"There is no-one on there way here from Kansas, Flint. I would have invited your dad, but I knew there was no way he could get here without your mom, and she was a definite no. For similar reasons, I also did not include your mom, David." The latter smiled, grateful that she had not been included, given what he had to say later. "Of course, Flint, both Leo and Izzy are in the audience, so you do have someone in the crowd rooting for you."

"That isn't much better," said Flint, the bag now discarded, "but I guess that I can deal with them seeing me."

At that moment they all heard an announcement over the P.A. system that they had all known would come, but hadn't been looking forward to….

" _Ten minutes to curtain; all cast in the opening scene to their places please."_

There was a moment of silence, then Sebastian stood up, straightening his tie. "That's our cue, guys. We've got this thing. Let's go out there and sing and dance like we have never done before. This is for Dalton, and McKinley. This is for Wes, Blaine, Kurt and Finn. It's time for us to bring our unique and special talent to Broadway…"

They all filed out behind him, except for David, Jenny and Mike. "Do you really think that we can pull this off, Mike?" whispered David.

"If anyone can, it's you guys - but let's just cross our fingers and hope anyway, ok?" came his reply.


	60. The Show Must Go On Act I (Part III)

**The Show Must Go On Act I (Part III)**

In the auditorium, the friends and family of the young men in the dressing room had been gathering. Artie had been one of the first to be seated, and that meant that Kitty had been allowed in early too. Santana found herself and Brittany seated right next to Puck and Quinn, and she had one query the moment that they sat down.

"So, why is there no Playbill? There is always a stockpile of them for a big show like this, so what gives with the 'waiting for it to arrive' bull? My Mexican third eye is going into overdrive. Something funny is going on!"

Brittany looked concerned; Quinn just shrugged. Puck was about to say something when he suddenly caught sight of Madison with all of her generation of New Directions beside her - with the exception of her brother. "Right, so here's another funny one. Look over there, and ask yourself this - why is Mason AWOL?"

Three pairs of eyes turned to look over where he was pointing. "See! I knew that something funny was going on," hissed Santana. She glanced back to the entrance, then carried on. "Right, so isn't that the former Principal of Dalton walking in with his wife and Grace? And that's her mom right behind her!" Her voice failed her as she suddenly caught sight of the Sterlings walking in behind them with an older couple she guessed might be Nick's grandparents… It was then that it hit her. She suddenly recalled a snippet of conversation she had overheard back home earlier; a sentence that Sam had said to Rachel on the phone - _"But how could it go on with half of the cast sick?"_

"Oh, my, God!" she whispered to herself. It was bizarre; unlikely - but it did explain the absence of all of those young men… She looked back two rows to where Mrs Duval was sitting, just in time to see Grace introducing Carmen Tibideaux to her; then the latter made her way towards the box she was sitting in; a box where she now saw Julian and Isabelle sitting with two women, one of whom she had never seen before, but the other she recognised as Sebastian's mom.

She was about to blurt out her thoughts to the others in her row when she overheard Mrs Sterling speak to Mrs Duval. "I still have no idea why we were invited. I mean, I understand that Sebastian has a small part in the show, and he needed the support, but if that is the case, why is there no sign of our boys, and the others from Dalton?"

'They don't have a clue,' thought Santana. Whilst she was watching, she saw Elspeth appear, with Flora and a young man that she recalled had been at Dalton on her wedding day, but whose name escaped her. It was then that she decided that for once, she would not share her suspicions. She'd just leave it as a big surprise for the others…

There were now fewer than five minutes until curtain up. Behind the scenes a group of anxious young men waited patiently, all of them going through things in their mind, so that they would enter at the right moment and sing the right part in the big opening number, whilst ensuring that the choreography was also spot on. Nick had managed to overcome his initial nerves, partly due to the fact that Trent had slipped him a couple of the herbal anti-stress pills that he himself had taken. Jeff was pretty certain that it was just a placebo effect, but if it meant that his husband was less likely to throw up in front of the assembled audience, then it was all for the good. He himself had left the others, as he had a second role to play; he was also covering the part of Moroni, which meant throwing a robe on over his shirt and tie; it also meant that he had a very quick change to undertake, with literally a few seconds to discard it. He stood apart from the others as a result, and could observe as Flint seemed to be praying silently. At his side, both Beats and Ethan were aware that he only did that when he was feeling very stressed; they placed a comforting hand each on his shoulders, whilst saying their own quiet prayers.

Rory was holding Trent in a loose hug, all the time whispering "You'll be fine; you're a star and always have been."

"You too, my love," Trent whispered back.

Colin and Edward had formed a little group hug with Seth and Skylar, as they had done before Warbler performances in the past. Mason was quietly going through the words of his own solo performance later in the show; compared to that, _Hello!_ was a piece of cake.

As for Sebastian, he just stood in silence, eyes closed, right at the front, his hands tensing and untensing. This was it; his big moment. He had got all of them into this, and if it all went wrong, it would be his fault. It was too late now to turn back; the whole cast was counting on him. The people that mattered the most to him in the world were out there, waiting to catch sight of him in some minor part; he would love to be a fly on the wall and see their reactions when they realised that he was actually the lead…

In his box, the best in the theatre, Julian had started to feel nervous on behalf of his brother; his palms were moist, and his heart seemed to be beating twice as fast as it normally did. At his side, Eloise was feeling much the same. After all, today was the day that her little boy would finally realise his dream, and would be able to claim that he was a Broadway actor. It did not matter that he was only playing a minor part for one night only. He was going to be on Broadway, and no-one would ever be able to take that away from him. Those sentiments were shared by Dave, who sat next to his mother-in-law, feeling nothing but pride.

Isabelle, on Julian's other side, was making one final check of her phone before the show began; at her side, Carmen was doing the same. For her, this was a common occurrence. She had witnessed the day that one of her students made it here so many times before. She was pleased for Sebastian; she knew that he had the ability to make it here and become one of the greats, and if this was his first step to that, well it was a good one. He was going to be in one of the current top rated shows on the great white way.

There was still one vacant seat in the box next to her, and now the door opened and its occupant hurried in, apologising for her lateness. Carmen greeted her, smiling at the look of shock on the faces of Sebastian's mother and her 'sister'. The former hadn't quite believed that the alleged friendship had been true, at first, but here was the definite proof that it was. Bette Midler was now being introduced to his startled mother by Julian; Eloise could hardly believe that such a big name star was actually there, and that she had come to support her son. All that was missing now, thought Carmen, was a group of angels, but she was pretty certain that they had to be around somewhere. As if to confirm that, she felt a slight draught, and on looking up, she caught sight of Kurt as he flew high above the auditorium to sit on a convenient ledge that lay just below the upper level.

Then it was time. The usual taped message about not using mobile phones during the performance was played; but what followed was not on tape, and was certainly much more interesting….

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to tonight's performance of _Book of Mormon_. We hope that you will all enjoy the show - but first, we need to come clean. We have learnt this weekend that we should never let all of our mission brothers eat the same shellfish. The resulting food poisoning outbreak can be disconcerting to say the least, and can leave you seriously short of elders to fulfil your missionary tasks. In our case, half a cast short. Which is an even bigger issue when the half that is off are the half that play all the Mormons. Anyway, so we had two options; one, we cancel tonight's performance, or find a replacement cast of fresh faced inexperienced elders at very short notice. The former option was the sensible one, but as you are all sitting here…."

There was an outburst of nervous laughter at that, but for Santana it was the confirmation that she needed that her suspicions were correct.

"So, before we begin, we have a few cast changes to announce. The part of General Butt Fucking Naked will be played tonight by Mr David Thompson."

Santana nearly laughed out loud as he saw Quinn and Puck turn to each other in shock, their eyebrows raised. From the rows in front she heard a couple of "What?" statements, one of them sounding a lot like Kitty.

"The part of Elder Cross will be played by Mr Ethan Mackenzie; the part of Elder White by Mr Nathaniel Harper; and the part of Elder Greene by Mr Flint Wilson…"

Beats' mom, sitting with Elliott, Josh and Scott felt her eyes go moist, and Elliott quickly wrapped an arm around her, glowing with pride for his boyfriend. Nearby, Izzy and Leo looked at each other, then giggled like a couple of school kids.

"The part of Elder Smith will be played by Mr Thad Harwood…."

Ollie Harwood had only just sat down in his seat next to Michelle; he gasped as he heard his brother's name, then settled down in his seat. If his father ever found out that Thad was appearing on Broadway, he would go mad… He was almost tempted to get out his phone and call him right now. He would consider doing as much the moment the show was over.

"The parts of Elder Grant and Elder Young will be played by Nick and Jeff Sterling-Duval respectively…"

There were squeals of delight and disbelief from the spot in the audience where three mothers, a father, a sister and two cousins sat, as Duncan and Cameron just turned to look at each other, neither believing quite what they were hearing. In the row behind them, Gabriel turned to Mitch and whispered "Is this some kind of strange dream, or are the Warblers really performing _Book of Mormon_ on Broadway?"

Mitch chuckled, then said, "No, Gabriel, this is really happening. The thing is though, we all came here for Sebastian. If the guys are performing all of these smaller parts, then what is he playing?"

The same question was being asked by a stunned Carmen Tibideaux as she sat in the box high above the others; there were only three big parts for Mormons left to be announced, and she knew one of them would be a total miscasting for Sebastian. The next few moments would be pivotal…

"Joining us in the swing roles this evening are Colin Baxter, Edward Jamieson, Seth Kennedy and Skylar Willetts…."

There was a loud whoop of delight from the audience at those words, coming from one seat in the stalls, occupied by an instantly shy Luke, but the sheer delight of discovering that his four housemates were in the show, as well as his cousin Jeff, was to him at least a cause for celebration.

"The part of Elder McKinley will be played by Mr Mason McCarthy…."

Once again the words were greeted by gasps of shock, small whoops of delight, and tears from his girlfriend, sister and mother. Roderick could feel his whole face being taken over by a massive smile of sheer delight, overjoyed that his best friend had made his goal of being on Broadway after just one year at college in the city. Nearby, Kitty mused "Of course, he is perfect for the part, given the surname." Her words got a smile from all the other New Directions alumni within earshot.

"We welcome a second couple to our cast tonight. Mr Rory Nixon takes a role in swing, whilst his husband, Mr Trent Nixon, will play Elder Cunningham…."

At the mention of his brother's name, Séamus wanted to holler with delight, but he didn't; he couldn't even call up his Nana, or Burt and Carole, as all of them would be sound asleep over in Ireland. He had to be content with smiling broadly at Duncan, who had spun round in his seat a few rows in front the moment that he had heard his first cousin's name. As for Trent's family, they were in shock. None of them had ever imagined Trent appearing on a Broadway stage. Then again, they knew that he was the kind of person that was always around to support his friends, so if he had been needed, then he would have gone to any lengths to be there.

Meanwhile, up in the box, Carmen had met Bette's eyes at the moment that Mason's role had been announced. They both knew what part Sebastian had now, and although Bette had been expecting it, she had kept silent, meaning it was a massive, but nonetheless pleasant shock for Carmen…

"The part of Nabalungi will be played tonight by Miss Jenny Garrison; and finally, the part of Elder Price will be played by the only one of our normal ensemble that had the good sense not to eat the seafood, Mr Sebastian Smythe."

As the announcer went on with a few more details, Julian turned to Carmen and asked quietly "Is that a good part?"

"A good part!?" exclaimed Bette on his other side. "My dear boy, Elder Price is the lead. Tonight your brother isn't just becoming a bona fide Broadway actor; he is becoming a Broadway lead…"

"Bette is right," added Carmen. " He has the biggest role in the entire show; I have faith in him, and I hope that it is justified. After all, if he can pull this off… The part young Mason is playing is pretty major too. I just suggest that we all cross our fingers and pray this all works out for the best…"

She said no more. As the others in the box still took in the news that their son, brother and husband had really made it, the house lights dimmed, and the show began with a clarion call. The opening sequence drew a few laughs, some of them down to the fact that they all recognised Jeff standing there, taking a small but significant part. Then it was time for the main event. Sebastian walked out to the centre of the darkened stage to stand on his spot, Nick and Flint right behind him to take up their marks. In the wings, the others waited for their cues from the stage manager. Sebastian's own was quite simple and that night it would be delivered by David. At the nod, he pressed the button, and the sound of a doorbell rang out around the auditorium. That was the cue for Sebastian to sing the first line of _Hello!_

By the end of the song, the audience had taken all of them to their hearts. They had all laughed at Flint's impatient, overeager persona, and the way he said the words "Jesus Christ!" with such gusto. Jeff's faux military persona for Elder Young had made them all smile. The layer of camp that Mason had placed on his performance made them all chuckle, but it was his hissed "Have fun in Hell!" and his subsequent scolding by Nick and Jeff that got them a bigger laugh.

That laugh was dwarfed by the one that was given to Trent on his entrance as Cunningham, when he uttered the immortal line "Do you want to change religions and have a free book written by Jesus?" So loud was the laughter that they had to hold the song until it died down. Then Thad proceeded to blow them all away with his enthusiastic rendition on the word Hello, sustaining the note long and loud, his pitch staying perfect. If the applause that came at the end of the song was anything to go by, then they had got the audience on side by the end of it. They had made a good start, but there was a very long way to go until it was time for them to take a bow. The next song was just about to begin, and it was an even bigger challenge. It had far more complex choreography, and worse still, pretty much all of them had a solo in it…

From the audience's point of view, _Two by Two_ was a triumph. For those that knew the young men on the stage, it was hysterical for even more reasons. After Seth had told Sebastian that he was best Elder that the centre had ever seen, leaving Santana to wonder just how unbearable he was going to be after that kind of praise, Sebastian burst into song, the lyrics making them all laugh. When he was replaced by Nick and Jeff, paired together on their mission, their facial expressions and antics made them all smile; Beats and Thad then nearly stole the show with their gung ho attitude towards France. Then the focus returned, via Ethan and Flint's short section on Japan, to Sebastian once again, this time singing about his favourite place in the world, Orlando.

"I don't think that is true for one second," hissed Julian, much to the amusement of those around him; they were then reduced to hysterics at his facial expressions when he discovered that he was being paired up with Elder Cunningham, and worse still, he was off to Uganda.

The look of disbelief that he gave Trent after his character's line about how Africa was just like The Lion King, made them all laugh out loud, although Quinn turned to Puck and whispered, "It looks like this was easy for him; after all, this is just the return of the old snarky Sebastian we knew in high school…" Her boyfriend could only nod in agreement with her justified sentiments.

The next song, _You and Me (But Mostly Me)_ was well received too, but only those that knew the full history of everyone involved in the show could understand why there was such hilarity from one part of the audience when Santana remarked, "Who knew that there was a song in this musical about Rachel Berry, and her attitude back at McKinley…" The laughter that came from those of her friends in earshot was not out of place, but it lasted far longer than that of those around about them.

The reaction to that song paled however in comparison to the reaction to _Hasa Diga Eebowai._ The initial words left them all slightly shock; the reference to female genitalia left Puck choking on a peanut he had just eaten, and Kitty staring open mouthed in shock; at her side Artie, who had of course made a point of listening to the soundtrack album, had known what was coming and seemed much less perturbed. Still, even he had to laugh out loud at the look on Sebastian's face when Elder Price was told what the words actually meant, and Trent's "Am I saying that right?" almost immediately afterwards had them in stitches, as did his reaction when Cunningham was told exactly what he had just said thirteen times… True, the older generation was in shock at the song, but none of them moved. The words might be shockingly awful, but the acting was priceless.

The next number was one that would stick in the memory of all of them. When Mason had agreed to take on the role of Elder McKinley, he had balked at the responsibility of carrying his big number, nearly suggesting that someone else should take the part in his stead. Now though, having practiced it over and over for hours, and having had a lot of one on one coaching in the choreography, he finally felt ready. He still discretely crossed his fingers before they started. _Turn it Off!_ came as a bit of a surprise to everyone, not least to Mason's parents, Madison, Jane and his other contemporaries. It was a simplistic song in terms of idea, but Mason had put his heart and soul into the performance. To back him up, the others had given it their all too.

When Jeff launched into his solo part, singing about his mom being abused by his father, it made them all feel so sad, Jeff conveying the emotion so well. The idea that he could then just turn off those feelings was totally ridiculous. It was also just a little bit too close to home for Elspeth, who shed a few tears… Nick's following solo, about having a dancer sister with cancer, made them all gasp, particularly at the cavalier way his character had headed to the Apple Store - but then his line about his sister's final words, although completely predictable, made them all laugh out loud.

It was Mason though that would steal the show with his lines about Steve Glade, and the very idea that he could just switch off those kind of feelings was even more absurd. After Sebastian had pointed out that he could have those feelings as long as he did nothing about them, they couldn't help but laugh at the fact that as they sang about how wrong that was, Jeff was crouched down in front of Sebastian and was now right at the height of his crotch, which made Santana guffaw at the implication. It surely couldn't be any better was the general consensus…

Artie would later remark that he would now expect all of those deeply earnest Mormon missionaries they saw on the street from time to time to burst into a song and dance number at any point. This was the big one, the tap number that they had all dreaded. It was clear to them all that Nick and Jeff were the most proficient as they flanked Mason, but he was not bad himself as they worked together to set a rhythm. Behind them, Beats, Flint, Ethan, Skylar and Thad were less certain, but they were convincing. When the lights suddenly went out after a handclap, and the auditorium was plunged into darkness, there was initial confusion. When they went back on at the next handclap, then off again at the next, there was laughter as they all realised that it was not some badly timed technical failure but a part of the routine.

When the lights came back on again, they all roared with laughter, the young men on the stage with the exception of Trent now all wearing bright pink sequined waistcoats over their shirt and tie combo. This included Sebastian, who was now dancing with the others, in perfect time. The laughter grew louder when the music stopped; the look on Sebastian's face as his character wondered how the heck he had ended up dancing in sequins had them all shaking their heads and howling in delight. When his conversation with Mason lead to the latter telling him to imagine his brain was made of tiny boxes, and that he should find the one that was gay and crush it, the way Mason's face went manic, and how he screamed out the words "CRUSH IT, OK!" had the song stopped as the whole audience roared with delighted laughter.

When Elder Price pointed out he wasn't having gay thoughts, and Cunningham yelled out "Alright, it worked!" they howled with laughter again. That was the cue for Sebastian to step aside, and let the others finish their number. It had all of their friends in the audience tapping their feet, and Artie even joining in on the words, much to Kitty's bemusement. The finale came, and the whole auditorium was filled with deafening applause, leaving Mason blushing bright red; the bows that his character took as part of the number had never seemed more appropriate than they did at that moment.

By the time that the interval came, the atmosphere in the theatre was electric. Those that had heard the long list of substitute names being read out and had been dreading that the whole production was going to be a disappointing mess could not fault any of the young men involved on the stage. Yes, it wasn't quite as slick and polished as the usual production, but the little slip ups had, if anything, added to the realism rather than caused a disaster. When Trent had sung _I am Here for you_ to Sebastian, Puck had burst into tears, which made Quinn roll her eyes as she smiled, and then hand him a tissue from her purse. Moments earlier they had all been in hysterics after Mason, having wished the other two a goodnight, had closed the bedroom door behind him, and had then tapped his way off stage as Sebastian raised his eyebrows. They had laughed hard again as Sebastian had sung his way through _All-American Prophet,_ but Trent had stolen the show as the confused Cunningham, who had embraced what Price had said about it being like an infomercial a little too much. His lines comparing the Book of Mormon to _The Return of the Jedi_ and his final incentive to join now and get a free set of steak knives had them all howling, and Sebastian's Elder Price just staring in disbelief.

Then of course there had been the incident with the General; yes, it was terrifying, but there was the moment of light relief. As Price related what had just happened to the other Mormons, and they all started screaming and wailing in horror, Nick suddenly stepped forward, yelling "Guys! Guys!" and had then pulled on an invisible light cord. The sudden cessation of the noise and the collective sigh of relief from the others made the audience laugh all over again.

After Trent had sung his first solo number, _Man Up_ , the lights came back up, and the interval began. The applause had continued for a few moments after the curtain had fallen, and then people had started to get up to stretch their legs or use the facilities. Up in the box, Bette turned to the others and stated "That boy is a star in the making! I knew it the moment that Sebastian bumped into me; he just had that quality. But it isn't just him; the young man that is playing McKinley is just a complete joy too…"

"I have to admit that my two students are certainly proving themselves worthy of their NYADA spots tonight, particularly given the fact that they haven't had that much time to rehearse for the show properly. However, all of them are good; all of them are convincing me that they have been doing this for years. The young man playing Cunningham is wonderful, and the choreography is just perfect," added Carmen.

"Now that would probably be down to a young man called Mike Chang," remarked Isabelle. "I believe he might have been here since the first moments too. If that is true, then not only has he just earned himself a spot in the corps at the City Ballet, but he is also showing that he can teach choreography effectively in hours. I hope that someone notices that not only can he leave people breathless with his own ability, but he can inspire others too…"

At her side, Julian sat in silence, turning to look at Eloise, and seeing in her face that she felt the same way that he did at that moment; full of immense pride in Sebastian, and of satisfaction that they had been there to witness the moment their brother and son respectively became a star on Broadway.

The rest of those that had been gathered to witness this moment by stealth were sat in the auditorium still, in equal amounts of delight. Mason's family and friends were in a mixture of elation and disbelief. He was the subject of much of the conversation in the seats around them, and all of what was being said was good. His parents had always been supportive of his dreams, but had never imagined that something like this could happen so quickly for him; he had only just finished his first year at college after all. Roderick had sent a text to Mr Schue at the start of the show, and might also have broken every rule in the book by actually filming discretely on his phone as Mason had performed his big number, missing only the very first few words. He had sent the footage on to Will, and five minutes later he had received a response; firstly, telling him off for filming it, but secondly being ever so glad that he had. He expressed how delighted and proud he was of the young man that he had taught so recently, and asked that Roderick pass on his best wishes, and those of Emma and Coach Bieste, as soon as he had the opportunity to do so.

Grace also switched on her phone as the interval began, and was slightly surprised to see a message from Cooper. She opened it and read 'Wild rumours circulating that BoM has cast issues; bunch of new amateurs on stage! What's going on?' She smiled, then replied 'Seb is Price, Mason is McKinley, Trent is Cunningham. All other Mormons are Warblers tonight. It is working so far…' A moment later she got a text back, filled with his delight for them, and his disappointment at not being there to see it for himself.

As she read it, she heard a squeal of delight from the front row, and saw Kitty pointing out something on the cover of the Playbill she had just been handed out to Artie. She was left extremely curious until the moment that her own copy was passed to her; then she saw what it was and smiled. The usual image for the show was on the cover, but with one subtle difference; the Mormon boy had a Warbler pin on his shirt. She just hoped that all of those backstage would receive a copy, but just in case, she begged a couple more copies from the usher…


	61. The Show Must Go On Act II (Part IV)

**The Show Must Go On Act II (Part IV)**

In the dressing room during the interval, the atmosphere was now completely different from earlier. All the doubt and uncertainty about whether they could do this or not had ebbed away. They had done half of it now, and it hadn't been bad at all; in fact, as they had walked back to the dressing room, they had been applauded and cheered by the backstage crew. There were drinks and snacks waiting for them, to give them the energy to get through the second act, and ample chairs for them to collapse into with gratitude. Phones were quickly checked, and faces lit up around the room as they read the messages of praise they had received from those in the crowd, which in turn lead to much thanks for Ethan for his work in getting them all there.

Sebastian received a message as they all sat and availed themselves of the refreshments. It was from Cooper, informing them that they had the best wishes of himself and the entire cast and crew over at _Kinky Boots -_ and an offer that they could come and take over their show one night next week. He read that last line out to his friends, a smile on his face, and burst out laughing when their response was a unanimous "NO!" from every corner of the room. The mood was jovial, and it got all the more so when the door was opened and a massive stack of copies of the Playbill was delivered. They had paid no heed to them at first, but then Mike, invited in as part of their gang so to speak, had picked one up and spotted the pin. Then he had difficultly missing all the hands that were suddenly grabbing for a copy. The initial delight was made more so when Nick opened his up and gasped as he saw that their photos were inside. It was a mystery for only a moment as to where they had come from, as they all saw the blazer and tie, and knew that Dalton had supplied them, except in the case of Mason, who realised that he owed a big thanks to Roderick for supplying his…

The announcement that the second act was about to begin came all too soon for the young men in the dressing room, but for the vast majority of them this time, it did not mean an immediate return to the stage. They did have to contend with a costume change though for the Mormon's next big group number in some cases, but for others it was to appear as a very different character indeed. The audience settled back into their seats, the lights dimmed once more, and the show began once again.

The first song of the second act was another solo one for Trent, who proceeded to sing _Making Things Up Again_ with all of the sincerity and keenness it deserved. The words that he was singing were funny enough in itself, but then one by one the other Warblers began to appear in supporting roles. Thad, Flint and Beats dressed up in robes to play Elder Cunningham's conscience, wearing really awful wigs, which earned them a laugh; when Skylar and Seth appeared next, in appropriate costume, as a pair of hobbits, there was an even bigger laugh, and virtual hysterics from some sections of the audience. They might have dressed Skylar up in his own Dalton blazer and that, in combination with his school tie and a bad perm wig, made Santana and Puck look at each other, and exclaim "Blaine!" at the same moment, before the two of them burst out laughing.

Ethan had drawn the shorter straw and had ended up in a full Darth Vader costume, but at least no-one in the crowd would know that it was him until later. The highlight for those in the know came right at the very end though, when Yoda appeared. The person under the cloak was Colin, crouching down and saying nothing; the voice that they all heard was unmistakable. There were puzzled looks exchanged amongst their friends in the auditorium, as the voice they heard was definitely Sam's, but they knew he was working at the Spotlight… In the wings, Sebastian grinned, eternally glad that he had known someone that could get that voice so spot on. When it came to vocal mimicry, Sam was the expert, and he had been only too happy to help out when Sebastian had asked by letting him record him saying the words "Making things up again you are" down the phone earlier that day…

Then the focus shifted back to Sebastian, to his big number; the solo performance of _I Believe._ His facial expressions had the audience in stitches before he had even sung his first note. They had only just got over the delightful mess that was _Spooky Mormon Hell Dream_ , although several of them had not known where to look during that number. Those expressions, combined with his powerful and convincing singing of the lyrics had Julian's eyes moist, and Eloise's heart nearly bursting with maternal pride. Carmen's face was a picture, as once again Sebastian proved to her that the faith she had in him was more than justified. He was, in her opinion, doing the song better than Andrew Rannells had at the Tony Awards…

The next shock for the audience was when David appeared once more as the General. The look that he gave them as Sebastian burst into his camp and sang his heart out was wonderful, but when he uttered the line "What the f*** is this?", all those in the audience that knew him gasped with shock. After all, none of them had heard David swear, ever. The blank look of anger that he kept on his face as Sebastian grabbed his hand and forced him along beside him had them all grinning - and well, when they proceeded to drag Elder Price away at the end of the number, they could all see why he would have done it…

The action then cut back to Elder Cunningham, who was being asked by Nabalungi if he would baptise her into the church. The subsequent song, _Baptize Me,_ was so chock full of innuendo that none of them quite knew where to look; it wasn't helped by the fact that Trent was going all out to make what was actually quite innocent into something bordering on smut. The performance did earn both him and Jenny a long round of applause afterwards. Shortly thereafter, Sebastian reappeared; that he was up on all fours on a hospital gurney with a pained look on his face made them all start to wonder, but then the fake X-ray was shown behind him, which appeared to show a copy of the Book of Mormon lodged firmly up his… Everyone shrunk in their seats as Santana howled out loud at the thought, barely able to contain herself; at least until Brittany slapped her on the arm, and told her off for being so cruel to the poor birdie. I mean, it was funny, but not all that funny after all…

The Mormon's group number, _I am Africa,_ gave them all the more reason to laugh; it was pretentious and contained some wonderful lines. As on the side of the stage Sebastian drowned his sorrows with forbidden coffee, his friends sang their hearts out. The fact that as they sang about the animals of Africa, Nick pointed across at Sebastian as they sang the word "Meerkat" made them all chuckle; Trent comparing himself to Bono made them all howl again. In the end though, it was Flint that stole the show with his face as he sang the line "A tribal woman that doesn't wear a bra." He made his eyes bulge, his mouth drop open and something akin to a leer appear, which had them all laughing out loud. The applause was loud once more, as they moved towards the climax of the show.

That came in two parts; firstly when the Ugandans put on their show for the senior Mormons, at which a dishevelled Elder Price was in attendance with an increasing horrified brethren as the full extent of Elder Cunningham's story telling came out in the open. The ideas he had expressed had been ridiculous before, but now that they were being expounded once more in full song - well it was just too much. It was the look of total faith in all that they were singing about that made it funnier still. It turned out, of course, that the locals knew that none of it was true; it was all just a set of metaphors that Cunningham had used to convince them to come over to his church. It did mean that the Mormons were condemned by the senior figures, and dismissed from their mission…

Worse yet, the General arrived and threatened to kill them all; this time though, Elder Cunningham stood up to him, and made him flee when he threatened to have him turned into a lesbian… Santana stopped laughing at that line, glowering at Puck as he laughed; she would have to have words with people about that one later. Then, it all came to a satisfying close; Elder Price decided that they were still all Latter Day Saints, despite all their faults - and the fact that he no longer believed in God. He agreed to stay in Africa with Cunningham, as after all, he was his best friend - a line that Sebastian delivered with such pathos and sincerity that there was a chorus of "Awww" from every corner of the theatre.

The rousing finale to the show, _Tomorrow is a Latter Day_ showcased the vocal talents of the entire cast. The former Warblers went for it with vigour and enthusiasm, performing as if this was their number to win Nationals. They mixed with the long term cast as if they had been doing this number together for years, not as if they had been doing it for less than nine hours. Then they came to a vision of the future, a reprise of the initial _Hello!_ but with the Ugandans taking the parts of the missionaries. David once again slew them all with his lines; if "Hello, I am Elder Butt Fucking Naked" had been funny, then his next line "Did you know that the clitoris is a holy, sacred thing?" made them howl, delivered as it was with such sincerity. Santana could only nod in absolute agreement with the sentiments that he expressed…

And then it was all over. The applause was deafening as the cast came out to take their bows, and the noise seemed to grow as they made their way out in small groups. Jeff had them all in stitches when he appeared with Thad on one side, and Nick on the other, but with Moroni's halo shining above his head… By the time that Mason came out, half the audience was on their feet, as the young former New Direction positively glowed with the adulation. Then Sebastian stepped out, with Jenny on one side and Trent on the other, and the noise was deafening. It was a standing ovation, punctuated by whistling which Sebastian knew was coming from none other than the Dean of NYADA, and quite possibly from his Aunt Bette. They knew, as did everyone else, that some new stars had been lit on Broadway that night, and one of them was called Sebastian Smythe. Everyone knew one thing; it was deserved, and they couldn't have been happier for him.

Returning to the dressing room felt like an anti-climax in some ways for all of them. They had only agreed to take part to help out a friend in the need, but the nerves and doubts which had plagued them all to some degree had been wasted away by the tidal wave of acclimation that had rolled forth in a tumult of laughter and applause. The crew had been waiting to high five them all as they walked past, into the backstage areas were the noise from the auditorium carried through. Once back in the dressing room they all sat in silence until Sebastian, the last of them to leave the stage, walked in and shut the door behind him…

Then the room erupted with cheers of their own for the young man who had brought them all to this point; the person that had set them on a dark and unfamiliar path, but had lead them onto the great white way, and then ensured that their names would be recorded in the annals of Broadway for posterity. Sebastian, blushing madly, held up his hand, and they all fell silent. "Well, I think they liked it…" he said in a quiet voice, that made them all burst out laughing.

"Like it?" exclaimed Thad. "They loved each and every minute of it, especially the performances given by you, Mason and Trent! You three are absolute stars. People are going to say that Trent is in the wrong job; that he should be on the stage, not hiding away in politics. At the very least, every musical society in Washington DC is going to want him and Rory for that matter as members." Trent blushed as beside him, Rory nodded in complete agreement. "Mason was wonderful, and I had a hard time keeping a straight face. For someone that had never even danced a tap step before yesterday, he did one heck of a job leading the rest of us amateurs. By the way, I think that song will echo in my head for months to come, and well, I might even try to learn a bit of tap, just for fun," continued Thad. "As for you, Sebastian, you had a dream, a vision and so you took a chance, risky as it was, so that you could achieve your ultimate goal. It was a triumph - and I am putting this on record here and now; I want a front row seat in the first show in these streets of dreams that decides to cast you as the lead, and put your name up on the marquee in lights!"

"Hear, hear!" said David, as around him the others all added their voice to that sentiment.

At that point the door opened to reveal the show's director, with a massive grin on his face. "We ended up giving two refunds - to a couple from Utah who had been under the impression that the show was an dramatisation of the actual Book of Mormon. The audience is heading out tonight smiling; we are trending on Twitter, and riding high on Facebook. What could have been a huge disaster area has turned out to be a massive success. Now, you new guys are all certain that you don't want to come back and do this all over again tomorrow night, because I could just sack all the guys that are off sick and keep you…?"

"Thanks, but no!" said Nick, getting in first. "I mean it was fun, but doing that eight times a week - it would literally kill me!" That got him a big round of laughs, and more than one person nodding in agreement.

"Well, the unions would destroy me if I did that anyway," the director conceded. "Now, there is a small group of people here that are anxious to come in and say hello; they were sitting in one of the boxes. I told them I would come in and check you were all decent first. As you are, I best let them in. Once again, well done, and thank you all!"

He stepped back out, and moments later Eloise and Julian appeared, both of them rushing over to envelop Sebastian in a hug, whilst Dave just stood at the door and laughed at the expression on his husband's face as his mother and brother virtually smothered him. Carmen then entered, and seeing that Sebastian was occupied, walked right over to Mason, who instantly looked nervous. "I think that I will award you an A+ for that performance. You have real stage presence, and given that you had no prior experience of it, a talent for tap that we should exploit next semester. You did yourself and NYADA proud tonight, young man." Mason nodded, and thanked her warmly, relaxing once more. Carmen then proceeded to go round the room and pass judgement on all of them, much to their amusement.

Then she walked in, having stopped off to greet the rest of the cast first. There were a few gasps as Bette Midler walked in to their dressing room. For many of them, it was the first time that they had been so close to someone whose name was known to virtually everyone, at home and abroad; a woman whose star quality was legendary. "Well, boys, what can I say? All of you were absolutely wonderful! If I ever revive my one woman show, then I will expect each and every one of you to star in it. Now, where is my boy?" The others stepped back as Sebastian was finally released by his family, and stepped towards his famous friend. "Darling boy, you and your friends have left me speechless. The whole world will be hearing just how good you were tonight, and not just from me. They will be hearing it from someone I just happened to invite along; the drama critic of the _New York Times_ …"

"The who?" gasped Flint.

"The drama critic of the _Times_ ," repeated Bette. "I might have told him that one of the hottest new prospects on Broadway was making an appearance here tonight. His face was a picture as he walked out of here tonight - and in a good way, so don't worry…"

She stopped as she saw that Flint had grabbed the brown paper bag from earlier and was breathing into it, as Beats stood behind him with a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I am afraid that Flint does have a reason to worry, ma'am. If his mom finds out that he has appeared on a Broadway stage playing a Mormon, then she will need the services of a rabbi at once," said Beats.

Thad walked over and said, "Call your dad, let him know. He can intercept the paper and even put a block on it online if necessary." As Flint dived for his phone and pressed the right button on speed dial, they all chortled, at the same time praying that it wasn't his mom that answered the call…

"So, gentlemen, there is just one thing that you need to do now to cement your place in Broadway history," said Bette. "You need to head to the stage door, to autograph a few Playbills and meet and greet the public. It is the way to start if you want to be a success. By the way, the first Playbill to autograph is mine…"

"She's right, Sebastian; you do need to go out and greet people at the stage door," confirmed Carmen. "You'll need to sign a few Playbills too; it might actually be an idea to pre-sign a few copies just now, and then swap them over, as it will save time. Ms Midler, if I rustle up the spare copies of the playbill, could you possibly go and check out the stage door whilst I get the boys signing?"

Bette agreed to do so happily; if nothing else, then she could keep the fans entertained whilst they were waiting for the boys to arrive. By the time that Carmen returned with the spare playbills, carried for her by some of the crew, Isabelle had organised a signing line like those that she had seen countless times before at the big fashion shows, and had sent Julian to fetch Jenny to join them, realising that her signature would be just as coveted. The first playbill was handed over, and the process began, each of them signing just below their printed name, passing it along until it was placed in a new pile that was being held in place by Julian. In the end they signed about fifty that way, just in case; then they had to decide which of them would actually go to the door. It was impractical for them all to go after all. Sebastian had to, and he insisted that Mason, Jenny and Trent had to be with him, the latter agreeing to do so with the greatest reluctance. For moral support, Nick, Jeff, Rory and Dave followed them, carrying the signed playbills. As for the others, they sat back and relaxed, waiting until the crowd had dispersed so that they could leave, doing so in the company of their older visitors.

As they were heading out of the door, Mason's phone suddenly buzzed with a message. He opened it, seeing that it was from Madison, and saw that she was asking where he was. He did not have time to reply himself, so instead he passed his phone to Thad, with the words "It's my sister; can you reply that I am at the stage door, and that she should come and meet me there?" Thad nodded as Mason hurried out, and then he happily sent the text for the young man. He might not be a Warbler, but he was quite fond of the younger man, and he had done them all proud that night.

Meanwhile at the stage door, Bette was holding court, telling them all about Sebastian and his friends; she had started with how they had literally bumped into each other, and was now telling them how she was certain that the moment that he graduated from NYADA, he would be offered a full time lead somewhere on Broadway - and if he wasn't, she'd get a show set up for him. Those words had sent a ripple of disbelief through the crowd; his performance had been so assured that most had assumed that he was a lot older than he actually was. Bette smiled at that, then in the corner of her eye she saw that people were heading down the corridor towards her. "So, enough of me, time for a new set of Broadway stars. We have the wonderful Nabalungi, Elders Price, Cunningham and McKinley, and I believe that three of their fellow Elders have come to join them…"

The moment that the small group set foot outside the door, Dave standing back in the shadows, they were overwhelmed by loud cheers, and almost blinded by the light of old fashioned flashbulbs as photographs were taken. They set things up as they had been told; as Jenny, Sebastian, Mason and Trent did the meet and greet, Nick, Jeff and Rory handed out the pre-signed Playbills. They all found themselves having to pose for pictures, including several selfies. They also found that they had to sign a few Playbill covers, one after the other. Mason suddenly caught sight of Alistair, Spencer and Roderick at the back of the crowd, all three of them giving him a thumbs up as they realised he had seen them. Next to them, Jane was also beaming with pride at her boyfriend; beside her, Madison was also smiling, but she also had eyes that shimmered with happy tears. His mom was there too, and she was full on crying, his dad's arm wrapped around her. His dad caught his eye now, and the smile that he got from his father was filled with pride. After all, Mason had just proven to them all that he was capable of performing on Broadway.

Mason then caught sight of another face that he recognised, and gave a discrete nudge to Trent. He looked up and saw his parents standing there, their faces glowing with pride at their son, with Séamus and Becca beside them; they had recognised Madison, and on realising where she was heading, had decided that they should follow her just in case…

Eventually, the crowd at the stage door melted away; they could now all leave the theatre without worrying about how they would escape the audience. They all headed in one direction, to that familiar gathering spot for them all in the city - The Spotlight. Sebastian had insisted that his Aunt Bette had to join them, and she had not said no when he promised her singing and dancing. They had of course rung ahead to ensure that the place could cope with such a large influx of visitors so late in the evening. The majority of them had an inkling that between Ethan and Sam, this decision would have been anticipated. To that end, they had ensured that the last people to enter the diner that evening where the four main stars…

As they walked through the door it was to see that the place was full to the rafters; all those that had been at the show were there, cheering all of the boys as they walked in, then applauding loudly as the last four entered. Jenny laughed out loud, whilst Sebastian blushed hard at the noise all over again. Trent and Mason looked at each other, then pushed Sebastian forward. He found himself grabbed and dragged to the stage by Kitty and Santana. Once there, he found himself stepping up into the company of Rachel and Cooper, fresh from their own shows, both of them greeting warmly the young man that was being dubbed already across the city as the 'Show Saving Sebastian Smythe'. He turned to his audience, and bowed to them, earning him fresh cheers. He looked up and saw Mason being manhandled up onto the stage to join him; he had not been able to melt into the crowd like Trent and Jenny, the former very keen to get back out of the limelight. They both bowed together this time, knowing that as far as everyone in the room was concerned, this was the night that they had officially made it - and those people included Carmen Tibideaux, and the legend that is Bette Midler.

The remainder of the night turned into a blur; a party to celebrate the fact that two of their number, who were in the business of show, had made it in a small way by appearing in a hit Broadway show. It was also, as Sebastian stated when he was pressed into making a speech, a night on which they could all celebrate those bonds of friendship that had started out in rival show choirs at two schools in Ohio, had grown through the love that two young men had for each other, and had then stayed with them all as they navigated the tumultuous seas of life.

"Tonight was an amazing night; a big opportunity for myself and Mason to make our mark, and to stake our claim for a place among the glitter of the Great White Way. But we could not have done any of it had it not been for my amazing friend Jenny, who also killed it tonight in the vitally important female lead role, and of course, without the aid of my fellow Warblers, who stepped up to the plate, leaving their comfort zone behind to fill in all of the gaps that had been left behind by an unfortunate outbreak of food poisoning. I consider myself very lucky that the hosts of the party in question had taken such a dislike to me that they decided not to invite me to attend, not that I would have anyway. I guess we should also thank them for the fact that their prejudice meant that they left a significant half of the cast without an invite too… So tonight, let us all raise a glass to friendship, and marvel at the fact that we also finally got to hear David Thompson swear, even if he was doing so in character…" Sebastian raised his glass, and around the room others were similarly raised.

In a quiet corner that he had found, partially hidden away, Trent turned to Rory at that point, and said "Is it wrong that I found tonight so enjoyable? I mean, I would never want to make a career out of this, but the acclaim felt so good…"

"It's not wrong at all, my love," Rory replied. "You were doing something that you love, in support of one of your best friends, and doing it in the company of your closest buddies. You never were front and centre in any performance with the Warblers, but tonight you showed the world just what Trent Nixon can do. I'm so proud to say right now that you are my husband." Rory leant over and kissed his blushing spouse, then carried on. "I also couldn't help but think how much that final song sums up our little group of friends - _'We're there for each other every step of the way'_ just sums up the ethos of our relationship to perfection. Long may that continue!"

"You know, it really does when you think about it," agreed Trent. He said no more as Santana was looming over them, demanding that they head to the stage; an encore was called for. They agreed, and found themselves singing the song they had just been talking about…


	62. The Show Must Go On Part V

**The Show Must Go On Part V**

It would be late the following morning before most of them would wake up. A few had had no option but to stumble out of bed early and make their way to their previously arranged commitments. Jeff had managed to get up and walk back across town to his early shift at the Spotlight, where he stood, half asleep and yawning, much to Michelle's amusement. Skylar, now on the staff, had run in 20 minutes late, a chorus of car horns announcing his arrival as his bike was dumped without ceremony on the pavement. His shirt was on back to front, his hair mussed, and he could only apologise for his tardiness. It was quiet, so no harm had been done, and Michelle sent him off to pick up his bike, and then go and tidy himself up in the back. Now as the morning wore on, he was fully alert, and had taken on the responsibility of prodding Jeff every so often to ensure he didn't nod off.

Mike had been sensible enough to leave the party early, and arrived at the rehearsal room of the City Ballet to find his boss waiting to speak to him. When he told Mike that he had heard all about his exploits over the past two days, he feared the worst, but instead he found himself being warmly congratulated. It turned out that everyone in the corps knew about it, and people kept coming over to pat him on the back - and ask him if he had seen the _New York Times_. He wondered why at first, and then he recalled what Bette had done. He knew that he would have to check out a copy of the paper eventually, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to do so quite yet. In any case, the biggest impact of the story would be on the others…

Sebastian was woken up by Dave just after 9am. He panicked at first, thinking that he was going to be late arriving at the theatre, until his husband managed to get him to remember that he had been given the day off, and that he would only be called in if there was a major problem. This done, Dave guided his husband through to the kitchen and the breakfast that he had prepared him; okay, so it might have been a little overdone, but it was the thought that counted.

Sebastian did not see any of it. All that he saw was the carefully folded newspaper. His mouth was instantly dry, and his palms suddenly felt moist.

"Grace brought it down. She said that it was all as it should be," Dave said quietly, as he poured his husband a mug of coffee. He placed it in front of him, seeing that he was not even attempting to pick it up. "I can read it out to you, if you'd like…"

Sebastian nodded, taking a quick sip of coffee. He had never felt so nervous about anything in his life before. This was the real test; the thing that could make or break his entire future….

 _"Last night I witnessed something at a hit Broadway show that I have never seen before in all of my years working as a critic of the theatre in our city. Imagine if you can that you are the director of said production, and a key member of the cast calls in sick. You would, of course, call in the understudy, and they would take their place, right? Now imagine the scenario were it isn't just one key cast member that calls in sick, but the majority of them - oh, and the understudies are all sick too. Once you'd got over the initial nervous breakdown, you'd have no option but to cancel the performance, wouldn't you? That was dilemma that faced the director of Book of Mormon last night. Cancelling the show was exactly what he was proposing to do, until the one remaining standby Mormon told him that he could find him another cast. He's have to be crazy to agree to that idea, wouldn't he? After all, such a show would be doomed to fail, and fail spectacularly. As it turns out, that isn't necessarily the case. In fact, I would happily go on record and state that the performance at the Eugene O'Neill theater last night was nothing less than a triumph."_

Sebastian had listened to the first few lines of the review with his head in his hands, fearing the worst. Now, as it appeared that it wasn't going to be all that bad, he lifted his head and let a half smile creep across his face. At that Dave grinned too, and read on.

 _"As ever, the cast members that play the roles of the Ugandans were wonderful, and they coped with having a complete new cast opposite them with aplomb. Those people were blessed in the fact that they had not been invited to the event at which their counterparts had contracted their illness. Two key members of that section of the cast had been invited, and it is to their replacements that I come first. David Thompson, playing the role of the General, was much younger than the actor that usually takes on this part, but that fact made his take on the role all the more compelling. His facial expressions, particularly during I Believe, were a delight to see, and his whole demeanour throughout the show was ideal. The part of Nabalungi was played by Jenny Garrison, one of the standby cast. The young lady in question is endowed with a wealth of talent which is being wasted in a green room. I would say here and now to any casting director; if you see her name on the audition list, grab her with both hands. The simple faith and belief that her character has in the whole story shines through in Ms. Garrison's portrayal, and she, alongside Elder Cunningham, produced some of the more sentimental notes in the show."_

"Good," interjected Sebastian. "I'm glad that they singled her out for the praise that she so rightly deserves. If it hadn't been for her continued generosity and friendship, then I might have walked away from the show long before today. Hopefully all of this will get her the big break that she deserves."

 _"Now I move on to the Mormons. All bar one of the young men that took on those parts last night went to school together, alongside Mr Thompson, in Westerville, Ohio, and all of them were members of the show choir group at said school. The fact that they did so and are all clearly still good friends was reflected in the way that they acted as a group last night. They had a level of co-ordination that you sometimes struggle to find amongst the cast of a show that had worked together on a nightly basis for months. The fact is that they achieved all of it after less than 36 hours of rehearsal. They proved this fact in the opening number, and did so in every moment right up to the finale. As anyone that has seen the show will tell you, the majority of the Mormon's have no name check, and thus it would be hard for me to comment on the actions of each individual; I can state that all of them were of a standard that would be an asset to any chorus in a show. I will however, separate out a few names for particular praise. Thad Harwood's Elder Smith could certainly hold a note with perfect pitch; Flint Wilson's Elder Greene did seem more than a little obsessed with Jesus Christ; and the characters of Elder Grant and Elder Young, played by real life husbands Nick and Jeff Sterling-Duval (Yes, it was that Jeff Sterling-Duval) made all of us crease up with laughter at their missionary antics."_

Dave paused as Sebastian shook his head. "Poor Flint! He will be going spare when he reads that. Just so long as his mother never finds out, or I have a feeling he will never forgive me!"

Dave chuckled, then returned to his reading. _"We now move on to the head of the Ugandan Mission, Elder McKinley, played here by Mason McCarthy. He is the only one of the cast that was not at school with the others, but instead studies at NYADA with one of the others. He did however belong to his high school show choir, which just happened to also be in Ohio; the same choir that a certain Rachel Berry of Funny Girl and Hello Dolly! fame was a member of… Mr McCarthy's Elder McKinley is even more out and obvious than normal, and his flirting with Elder Price was outrageous. In Turn it Off!, McCarthy was given the perfect vehicle in which to show off his talents, and he did so, the song gaining him a standing ovation, which is unusual mid show. True, he does need to work on his dancing, but as I am reliably informed that he hadn't ever tapped a single step prior to this part. He was coached, along with the others by Michael Chang, recently appointed to the corps at the City Ballet, and a friend to all the cast. It is thanks to him that they were able to dance at all. The fact that Mr McCarthy was able to appear competent and hold all the others together in his big number's dance sequence is proof enough to me that his is a name that we should all look out for on Broadway marquees in the future, once he has completed school. Incidentally, did I mention that he has only just completed his freshman year…"_

 _"Whilst Mr McCarthy's name will make such an appearance, the name of Trent F. Nixon will not, but it deserves to after his show stealing performance as Elder Cunningham. From the moment that he leaps onto the stage, at the wrong time, he was just perfection. He exhibited the right mix of cockiness and vulnerability, which are the traits that have always endeared the audience to the character. Alas for Broadway, Mr Nixon's career path will instead see him taking a minor role in the biggest farce known to man when he graduates from school next year destined for a job in our nation's capital. How else should we describe the political scene at the moment? Last, but by no means least, I come to the young man that had the idea to cast his friends, gathered in town after a reunion, in the parts that he felt best suited them."_

Dave paused and said "I don't think I need to read the rest, do I?", earning him a glare from his husband. He laughed, then carried on.

 _"Sebastian Smythe was excellent as Elder Price, giving us all the dimensions of the man as he travels from proud, smug, arrogant and believing to the more humble man with no belief in God whatsoever. His face betrayed the emotions that his character was feeling minute by minute, and made us laugh and cry by turn. His voice is a powerful instrument too, and he, like Mr McCarthy before him, received a standing ovation for his performance of I Believe. I would be so bold as to say that his performance was equal to that of the originator of the role, Andrew Rannells; and if it was within my power, I would hand young Mr Smythe a Tony for his efforts. Like Mr. McCarthy, Mr Smythe still has to complete his schooling at NYADA, where he is just about to commence his Junior year; I would guarantee that we will be hearing his name much more frequently in two years time. He had faith in the ability of his friends, and they did not let him down. He also did not let the show he was such a minor part of down either. If you ever hear a rumour that the Mormons have gone sick again, and that the original alternate cast is playing the show instead, grab a seat by any means you have to. These boys know how to put on a show, and earn a 10/10 in my book."_

Dave put the newspaper down and looked over at his husband, whose face was all smiles. "That was a much better review than I ever could have hoped for…so we need to get a scrapbook, I guess, and cut that review out of the paper and stick it in. My first ever Broadway review and it was a glowing one. I'm glad that Mason got a good write up too, because he was much less prepared than I was, and he still managed to leave the audience in stitches. If we are being truthful, he was the breakout star last night, not me…"

"Don't sell yourself short, Sebby! If it hadn't have been for you, then Mason would not have been on stage last night; none of them would have been, because there wouldn't have been a performance last night for them to appear in. It is all thanks to you, and don't ever forget that. By the way, the scrapbook is already in the middle drawer of the dresser over there. I got it last year so that I had somewhere to stick in the brief mentions of your performances in _Shakespeare in the Park_. Those were good reviews too…"

Sebastian got up, walked round the table and kissed his husband. He loved Dave so much, and he knew that the feeling was more than reciprocated. They would be there for each other in the bad times and the good for the rest of their lives, that much he knew. Still, he wouldn't mention his own little collection of clippings in which Dave's prowess on the football field was mentioned, at least not yet. After all, he had to be allowed to bask in the warm glow of his success for a couple of hours at least…

His reverie was disturbed by his phone ringing; he checked who was calling, and recognised the number at once. He mouthed the word 'Jules' to Dave, who smiled, then picked up the call.

Before he could speak, his brother spoke. "Hello, am I through to the plush residence of Broadway's newest star? I have a call for him from his poor, unfamous brother, if he can spare him the time…"

Sebastian chuckled, then replied, "It doesn't matter how famous I get, there will always be time in my day to talk to you, Jules. I take it that you have seen the _New York Times_?"

"Yeah, another horror story about Trump on the front page! Isn't it just terrifying?"

"Ha, ha! You know exactly what I am talking about and don't pretend otherwise!"

"Yeah, Mason and Trent must be so pleased with their copy, as must you be, little bro. According to Isabelle, it is all anyone is talking about at the offices of _Vogue_ , and it has been suggested to her by Ms. Wintour that she said interview you, Jenny and Mason for the next issue, if you feel up to doing a spot of press. She figured that Trent would rather stick hot needles in his eyes, so she managed to get him out of it."

"Me, doing an interview for _Vogue?_ Erm, what can I say but yes, please, Jules! Tell the beautiful Isabelle that for her it will be no problem at all. I'm free all day today if she wants me, and can come anytime…."

"So I'll tell her you're not keen then," scoffed Julian, before laughing. "I'm sure that she can find a few minutes to interview you today. Now, do you want to be the one that tells Mason? It might be better coming from you?"

"It will be my pleasure to let him know. Get Isabelle to call me in about an hour, and we can sort out the exact details between us…" When he rang off, Sebastian felt happier than he ever had before. His moment had come. A review was good, but an interview with _Vogue?_ That was the sign of stardom…

* * *

For Mason, sitting in the kitchen of the house above, the whole of last night still seemed like a bit of a dream. Less than 48 hours ago, he had been sat in the same spot he was now, and then his phone had rung… Now he had a positive write up in the _New York Times_ ; his parents were hailing him as the next big thing; Madison kept bursting into tears of delight; Jane had been even more attentive than usual last night; and as for Alistair, Spencer and Roderick, they now had nicknamed him The Crown Prince of Broadway. As Spencer had put it, he wasn't the King yet, but one day…

He was so grateful to Ethan for organising everything to ensure that all of those people had been present to see him perform. When he had told him so, Ethan had just shrugged and said that it was nothing really - which was certainly not the case, as that plane had to have cost him a fortune. When he had mentioned it to Roderick, he had told him not to worry, and that he would explain why when they got home. Even though it had been after 2am when they arrived back, he had held his friend to that promise. Roderick had shown him something he had found on line; footage of a company jet, in the exact livery that Madison had described to him, and the exact model of plane. It was a jet that belonged to a multi-billion dollar, family owned firm, called Mackenzie Inc.

Mason had gasped when he had been shown the company balance sheet; he had never seen so many zeros in a row. Roderick had promptly told him that he had to keep quiet about the fact. "I don't think that even his fellow Warblers know just exactly who he is. The rumour is that the whole firm will end up going to the only son of the current head of the business…" Mason's head had hurt at the thought of being responsible for so much money, and he could see why Ethan kept silent about his true wealth…

His thoughts were disturbed by a tapping at the kitchen door, and he looked up to see Roderick standing there. "Excuse me sire, but the other Crown Prince would like a word…"

"If by that you mean Sebastian, then send him in; but please, stop it with the sire!" Mason replied, whilst trying not to laugh.

"He's quite right," said Sebastian as he walked past Roderick into the room. "The correct term is Your Majesty, serf!" Mason burst out laughing, and carried on doing so, as Roderick bowed, then scuttled out of the room backwards. "So how are you this fine morning, my friend? Recovered from last night yet?"

"I still can't believe it actually happened, Sebastian! I still am partially convinced it was a dream, like that glowing review we got in the paper. Carmen is going to love the two of us, isn't she…"

"You can bet on that. There is no doubt that you will be seconded to mentoring duties between your tap dancing classes next year. However, that is for next semester. Just now, you and I have to head uptown, as we have a meeting. They want to interview the two of us for _Vogue…_ "

Once Mason had recovered from the shock, and had been bundled upstairs to change into a presentable outfit, the pair headed up to Isabelle's office. The interview went well, and it had morphed into a photoshoot, with the two of them wearing the latest suits from the _Vogue_ closet. Mason still was convinced that he was going to wake up eventually, and as they posed for the camera, Sebastian wasn't too sure that he wasn't dreaming too…

The glowing review was being digested elsewhere in the city too. In a street in the West Village, various Warblers were waking up to discover that they had been named in the theatre pages of the _New York Times_ , and having never expected it, it did feel a little bit strange to them if truth be told. On seeing his name, Flint immediately dreaded that someone, somewhere would tell his mother, and as a result he carefully checked the caller ID each and every time that his phone rang before picking up. So far it had only been friends. Firstly, it had been Izzy, who kept asking him to just say those two little words again, but he had declined each and every time she called. He had also had a call from Callum, with Alan, his fellow replacement Preppy Boy in the background, asking him if it really had been him that was named in the paper, and if Beats had been on stage with him. When he admitted that it had been and he was, he was more than happy to accept their congratulations on going from gay bar stripper to Broadway sensation so quickly. It had also made him laugh, as it just seemed such an unlikely journey to have made.

As for his cousin Leo, he was just a little bit in awe of the fact that his cousin had been in a Broadway show; he had been sworn to secrecy, and he had promised not to tell anyone ever. "If your mom ever does find out," Leo stated, "then you know that it won't be from me or Izzy. Look on the bright side, your mom is unlikely to even know what Youtube is…" Flint choked on his cereal at that, concerned that no-one had mentioned the possibility that it could be online. Leo chuckled, then continued "Looking even more on the bright side, it won't be on there for long; the people at _Book of Mormon_ remove all the videos of the actual show from the site very fast." Flint could only hope that if there was footage of him performing, it would be taken down long before anyone could show it to his mother.

The unofficial video that was indeed posted on Youtube was not the only one that had captured their one off performance for posterity. The show had been filmed officially filmed too, so that it could be sent on to family and friends that had been too far away to attend the show live. A link was contained in an e-mail sent by Julian to his son Peter in California, just so that he could see his Uncle Bazzy making a fool of himself as he put it. The same link was sent to Jake and Unique, who would watch it that morning and howl with laughter at what they saw, particularly the performance from David. Mercedes would also receive it, and was warm in her praise, although she was hopeful that David wouldn't start swearing on a regular basis.

The link had also made its way across the oceans too; in France, François had opened it out of curiosity, but on seeing the face of his old friend Guillaume, he had yelled for his elder brother to come and watch it with him. To know that the disillusioned young man that they had befriended all those years ago was now a star on Broadway filled them both with delight and pride. He would certainly be receiving a call from them later in the day, in which they would praise and ridicule him in equal measure. After all, he did suit the part a little too well, and in his costume, he did remind them of the young men that would show up on the doorstep of their own homes from time to time; the kind of young men that if François happened to spy through the spyhole in the door whilst he was home alone, would make him strip off so that he could answer the door naked and nonchalant. They usually fled at once, apart from that one memorable time…

Trent would wake up to an e-mail from Burt, in which he would be told that his performance had been excellent, as had Rory's. There was love from Carole, and a message to them both from Rory's Nana, telling them how proud she was of them both, and that in her opinion, Trent had stolen the show with his adorable performance. Burt then went on to ask him to tell the others that they had all been fantastic, and he was proud of them. The separate message that he sent to Sebastian would be read by the young man in question later; he would tear up on reading that Burt Hummel thought that he was a star without a doubt, and that any real father would be so proud of what he had done. Knowing that Burt was proud of him was the icing on the cake of a very happy day.

In a far away version of New York, the show was also the hot topic of discussion amongst a group of four angels. For Wes, there was a deep sense of pride that his boys had put on a show that had wowed the critics of Broadway at such short notice. He had always felt that their losses at the show choir competitions had been down to misfortune, and this was the proof of that. Maybe it had been his obsession with rehearsals that had been their downfall, or the fact that they always performed acapella. The fact was though that none of that mattered now; for the sake of one of their own, they had given it their all, and had triumphed.

Finn had enjoyed the show immensely, and laughed loud and long as they had watched the previous night. The plot had been far better in his opinion than that of _Funny Girl_ , not that he would ever say that to Rachel; and it had been less absurd than _Kinky Boots_ in his opinion. He was also proud of what his old friend Mike had managed to achieve with the Warblers in such a short space of time. He had always been the most talented dancer amongst them, but now he had proven to the world that his talents did not just lie in performance; they also lay in direction.

As for Kurt and Blaine, they both had an enormous sense of pride in the performance that they had witnessed the night before. They had all exceeded their expectations; Mason hadn't just been good, he had been excellent; Trent was a hidden gem, always there in the background, but suddenly blossoming when he was thrust forward into the glare of the spotlight. As for Sebastian, he was the natural showman that they had always anticipated he would be from his first day at NYADA. They could not help but wonder where he would have cast them if they had not died, had he chosen them at all. Would Kurt have been his first choice for McKinley, with Trent gladly handing the role of Cunningham to Blaine? It was all academic of course, but they were both sure that they could have done it just as well - and as if to prove it, both of them kept singing the requisite songs…

Most of the family and friends that had been flown in by Ethan had also made their way back home that morning, but nor before they had praised their children to the hilt, or passed on warm congratulations to their old friends. Madison had elected to stay in the city for a few days for a proper catch up with her brother; she had cleared it with Cooper and Grace, who were only too pleased to let her stay with them. Mason was not just a lodger to them in many ways, and the same applied to Roderick. Alistair and Spencer had been invited to stay too, but they had somewhere that they needed to be back home that night, and so had headed back to Ohio, but not without promising to come and stay for a few days in the near future.

The various parents had also had to head back to their everyday lives, pleased though that they had witnessed their respective son's moment on Broadway. Mrs Harper had the e-mail link stored on her phone so that she could allow her husband to see the show that evening. Trent's parents had headed back home in the company of Séamus and Becca, all of them finding themselves humming little snippets of the songs in the show. As none of them had yet seen their new house in Washington, Trent and Rory had invited all of them to join them for lunch on Sunday, knowing that they would have to be back in the city by then. August was here, and the new academic year was starting; on top of that, Burt and Carole would be back from Ireland, and there would be a pile of political work that needed to be attended to as well. After all, every vote was going to count at this year's presidential election.

At the airport, farewells were said as they waited for clearance to board the company jet once more, for the return home in reverse sequence. For Mrs Duval, her farewells to Nick and Jeff had been made back in the city, and she was content just to relax in the airport lounge and just watch what was going on. She suddenly decided that it might be wise to visit the restroom before she boarded, and so she left her parents to talk to the Sterlings, and headed over to use the luxurious facilities that existed her in the private jet lounge. Having done so, she made her way back out, just in time to see Julian Smythe hugging his aunt - but then she heard what he was saying, thinking they were unobserved, and that gave her pause for thought. He had just said "I love you mom, so much" - or that was what it had sounded like. Now that she could see them side by side in daylight, she could see there were certain little resemblances between the two of them in facial features. That was impossible though; she was the sister of Sebastian's mother, and in any case, the first Mrs Smythe had died in an auto accident in Canada…

That made her pause again, but she dismissed the notion at once. Just because the two women lived in Canada, and one of them looked slightly like a young man that she wasn't even related to… She suddenly realised that she had company, and turned to see Sebastian's mother at her side. "Julian has always been close to his aunt. I call her my sister, but that is only through marriage. The truth is that after his mother died, Julian became very close to his aunt; she was like a mother to him. It was actually through my friendship with her that I met the man I would marry, and the rest is, as they say, history. She was so close to him, but then she had an argument with his father over some trivial matter, and it escalated; in the end, she moved away, and Julian lost touch with her, and so did I. We met again by chance when I moved to Montreal, and restarted our friendship. When I found Sebastian again, and heard that he and Julian had reunited too, well it seemed so appropriate to bring them back together again…"

Mrs Duval nodded, but was not entirely convinced by what she had just heard. For the start, there was the fact that they had lied about who the woman was to everyone, and there was what she had just overheard. Something funny was going on, she could sense it. Still, it would be easy enough when she got back home to find out if Mr Smythe's first wife had had a sister…


	63. The Show Must Go On Part VI

**The Show Must Go On Part VI**

After all the excitement of summer, life began to get back to normal for all of them. For the youngest, college was looming on the horizon, and for the eldest, the world of work was about to take them in to its rhythms. For them, the last few days of freedom had arrived; they would nor experience another long summer like the one they had just enjoyed again until they retired from the labour force in many decades time. Having had a long and successful visit, and having taken advantage of all that the city had to offer, Leo had headed back to Kansas with a whole new circle of friends in the city, and a promise that he would be welcome to come back at anytime. He was not looking forward to the long bus journey home, but it was worth it. Now he would just need to save up for a plane ticket for the next time he came…

His cousin on his way home, Flint found himself looking for suits for work. He had only ever possessed two in his life before, but Izzy had suggested that he should buy a couple more, just for day to day wear at the office. She had taken the morning off and had come with him, and he left the store with three in the end as there was a sale; one of them was a good, winter weight one, ideal for the harsh days of a typical New York winter. Suits were not such a big issue for Beats; the dress code for him was smart casual, but in the end, he went out and bought a new one, guessing that he didn't always have to wear the whole thing to work.

They would both clock in for the first time on a Monday morning; Ethan however was heading in on the Friday morning for what they termed a shadowing day. He was quite apprehensive about the whole thing; after all, the sums of money that he would theoretically be handling were not small, and the idea that with one wrong click of a mouse he could lose it all… He would manage though, and when he headed in on that Friday morning, he would do so with the best wishes of Flint at least. He knew better now than to hope that his best friend would send a message. He knew that Drew was still around, and that he might send a few words every so often; but he was no longer expectant that when he sent his news, a response would be forthcoming. He had even sent him the link to the footage of the show, in the hope that he might find time to watch it; to be reminded of the good old days when they sang side by side in that happy group of young men. He had to hope that, or he'd break down and cry with the loss that weighed heavy on his heart.

As it transpired, the world of work was not nearly as daunting as the three friends had imagined. They had agreed to meet up at The Spotlight for dinner on that first Monday night when they all began their jobs, half expecting to be too tired to cook for themselves, but as it turned out, it had been much like their first day at college for all of them, or if they looked even further back, like the day they had all met for the first time at Dalton. Ethan had had an advantage with having met his colleagues on Friday and been shown the ropes, so he had found his first day actually quite simple. He was working as part of a small team, and they were all very friendly. When he had mentioned his connections to The Spotlight, the eyes of two of his new co-workers had lit up; it turned out that they had met each other there during their own first week in the job, and they had been going there with friends, on and off, ever since. In the course of the conversation, Ethan also mentioned Sebastian, and that prompted an enquiry about _Book of Mormon_. He had no choice but to admit that he had been one of the Mormons that night; he refused to sing for them all, at first, but then, when they had least expected it, he had jumped up in the middle of the office and started to sing and dance a small section of _Turn it Off!_ for them all. After that, he had a room full of new friends.

Flint had expected that there might be tension on his first day. He had worried that there might be snide comments about his relationship with the daughter of the boss; maybe even a disgruntled employee or two that felt that they had been in line for the job and he had stolen it from them. Instead, he was warmly welcomed by everyone; it turned out that Mr Bernstein had come to meet the entire department before Flint had even attended his interview, and had told them all about him. He had been able to tell them all about what he had studied at college in Princeton, and about the fact that he had been part of an Antarctic mission, with people selected from across the nation's schools, a few years before. He had spoken to his tutors at Princeton, and had told his future colleagues what they thought of him. They had all come to the collective conclusion that he was ideal for the job before Mr Bernstein had even pointed out that he happened to be engaged to his younger daughter. Flint still found a few things to tell his new colleagues that they didn't know, like the fact that he owned a small share in a successful diner. He also informed them that if his mother ever called, he was out, mainly because she was every Jewish mother stereotype in the book. There was a little laughter, and understanding looks from around the room. He then made the fatal mistake of picking the phone up when it rang without checking the caller display. His quiet "Hi mom!" had half of his colleagues in hysterics…

Beats had discovered that the office he would be working out of was small, overcrowded, and in need of better air conditioning. Those discomforts were made up for by the friendliness of his co-workers. The first question he was asked was how he took his coffee, and what his favourite kind of donut was. The next hour was spent in a discussion about his friends and family. He told them quite candidly about Elliott, and how much he enjoyed living with him; about the Warblers, and how they were all still so close after so much tragedy; and about how his best friend from school lived in the apartment downstairs. He also explained to his colleagues that commuted in from the outer boroughs how he could actually afford to live in the West Village. The moment that he mentioned Jeff's name, one of the older women in the office asked if it was the same Jeff that had drawn _The Judging Angel_. When he said yes, Beats had a new friend for life. When he went on to mention that he owned a small part of the Spotlight Diner, which he had now paid Flint back for, with a little help from Elliott, he had even more friends.

It was whilst they were gathered there that Monday night that the door opened and Sebastian walked in, looking as if he had just had the biggest shock of his life. Jeff was working that evening and spotted him as he dropped off an order to a table near the door. He immediately rushed over to his friend, and giving him a steadying arm, he helped him across to the table where the three others sat. Skylar was also working that night, and on seeing what was going on, he rushed over with a glass of ice water to give to the former Warbler, who was as white as a sheet.

"What is going on, Seb? Has something happened to Dave, or Julian, or your mom?" asked Jeff with concern.

"No, they're all fine, it's just… I got a call from Carmen this morning, asking me to come and see her about an hour ago. When I went into her office, she was in a shocking mood - and then she said that we needed to discuss what had happened in Tuesday's escapade…"

"She can't have been angry with you for that!" exclaimed Flint. "I mean, we were good, got excellent write ups, and must have been a feather in the cap of NYADA! She can't have been mad at you for it!"

"I can see why you would imagine that, and I guess I did too at first. The way she looked I thought I was about to be expelled. Then the phone rang, and she let rip at someone on the other end about some repairs that should have been done and hadn't been. After that, she was back to being all smiles; it wasn't me that had made her angry. Then there was another knock at the door, and the producer of _Book of Mormon_ walked in. That was another surprise, given that I'd only seen him yesterday and he hadn't mentioned anything. Then again, he had been quiet since he told the Mormon cast off about the party, then went on to tear holes in the hosts before firing them. He even threatened to sue them... Anyway, he was there because he and Carmen both needed to speak to me about something. They'd already had a discussion and now they needed to inform me… It turns out that one of the Mormon's in a swing role has just become a dad. He and his wife are struggling for childcare, and as she earns more, he wants to go part-time. He will be taking every weekend off as a result, which leaves a vacant spot on Friday, Saturday and Sunday - and they want to give it to me. They want me in the permanent cast four times a week. Carmen had agreed to it, if I want the part. Basically, I've been given the chance to be on Broadway for real…"

"My God, that's fantastic news! When do you start?" exclaimed Ethan, as the others burst out in radiant smiles.

"Actually, I told them that I needed some time to think about it…"

"But this is your dream, Seb," said Jeff. "What is there to think about?"

"It's such a big commitment for a start. It means that I will be in the theatre, virtually every weekend, for the next two years maybe; he did say that the part would be mine until I graduated. It would mean having to do all of my NYADA work on weeknights, which would be a big ask from me to Dave; he is my husband after all, and he would barely see me if I do this, because he would have all his games and coaching duties at the times that I wasn't in the theatre. Finally, I do kind of like my Job at The Strand, and I would have to give that up, because I just wouldn't have the time."

"All that is true," said Flint, "but isn't this what you signed up for when you chose to enter the world of show? Beats and I had to spend nearly every Friday and Saturday night stripping for well over a year, and the number of times that we both wished we could be doing something else instead… So yes, your life for the next couple of years will be some kind of living hell. Your entire existence will be tied up with either college, or _Book of Mormon_ , and you will be tired all the time. I do not know how good your love life is with Dave, nor do I want to, but there will be less of that too. But at the end of those two years, when you graduate from NYADA, you will do so with one thing that others will lack - experience. You will find that will get you in the door easily at auditions, and who knows, maybe by then they will be looking for a new Elder Price…"

"I guess…"

"If you talk to Dave, then I am pretty sure that he will tell you to go for it, because he loves you, and the whole performing side of you. From what I have been told, he was boasting about you non-stop at all of his practices last week, and his face on Tuesday night was a picture. Yes, it will be hard, but the two of you have both dealt with so much worse than this. This one will be easy," remarked Beats.

"There isn't much that we can do about The Strand, I'm afraid, but don't they need staff on call that can come in and cover during the vacation season? You could ask them if you could do that next summer at least. I mean, even if you do have other people to cover for in the show, then it won't be a full time role anyway," reasoned Skylar.

"Well, I suppose I could ask them," mused Sebastian. "And you are right about Dave, of course; he will tell me to go for it. I don't know if they'd ever let me be Elder Price though…"

"After you were such a big hit in the part?" scoffed Jeff. "They'd be mad not to let you do it…"

Sebastian laughed, and then sat back amongst his friends to think. He did want the part so badly, and all of the reasons that he had just come up with for not taking it were just excuses. He smiled as he knew inside that as long as Dave had no objections, his response to them the following day would be "When do I start?"

Back in Ohio, the news of Sebastian's Broadway stage appearance had finally reached the ears of his father. He would have been the last person that Ethan would have invited that night, given that there was no love lost between them. The estrangement that had begun due to his father's neglect and lack of care had widened into an unbridgeable chasm when the truth about his maman had come out. The news came to him from Mrs Duval; as Sue and Mr Duval had been fighting another match in front of the television cameras, the two campaign managers had found themselves alone together in the green room. The election had brought the two of them together in that way so often now that due to the politeness the two of them had been raised with, they knew each other's coffee order.

It was over that coffee that Mrs Duval casually mentioned that she had been in New York the previous week, and had seen Sebastian perform. She went on to mention that she had met his mother, and the sister of Mr Smythe's first wife. He had been about to jump in and correct her when she mentioned they had flown in from Canada together; that meant that he kept his silence and agreed with her. He knew exactly who it must have been that night, and the last thing that he needed was for Sue Sylvester, and thus the world, to find out that his first wife wasn't actually dead…

Instead, he had asked Mrs Duval how Sebastian's performance had been, and she proceeded to sing his praises; how wonderful his timing was, how his face told the tale and conveyed every emotion, how clear and perfect his vocals were. As she went on, he began to feel a warm glow akin to pride. After all, this was his son that she was talking about. True, he might not have approved of many of his choices - I mean, married at his age! - but his decision to head into a career in the world of entertainment did appear to have been the right one. He had not received great reports after all from the firm in London that he had briefly spent time with at his own insistence. Sebastian it seemed had been more interested in the contents of the biscuit tin than in the world of accountancy.

As the day progressed, he thought about things more, and eventually sought out and read the review in the _New York Times_. The fulsome praise it contained lead him to do something that shocked him, and would give his son an even bigger shock. When Sebastian's phone had buzzed with the text from an unrecognised number, he had been cautious, but his jaw dropped when he read the words 'I hear that you make a great Mormon. I hope that you achieve all of your dreams. Never give up on them, and unlike me, don't lose sight of the really important things. Dad.'

The next day, Sebastian would accept the part; Dave's response when he had told him was that he was stupid not to have taken the role on the moment he was offered it. All that was important to him was that his husband was successful in his career, and if that meant that they did not see as much of each other as he would like for a while, then he could live with it, just as long as he still woke up next to him in the morning. Having taken the part, Sebastian had then headed to The Strand with a heavy heart to give in his notice, having made sure that the theatre knew that he would have to work any period of time that they required him to first. The manager there was sad to see him go, as he had become a very popular member of staff amongst both his colleagues and the customers alike; however, given his reason for going, he was sure that all of them would wish him all the best. Better still, he also suggested that Sebastian might come back and temp for them during his vacations without the latter even making the suggestion, so all in all, things had worked out quite well.

As the last week of his summer job drew to a close, Sebastian also found himself saying farewell to Jenny. She was finished with school, and so when the shows directors had called her in and offered her a role in the national tour, on the back of her one off performance, as the understudy to Nabalungi, she had grabbed the opportunity with both hands. She believed that her success was entirely down to Sebastian's mad scheme, but he refused to accept that, pointing out that it was her own talent that had earned her the recognition. All that he asked her to do was to stay in touch, and that she promised happily.

That week also saw a third person being called into the office of the director at the theatre, much to their surprise. Mason had headed along out of curiosity, and when he was offered the role that Sebastian had occupied the following summer, he took it with a grin. He after all had no-one that he felt compelled to consult first. When he posted his news on Facebook, his page was immediately flooded with likes and messages of congratulations.

On his final night on the summer job, Sebastian found himself being guided by his fellow Mormons to the cloakroom after the curtain fell; there he discovered that there was now a locker with his name on it, and inside were his costume and that most essential of props - the book. He couldn't resist the temptation of asking one of his new co-stars to take a photo of him holding it, a big smile on his face, and one hand outstretched with his finger poised as if to ring a doorbell. He posted it at once on social media, with the caption "I'm now official…" A summer that had started off with terrible news of a let down for Sebastian had turned out instead to be the one that gave a massive kickstart to his career.

He was, of course, not the only one of the group of friends for whom this summer had been a big break career wise. For Jeff, it had also been quiet a momentous few months. He had inherited a lot of assets, which he had put to very good use. Having disposed of a lot of it, he still had a dream home for himself and Nick; had made the lives of so many simple by housing them; had a holiday place, if not in the Hamptons, certainly on Long Island; and had broken into the tough New York arts scene with his personal homage to Wes. _The Judging Angel_ had been the star attraction at the school art show for the entire summer; it had attracted not just the normal crowd, but the great and the good of the city. Bette had heard all about from Sebastian, and had showed up one afternoon to take a look for herself; her fulsome praise on social media of the work had lead to even more famous faces arriving, including just before closing time one evening, Hillary Clinton. The message that she had left for Jeff made him feel quite giddy, and from then on he had sported one of her pins on his jacket whenever he was out and about in return.

The show was due to end on the Saturday before the new term commenced, and that did raise a big question - what would happen to his work after that. Jeff knew one thing for certain as he headed into a meeting that the Dean had requested on the subject a few days before that date; he was not going to let them shut Wes away in a dusty cupboard. If need be, he would take his painting home with him.

As he sat down across from the Dean and the Principal, he was ready to stick firmly to his guns on the subject. His face must have betrayed his internal mood, as the Dean made to speak first. "Jeff, I must congratulate you; your drawing has been by far the most popular exhibit in the show this summer. Largely thanks to it, and the publicity that it has received, ticket sales for the show have been far higher than usual too, which has been a massive boost to college funds. It has also created a lot of speculation as to what will happen to your piece afterwards. So, it is my pleasure to let you know that we have received an offer to provide a new home for your work, where it will be on permanent public display."

"Really?" said Jeff with a smile. "That is wonderful, as long as it is in the right place…"

"Now, the offer does come with a couple of provisos. They want to be allowed to produce postcard sized prints and a limited number of larger ones, for sale to visitors. The proceeds from the sale of those will be shared between yourself, the college, and the much respected institution in question. You will of course have the final say over those, and any other merchandising that might take place. Oh, I forgot, I should have said where the offer has come from first. The offer was made by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, here in New York…"

For a moment, Jeff just sat in silence, but then he shook his head. "I'm sorry sir, but I thought that I just heard you say that the Met were interested in _The Judging Angel_ , but that is impossible, as that is where all the older and historic paintings by the great artists are found."

"Actually these days they are looking to expand their collection by adding newer works by artists that they believe have the talent to stand comparison with the rest of their collection, and trust me when I tell you that they found your work more than worthy. The Gallery of Modern Art also expressed an interest, and the Smithsonian would also quite happily take the work, although the latter would mean that it would be moved to Washington DC."

"I can still barely believe that even one of those institutions expressed an interest in my drawing… I mean, I thought that a small gallery somewhere might be interested, but I never imagined the Met…!"

"They have made an offer, and I believe it is one that you will like. They do not wish to purchase _The Judging Angel_ outright; they heard that it was an immensely personal piece of art for you, and so they thought rather that they should just be elected to display it for you, so that it can be enjoyed by everyone in a setting that it so richly deserves. As well as the aforementioned postcards and prints, they would be willing to have two full sized copies made. They would retain one, so that the picture is always on display, so to speak, here in New York. They believe that in time, your drawing could be toured around the world - I am lead to believe that the National Gallery in London has already expressed an interest in having it on loan. The second copy would be your to dispose of as you wish…"

Jeff nodded, his mind overloading. He had not even dreamed this time last year, as he had started to make the rough sketches of Wes for the drawing he intended that it would ever be deemed worthy of all of this. His eyes began to tear up as he imagined Nick's face when he told him the news - and Mike's for that matter. Wes would be mortified that he was going to be part of an internationally renowned art collection, but in private he would be a little thrilled - and as for Thad… "So if I wished to donate the second of those prints to Dalton Academy, so that it could hang in the school, they would have no objections?"

"No, the Met would have no issue with that. Now, the other galleries wish to purchase the piece outright, and these are the figures they are talking about."

The Dean passed two letters to Jeff, and he gasped as he saw the number of zeros in the figures that had been highlighted for him. It was a lot of money, and for most students in his position, that would be the main goal. "I think that I would rather accept the offer from the Met; after all, money isn't everything to me, and the idea that _The Judging Angel_ would still belong to me is very appealing. I have become quite attached to it, to be honest."

"A lot of people have, Jeff. We all expect to see great things from you again this year, but I want to put it on record here and now that we do not expect nor need _The Judging Angel_ Mark II." Jeff smiled at that, and nodded. He was glad that had been said, as he was slightly concerned that he might not be able to produce another masterpiece this year.

Nick was back at work in the Law Library, and Mike was in rehearsal for his first professional stage appearance, so the only person at home to greet Jeff that afternoon was Caleb, who ran up to him as if he had been away for years, not just a few hours. He followed Jeff down to the kitchen, and accepted the small portion of food that he was immediately offered. Jeff found that Nick had made him some sandwiches before he left, and placed them in the fridge; he ate them with a small glass of juice. It was his turn to cook dinner that night, and he knew that tonight he needed to try and do something different from his much loved Mac and Cheese. He headed up to his studio, and found the sketch pad in which he had concealed the instructions that he had been given by François for making the perfect Quiche Lorraine. He wasn't that bad at making pastry, as long as he concentrated, and with Caleb now sleeping in quiet contentment in his usual sunbeam at the garden door, he had the chance… He worked slowly, but that ensured that he was accurate, as just a tiny error could ruin the entire dish. The pastry made, he set about preparing the filling, knowing that the moment he began to fry the small lardons of bacon, Caleb's sensitive nose would pick up the scent, and he would rush to stand at Jeff's feet, looking up in expectation. To that end, he had placed the trimmings in his bowl already…

As so often happened, Nick and Mike met each other on the subway, and walked in to the house together, immediately smelling something that wasn't Mac and Cheese. Nick paled for a moment, picturing his kitchen being a mess, but when they got there, the room was spotless. Jeff had heard them walk in, and had removed the quiche from the oven at its moment of perfection. He had prepared a salad to go with it; and for dessert he had used the ice cream maker to prepare a batch of a new flavour, mixing in lemon, honey and ginger. He told them his news as soon as they sat down at the table, and discovered he had been right. Nick burst into immediate happy tears for his husband, and Mike beamed with pure delight at his friend's wonderful news.

It was Nick that would initiate the Warbler group chat on Skype that evening, so keen was he to share the news of his husband's triumph. As could have been anticipated, the reaction was one of universal delight. After all, it wasn't just a case of Jeff getting his drawing displayed in such a prestigious establishment; it was also their very own Wes Montgomery that was going to be having his portrait displayed alongside the great and the good; being put on public display for, in all likelihood, many decades to come.

"It is funny that in life, Wes would only ever have been known to those of us that loved and respected him; to a few fellow judges and lawyers. In death, his face has become one that has entered the consciousness of so many people in this city, and indeed, country," mused Trent, and they all had to concur that was indeed the case.

"There is one more thing that I need to add, and I didn't even get a chance to tell Nicky, given how excited he was for me. They are going to make a number of prints of _The Judging Angel,_ mainly postcards, but a few larger prints, which is excellent. However, they will also be commissioning two full sized copies; one for their own collection, so that my original can tour the world, if people wish to see it…"

"I'm certain that they will, my love," interjected Nick.

"And another one for me to do with as I wish," continued Jeff. "So, Thad, can you ask the Principal if there is a wall space available at Dalton? I mean, having my work on display there seems like the only sensible option for it to me."

"If I personally have to go and take other things down off the walls, there will be a space for _The Judging Angel_ at Dalton," Thad replied in a voice thick with emotion. "Wes can watch over all of us here on a daily basis then, and that way he will never be forgotten by those that work and study here. On a personal level, this is the best gift that anyone has ever given me, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

"I just have one question - where do I put my name down for one of those prints?" asked David, which came as no surprise to any of them. Jeff was not so sure, but he promised that as soon as he did find out, he would put David's name down.


	64. The Nightmare before Christmas Part I

**The Nightmare before Christmas Part I**

Before any of them knew it, summer was over, and the normal run of life had come back into force. College was once more the key driving force in pretty much everybody's lives. For Trent, as he entered his final year, life was busy. He was finishing his studies whilst one of the most contentious presidential election campaigns in decades was going on, and it was inevitable that a lot of his classes became skewed in that direction. In some ways, he felt a little guilty about the unfair advantage he had over most of his classmates, given that he had direct access to the political circus through his work for Burt. Then there was his link to one of the most interesting congressional election fights through his ties to Nick. He had in his usual open and honest way made no secret of this to those that were in charge of his courses. They had dismissed all of his worries on that score, and had also been at pains to point out that they did not expect more from him as a result of his connections.

Burt was also only too well aware of the importance of the year for Trent, and with a little help from Rory, he had surreptitiously reduced the young man's workload. Carole had taken on some of the more menial tasks, which left the two college students more time to concentrate on the tougher stuff. Burt had a lot of speeches to make after all, and both of his young aides knew just how to craft them in terms that the electorate could understand and identify with. With a new home as well thanks to Jeff, they also had better working conditions. The extra space was particularly useful in allowing them to do their covert work for Sue.

That particular campaign was never far from Nick's thoughts as he began his third year at law school. He had managed to find time during the summer to chat to the lawyers that had undertaken the prosecution in the Montgomery trial, and they in turn had put him in touch with four of the young women whose lives had been left blighted after meeting Randy Montgomery. He had been concerned that they might not talk as openly with him as he was a man, but he quickly put all of them at their ease. His level of understanding and his conciliatory tone meant that they told him things in such detail that he was moved to tears. Two of the women had then put him in touch with others from the group. It was one of them that gave him a piece of information which was hitherto unknown. She had heard that one of the women he had prayed on was an overseas student that had been studying for a year at Harvard, and that she had left for home before she discovered she was pregnant. She wasn't sure that she had had an abortion. It raised the prospect that somewhere out there in the world, Wes had a half brother or sister. Nick had no way of finding them though, and that was a little frustrating.

All of it had been excellent preparation for his case study project, which was good, given how intensive his studies would be that year. As with Sebastian and Dave, he was likely to see a lot less of his husband than he would have wished that year, but it would all be for a good cause in the end. His other secret project, the election of Sue Sylvester to Congress was of more concern - he still had sleepless nights thinking of what he had done - but in a couple of months, all that would be over. His only wish was that he would not be left to rue his decision in the future.

The run up to the presidential elections of 2016 ended up being a period of divisiveness that left the country in a state of constant flux. From the moment that the two candidates had been selected there had been further elements of surprise emerging from across the political spectrum. Many people could not believe that the country could soon possibly have its first female president, a move that was every bit as ground breaking to some as when they had elected the first African American president back in 2008. Others though were convinced that it would be the business tycoon and reality television star chosen by the Republican Party that would win the day. That a man with absolutely no political experience whatsoever could have been elected to such a position was astounding to the establishment on both sides of the political divide. He had seen his ratings remain high even when there was clear proof of his attitude towards women; when it was quite clear that his lack of knowledge could lead to, at best, incompetent errors; at worst, to the start of the another world war and the end of civilisation as it was known.

The problem was that neither of the candidates smelt particularly of roses. The whole scandal about the e-mails that went on and on in certain sections of the media had been a gift to Mr Trump, who carried on delivering populist soundbite after soundbite. Many people lapped up every word that he said, but as the final pre-election polls were published, the result looked tight. It seemed more than likely though that they would all have to get used to saying Madam President though, starting from the inauguration ceremony in Washington next year…

Mostly election talk was tactfully avoided amongst the group of friends from Ohio. None of them was likely to vote for Trump in any case; his backlash against all the hard won equalities achieved in the last few years was enough for all of them to see that he would be a disaster waiting to happen if he entered the White House. For a start, he wasn't abiding by the rules of the presidential race and giving all the full disclosures that he was supposed to…

For Trent and Rory there was no avoiding the subject either at college or at work. Their home in Georgetown was a politics free zone by their own decree, and although they both headed out on a daily basis wearing their 'I'm with her!' pins and the correct party ribbons, they did not talk about the subject at home over dinner. They did keep their quiet support to the campaign of Sue Sylvester going though, which left them both feeling like wartime double agents as a result, even if they were doing so with the full blessing of Burt. As it was, Nick's father's campaign had never really recovered from the night that his son had told the world that he had assaulted him just because he was gay; true, things had not gone entirely Sue's way either, with skeletons from her own past being thrown into the media spotlight. Her scheming against so many people over the years had left some determined to destroy her at any cost. The final polls in Westerville had shown that she had a clear lead over her opponents, but there was no complacency there. After all, what people said to the person on the doorstep or on the phone about their voting intentions was often the exact opposite of what they actually went on to do.

Even in Lima, the effects of Mr Trump's rhetoric on the electorate were apparent, with the polling numbers for Burt being down. It could have been much worse had Burt not made a very good and clear point in his campaign publicity. He pointed out that even if Trump could force the big companies to bring back production of goods to the United States, it did not mean that the tank factory would come back to town in any case. His proposed abolition of the healthcare scheme instituted by President Obama would cause issues for many people as provision was cut, and his proposals to cut state budgets would also hit the town hard. His words hit a chord with people, and thanks to that and his own personal popularity, Burt Hummel would be certain to return to Congress, barring a last minute disaster.

Politics was also being resolutely ignored outside of government classes at Dalton Academy. Whereas other schools were holding mock ballots, and even had candidates handing out pins and ribbons, urging students to go home and try and influence how their families voted, the old school remained untouched by the changing world and the political warfare. It was also strictly taboo in the faculty break room, for which Thad was eternally grateful. He had taken to his new job like a duck to water. From the moment he had first heard "Good Morning, Mr Harwood!" from his class as he walked in, he had known that teaching and Dalton where exactly the career and place that he needed to be in. His youth meant that he had an easy connection with his pupils; his lessons were designed not just to instil the essential facts, but to encourage the young men to go out and seek out further information for themselves.

Marking was a bit of a chore, but if he saw from those papers that someone in the class was struggling a little, then he would make time to talk to them, one on one, in a discrete fashion. His duties as a housemaster were not too arduous either; he strictly enforced the rules of the school, but at the same time, he showed sympathy, and made time to listen to the problems of the young men in his care. If he spotted a potential issue, then he tried to fix it there and then, rather than waiting for it to blow up completely.

And then there were the Warblers. He had high hopes for them in the competition circuit this year. He left the council to run things, and did not intervene unless he was asked to. He did sit in though, and if he saw something that he felt was a potential issue, he would speak to the council quietly in private. It was that attention that meant that the few little problems that had arisen had been dealt with and harmony maintained as they came to Sectionals - which they had proceeded to ace. That event had taken place only a few days before the election. His only hope was that the candidate that he felt the country would be best run by would be every bit as successful as his boys had been…

The day of the election finally arrived, and with it a sense that whatever the result was, the world as they knew it was about to change out of all recognition. If Mrs Clinton won, then it would be a victory for all those that had worked so hard over the years in the field of woman's rights and equality; a symbolic moment when the glass ceiling was shattered once and for all…

If Mr Trump won, then as Sebastian eloquently put it the night before, the country would have "sold the farm, and opened ourselves up to a toxic combination of hatred and ridicule such as we have never seen before; we will, as a nation, have shown the world just how small minded and xenophobic so many of us are." He was not the only person to think that; indeed, Trent had found a letter addressed to him in the post that morning from Rory's Nana, which contained an application form for Irish citizenship, and a note in which she stated that he would qualify for it through marriage, and that maybe he should consider taking it, just in case being an American became too risky in the next few months…

For him and Rory, election day itself was one on which they could relax for a while and not have to worry about the pressure of work; indeed, there was a minute chance that they could be out of a job the following day. There were no speeches to write, as they had already drawn up two for Burt to cover both eventualities in the election results, and had a pile available for the presidential result for him too. The man himself had travelled with Carole to Lima, to be there at the moment that the results of the poll were announced. They had both offered to go with him, as there were no classes for them that day. Burt had declined, telling them to make the most of the day off; after all, if that man won, the two of them would find themselves busier than ever before.

For Thad, Election Day meant an early morning trip to the local polling place to cast his votes. For him, today marked a couple of significant milestones in his life. It was the first time he had voted for a President, having been just too young at the previous election and therefore not on the register; and secondly, it was the first time in his life he had ever voted Republican - and he hoped it would be the last… The idea was still awful to him, but it had to be done; Sue Sylvester had to be elected in Westerville, and at a time like this, every single vote mattered. His one consolation was that he could still vote with his true politics in the other contest, and that salved his aching soul, reducing the sense of betrayal that he felt within himself. He then headed back to work, passing the Carmichaels on the way, both of them also with a look of grim determination on their faces, as they too voted against type in the Congressional race. Nick owed them all big time for this one…

For the young man in question, the day had begun with early classes at school, and a discussion with his senior tutor on his project work. It was coming along well, both of them agreed, and Nick's passionate belief and respect for the rights of every human being shone through in his text. He had spoken to several of the victims of the financial side of the Montgomery case as well, good honest people that had lost so much as a consequence of the scams that randy had orchestrated. It left him feeling that the compensation levels for those people had been derisory and almost a great embarrassment; it was as if the system favoured the perpetrator, not the victim.

As Nick had left, his tutor had called him back. "I understand that your father is running for Congress today; I hope that his results are what you would wish them to be…"

Nick smiled, liking the way that he had avoided saying "I hope that he loses." He nodded, and replied "I understand that his campaign has been memorable, and that, whatever the actual result, his name will almost certainly enter the annals of political history in the state of Ohio…"

Nick and Jeff would go and vote together once they had finished school. In preparation for a long line, Nick had packed juice boxes, cookies, crackers and a thermos of coffee in his bag that morning with his books. Mike had been fortunate enough to have a later start, and had cast his vote not long after Niff had left the house that morning. His democratic duty done, he had headed uptown to work, to train and rehearse for his fairly small part in the company's big Christmas show.

Over in Murray Hill, a group of six had made their way to the polling booths together. For Cooper and Grace, it was nothing new; for Sebastian, raised in a household where politics was around, it was just another vote, and Dave felt much the same, albeit both of them realising how crucial this one was. For Mason and Roderick though, it all held a certain level of excitement. The very fact that they were there, and had the right to cast a vote for the first time was wonderful. Their duty done, they split up, all heading off in smaller and smaller groups, until they reached their destinations for the day. NYADA, like Dalton and The Spotlight, was trying its best to avoid the whole subject, but even inside those hallowed halls there was an underlying tension; a strong hope that everything would go okay, but a nagging feeling that whatever the polls were saying, it could all go horribly wrong at the last moment…

Some of course had already cast their vote by the time that those in Murray Hill did. The three older Warblers that had graduated and had work to go to had voted together not long after the polls had opened, all bemoaning the fact that they could not vote by post in advance as people could in other countries; Ethan knew that people in the United Kingdom could after all. David would do the same on the other side of the country, his job with Google being all that he had anticipated and more, but a big consumer of his time. The work was fast paced, and the deadlines short, but in return he did have one of the best working environments in the country. He had heard from Beats all about his friend's working conditions, and he was sympathetic, but he did not agree with his stance that such things were a result of decades of cuts to budgets and there being no choice for the authorities. After all, there was always cash available for the executive's offices to get a plush new carpet, or a coat of paint. Still, the three workers in New York were happy, and none of them hated the jobs that they had found themselves in. Across the nation, the former Warblers and New Directions cast their votes, with all of those outside of Ohio casting their votes for the same party.

Thousands of miles away, a young man had managed to sneak away from his girlfriend for the day, to head into London and cast a vote at the centre that existed there for ex-pats like himself. He had been sent a ballot paper at home, but she had found it and ripped it up, telling him that if he just renounced his US citizenship then he would be able to vote properly. Drew had been angry, but then he had discovered the centre in London whilst online. He had taken to heading to the public library in the centre of Oxford to access the net, as there he was free to look at what he wished, without Lucy checking up on him through his history. He still had pain in his wrist from the injury she had inflicted on him the last time she found out that he had been on the Warblers Facebook page.

From that, he was aware that Thad was now on the staff at Dalton. He had also discovered by visiting other pages that Nick's dad was running for Congress, much to the young man's disgust. He was startled to discover from Thad's own page that he was backing Sue Sylvester, a Republican, for Congress, until he suddenly realised that she was running against Nick's father. Thad had always been a smart cookie, and he was sure to be voting tactically… Thanks to that, he had cast his own votes in the same way. He was still officially registered as a voter in Westerville, under the care of Dalton Academy, as Principal Carmichael had suggested he and Ethan do when they had decided to come to England for college in the first place. Thus he, like Thad, ignored all of his natural instincts and voted Sue for Congress. It was the least that he could do for his old friends back home. He wished that he could call them or text them, but that was impossible now. The security on the library computers meant he could view Facebook, but not log in; and as his phone had been accidentally knocked out of his hand and into the murky waters of the Thames last month, he no longer had their numbers. Worse yet, in a few days he would be leaving Oxford all together, as Lucy had obtained a new job. He would soon be living in the capital city, in West Hampstead. He had been told to give up his own job, and when he declined, he arrived at work one morning to discover he had resigned… As election day wore on, Drew prayed that Clinton would win, but for his own selfish reasons; if Trump was victorious, Lucy would be irate, and she would take her anger out on the nearest American to her…

As the day dragged on for Drew, it did the same for the rest of them on the other side of the Atlantic. The polls had been upbeat that morning, so there was a degree of cautious optimism. Kitty was busily plotting her own rise to power one day, much to the amusement of Marley and Ryder, who had caught her practicing her acceptance speech. Artie was not laughing though, and neither was Brittany. They alone had noticed that they had barely seen any sign of an angel in the last few weeks, and on their fleeting visits, they all seemed less upbeat than usual. They both recalled the way that Blaine had acted around Wes in his last few weeks, and how Kurt and Finn had seemed sullen then; that was the way all four of them were now.

It was Artie that finally said it out loud to Brittany that afternoon, in a quiet corner of the Spotlight diner. "She isn't going to win. They know, and that's why all of them are distant and sad. They've seen the future, what happens when he wins, and it isn't great…"

Brittany nodded, and whispered, "I think so too, but don't say that to anyone yet. It might be something else that has made them sad - or someone else…"

"Don't even suggest that!" hissed Artie in reply. "If someone else was to go now, it would almost be too much to bear for all of us. I would rather live under President Trump than face having to go to another friend's funeral…"

The first instinct of the two of them was correct, of course. The angelic kingdom had always been given insight into the future, as it allowed it to marshal its resources if a major calamity was in the offing, so that it could cope with the influx of casualties. It seemed strange at first that an election result would be included within that, until it was pointed out to them all that a new leader could result in deaths in so many different ways. It wasn't as likely in the USA, but the same rules applied for every state in the world. Technically, only Elizabeth should have known, and possibly Wes, but the other three had walked in to her office without knocking just as Wes had sworn at her and cursed the stupid darn Electoral College system; Kurt and Blaine had twigged the reason for his outburst at once.

That anger only grew when they discovered that the loser of the race would actually have more individual votes to their name than the person that would be declared the victor. "I don't understand how that can be thought of as democratic and fair!" Finn had exclaimed. "I mean, they made Kurt Prom Queen because he had most votes; this is like they decided to give it to Quinn instead that night!"

"A bit of a poor example there," Wes responded, as Kurt and Blaine just stared at Finn, both thinking that such a result would have been no bad thing, "but that is the way that the system works! The person with the most votes can lose because of the way that each state is allocated votes. It is a stupid, outdated and undemocratic system which should be altered; the presidential vote should be decided on votes from across the USA, and the individual states should play no role. It should just be one big count. Still, I doubt that Mr Trump will be in any hurry to change the system now…"

By the time that the polls closed, the eyes of the entire world had focused on the United States. It was after all one of the most important nations on the planet, and what happened that night would have an impact on the entire world. If the vote went one way, then very little would change, and the world would breathe a collective sigh of relief. If it went the other way, then the seismic shocks would echo around the world, just as they had done with Brexit back in June, when suddenly imports from the UK had got so much cheaper. Many places like New York had special events organised; small parties for those that had not been invited to either of the official ones that were taking place so close to each other.

At the Spotlight diner, there was on the other hand, nothing. It had been decided right at the start that people might like to find somewhere where politics was not being mentioned; where pins, baseball caps and slogan heavy shirts were banned. It had kept them busy all day, but as the time for the results to begin to trickle in approached, the place began to slowly empty and get quiet. Tonight the result was too big for even those that detested politics to miss. The same thing had been noticed by both Cooper and Rachel; their audiences had been smaller than average, and that same trend was being noticed right across the city. It was almost eerily calm. There was no-one screaming or shouting; no protests or jeering crowds - at least, not yet… None of the circle of friends felt compelled to stay up late into the night to watch as the results came in; after all, all of the polls had shown them that their worst nightmare couldn't possibly come true….


	65. The Nightmare before Christmas Part II

_A Happy New Year to all my regular readers. Last Wednesday chapter for a while; back to Sunday only after this week._

 _A quick warning. The last paragraph will upset some of you..._

 **The Nightmare before Christmas Part II**

Jeff was the last person in the house in the West Village to wake up on the day after the election, and that he did was mainly because he sensed that Nick was no longer lying at his side. He glanced at the clock, and cursed when he saw that it was still only 5.30am. He still got up out of bed, put his robe on, and headed towards the stairs. As he did so, he noticed that Mike's bedroom door was also open, and that his bed was empty too. He found his husband and Mike sitting at the kitchen table in silence, just staring blankly at the screen of Nick's laptop, on which a news report was playing; a news report that was stating that Trump had won the presidency…

Jeff's eyes, which had still been half shut with sleep, popped wide open at those words, and then he blinked hard a few times. He was just about to pinch himself really hard, in the hope that when he did so he would wake up back upstairs in bed, next to Nick, when his husband said in a deadpan tone "I wouldn't bother trying that Jeffie. I did, and it's still true. He won. The polls were wrong. The swing states voted for him, and as a result, she lost. The north east, the Pacific coast and well, Illinois, voted Democrat; everyone else went for Trump. I can see why they did. He promised them a return to the good old days, and they believed him. They didn't think about the consequences for other people, they just thought about themselves. The irony is, there will be a lot of people that voted Trump that will lose out from his policies. It's clear that they will, but they didn't do the math. He promised them all sorts of goodies, stoked their prejudices and their xenophobia, and they lapped it up. The gullible always do. It's a technique that has been used by other people throughout history to gain power…"

Jeff had by now stumbled his way over to slump in the chair next to Nick, a worried look upon his face. He was suddenly so glad that he lived in New York. He knew that the city would protect the rights that its people, all of its people had fought so hard for over the years. Those living elsewhere might not be so lucky. He shook his head sadly when Nick finished speaking, his eyes shining with moisture, then said, "Well, we just have to get ourselves ready to stand up and fight; to oppose all of those things that he tries to do that we despise. It has happened and there is nothing we can do to alter that fact now. We really just have to suck it up, and get on with our lives. To that end, I'll go and put the coffee on, and make a start on breakfast. I think that this is kind of a bacon morning, with eggs; toast with far too much butter on it, and maybe a few cookies after just to cheer ourselves up!" Jeff stood up, and noticed a small smile had appeared on Mike's face. "So, Nicky, do you want to cook the bacon, or shall I just go ahead and set off all the smoke alarms instead?"

As Mike burst out laughing, Nick stood up, shaking his head, and pulled his husband into a tight hug. "You're right of course; we do just need to be ready to stand up and be counted when the time comes. It is all that we can do for now. Still, at least all of the news wasn't bad. Burt kept his seat in Lima by a better margin than predicted…"

"And in Westerville…?" Jeff asked with a tremor in his voice.

"May the good Lord and history forgive me, but I'm not the estranged son of a congressman this morning. Our little scheme worked; McKinley High needs a new cheer coach. Sue Sylvester, for better or for worse, is on her way to Washington. I mean, I am glad that my dad lost, but…" Nick's voice faltered, and Jeff nodded, knowing exactly what he meant…

"The positive thing about that is that she is every bit as opposed to all of Trump's divisive policies as we are," stated Mike. "Sure, when I was at McKinley she was, to be frank, a ruthless, manipulative, cold-hearted bitch 99% of the time; her only joy in live seemed to be found in watching other people suffer. She loved Kurt though, and the death of her Porcelain affected her more than she will ever truly admit. Then she witnessed first hand what Blaine did… She is still an ace schemer, and she loves turning her hate on to people; fortunately for us these days, all of that hatred is currently aimed at our new President Elect. She will not bow to the party line if she thinks that a policy is wrong or crazy. He can have all the officials in the world meet with her, and turn the screws on her, but she won't just roll over. She will bite them first. We have to be like her; as Jeff said, we have to be ready to go out there, stand up for what we believe in and fight like generations have done before. We have to ensure that the voice of this generation is heard loud and clear by those in power."

"I guess that is all we can do," sighed Nick. "That, and fight to ensure that there is no way he is re-elected in 2020; no second term for that loathsome creep of a man. Right, this isn't getting breakfast ready. We've all got busy days ahead of us. I think that as well as the bacon, some French Toast might be in order?"

"I have no argument with that suggestion Nicky," replied Jeff with a smile, "and I am also pretty certain that I can help with that without burning the house down." Nick smiled and kissed his husband before the two started on breakfast. Mike meanwhile continued to watch the news on screen. It appeared that there had already been some protests in a few states as a result of his election already. He could understand why people weren't happy; he certainly wasn't. However, that was the risk with democracy; as Winston Churchill had once said _"The_ _best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."_ He closed Nick's laptop down, and went to set the table, all the time wondering how all of their friends would be reacting to the news as they woke up this morning…

Rachel and Sam knew the worst had happened when they were woken up by the sound of Santana screaming obscenities at the top of her voice in Spanish. There was no going back to sleep as the noise continued, and although neither of them were particularly fluent in the language, the words Trump, Lima Heights, and _cojones_ in the mix told them all they needed to work out what she was thinking.

Artie, who had predicted that this would be the result from watching the angels, still felt immense anger when it was confirmed to him. He also ignored his phone when he saw Kitty calling him; he knew full well that she was calling solely to rant about the result, and much as he loved her, it was far too early, and he really wasn't in the mood or frame of mind to hear her right now. Marley and Ryder had all of his sympathy, given that they lived with her, and he imagined that both of them would find any reason they could to leave for school early that morning.

Neither Flint or Ethan spoke as they ate their breakfast that morning; for the former, Mr Trump's position on the climate and environmental issues in general left him feeling alarmed about the world's future. For the latter, the day was likely to be hectic as the world's financial markets reacted to the news. There had already been problems in the Asian and European markets, and although both were starting to recover, it still wasn't going to be an easy time at work for a while…

In the house upstairs, there was an air of grim resignation, tempered with mild disgust that so many people in the country could actually have voted for him. Meanwhile, in the house next door, six young men had held an early morning council of war, pondering what they themselves could do to resist the scourge that was now about to be one of the most powerful men in the world. They would abide within the law, of course, although they all had to admit that the idea of heading up Fifth Avenue to throw flour, eggs or even bricks at a certain building was so very, very tempting…

In Murray Hill, Dave woke up to discover that Sebastian was in the kitchen, making bread. This was no great shock, as Nick's ability in the kitchen had made all of the Warblers want to try their hand. However, the pummelling that the dough was getting as Sebastian was kneading it made Dave think that it was also acting as a punch bag, a device to deal with his anger. He stopped when Dave wrapped his arms around him form behind, and started to kiss the back of his neck. "Keep doing that. I think that this poor dough has had all that it can take by now," said Sebastian quietly.

"That will be my pleasure," whispered Dave. "I am guessing that all of the polls were wrong, and we don't have our first female president?"

"Your guess correctly. That permatanned Oompa Loompa that tried to ruin our second wedding day managed to convince the half-witted redneck assholes of middle America to vote for him in their droves. It makes me so mad to think that they could be so dumb, but in the end, they will probably be the ones that suffer the most from the consequences. Still, at least daddy dearest won't be best pleased this morning either. Nick's dad was heavily defeated by Sue, and from what I can gather from the internet, he was even outpolled in the end by the Democrat. I am certain that after this, my dad will retire from the political world, and hopefully vanish completely with his next illegal wife." Dave nodded, and turned his husband round to kiss him properly; it would be no bad thing if his father-in-law did disappear.

Upstairs, the mood around the breakfast table was muted too, no-one even mentioning the result. Grace was still able to celebrate the fact that her father had been unsuccessful, and the fact that it had been shown that her mother was a highly effective political organiser. She would carry on that work for Sue now, running her offices in Ohio, whilst Sue sat in Washington DC. What her father would do now she didn't know, or indeed care. He had been so confident that he would win that he had quit his job. Now he would have to find another one; and given that his controversial views were now well known, that might be a lot more difficult this time…

To say that Mr Duval was livid at the result was an understatement. He had expected to be given the nomination unopposed by the local party branch, given that he had the personal backing of the man that was soon to be President; instead, he had watched it fracture as a result of the friction caused by internal wrangling over his candidacy. His personal belief was that that those that did not back him did not have the right to call themselves true Republicans; he had said as much at one of the last party meetings he had attended, much to the horror of his campaign manager. Hiring Mr Smythe had also been a massive mistake on his part, he now believed. He had turned out to be a weak man when it came down to it, not the determined and ruthless man that he had needed him to be. It was as if someone had something held over him, and had threatened to reveal all if he did not keep the tone of his rhetoric low key and impersonal. He had been better than useless, and had vetoed and trampled on so many of his perfectly good schemes. He would get his revenge though; he would ensure that the gun club rescinded his membership for a start…

As for his so-called family, who should have been there to back him up, regardless of their past differences, they had all turned on him, and made him look a complete fool. All he had ever done was try to protect them from harm, and ensure that they lived a moral life. It was fine though; he wanted nothing more to do with any of them in any case, particularly not his pervert of a son. As for his ex-wife, he would make her life difficult from afar, with constant phone calls and letter writing to the offices of the bitch that had defeated him in the congressional race. He would be back on the political stump soon enough; there was still the state government after all, and if he could secure a nomination in one of the areas that he could now see was pro-Trump, he could carry out his work for that great man there instead.

As Mr Duval raged against injustice, Sebastian's father was preparing to leave Ohio behind for a foreign holiday. When he had realised that his candidate had no hope of winning, he had booked a long vacation to the Virgin Islands for the day after the vote. He would be travelling there alone; unbeknown to his estranged sons, his relationship with the woman that he had hoped to make the fourth Mrs Smythe had come to an end after the candidate that he was publicly supporting had been particularly misogynistic. Such news had not made him as sad as it once would have done. He had come to realise during the election battle that his womanising ways had cost him dear. He would live with the shadow of his first wife actually being alive for the rest of his days, always fearful it would come out. Then there was the fact that he had lost all of the love that his sons could possibly have given him, and as a result, the adoration of a grandchild. No, from now on he was going to try and survive without a trophy wife. He couldn't risk any more scandal; if all of his past misdemeanours came out, he would find his world turned upside down, and the last things he had left, his money and his reputation would be taken from him. As he left for the airport, he started to consider whether he should move to the Caribbean on a more full time basis. Maybe he should search for a little place in the islands whilst he was there…

At Dalton, the news from Washington had little outward effect on the boys, but it was the talk of the faculty lounge when Thad went to garb a cup of coffee, having seen his house safely off to breakfast. On his arrival he found himself surrounded by his colleagues, all of them eager to know all that he could tell them about their new Congresswoman. He told them what little he knew, but made the point clearly that she would resist most of the things that they were opposed to coming in to law.

In his first class that morning, with a group of eager Juniors, he continued on with the curriculum, and the discussion of the role that the state and government had played during the Great Depression. He knew that the subject would raise a lot of questions, and that one in particular would come up - namely, what similarity was there between the promises that had been made then, and those that their new President had made in his campaign, and would they also be achieved.

"To be honest, boys, I am not sure," Thad replied carefully. "Our new President has promised a great many things to a large number of people. But there are a lot of paradoxes in what he has said; he wants to cut taxation, yet spend more on the military. You can't spend more than you have coming in, so where will the axe fall? He can't just borrow the money, given the size of the national debt already. In the age of the New Deal, things were different; there were fewer people demanding tax cuts, and a will to get things sorted. The New Deal was based on an infrastructure programme - and yes, Mr Trump also wants to build infrastructure. Problem is, there is so much that needs to be repaired and replaced before anything new can be built. The attitude of the people has changed to; back in the 1930s, if you wanted to build a new road, or a bridge, or a dam, you just went ahead and did it, more or less. Now they will have to jump through so many hoops it isn't real. Then, all people wanted was a wage that meant they could feed themselves and their folks; they wanted to work. Now they don't want to work hard, and they want more and more money so they can do more than just get by. Then the infrastructure priority was to build things to help modernise the country for everyone. Now, the priority is a border wall to keep the Mexicans out. Ask yourselves this; is isolating ourselves physically from our neighbours to the south, and ideologically from our neighbour, Canada, to the north, really the way to make a nation great? The spread of new roads, irrigation schemes, bridges, dams and electric power was back then. I shall let you decide for yourselves whether what we might be about to do now is as worthwhile…"

The question was the first of many that was asked in Dalton that day, as it was in schools across the country; like Thad, the teachers didn't really know the answer to it…

Not that far away from Dalton, the newly elected Congresswoman for Westerville was already beginning to prepare for her move to Washington DC. She would take up office officially on the 3rd of January, which gave her more than enough time to serve out her notice at McKinley. Her colleagues had been amongst the first to offer their congratulations on her success, although she did question the motivation and sincerity behind some of it; Figgins had seemed far too pleased for her liking. The Schuesters had been just right on the button though, and when Will had told her that she would be missed, she had believed every word he said was genuine. Emma had been her usual kind self, worried about what her departure would mean for her students, and especially the Cheerios, but she guessed that a certain Roz Washington would be only too pleased to take over there.

As for Coach Bieste, Sue was shocked to realise just how sad the other woman was at her imminent departure; after all, she had once seen her as her nemesis. If she was being totally honest, she was actually going to miss her too; she had become a friend, a worthy sparring partner in the constant war that was high school politics. However, she was well aware that she would be facing far better trained adversaries once she reached Capitol Hill; old, time served Congressmen and women, who would think that she might be easy prey in the dog eat dog world. She would have her enemies on both sides of the house to contend with; those of her fellow Republicans with an insane loyalty to the new President would try and wrong foot her, and the leaders of the house would try to force her to comply with their wishes, and make her vote blindly in favour of everything that he proposed. She would not do so, and that much she was certain of. She would also be opposed by the majority of the Democrats, who would take her allegiance to the opposition as a sign that she was the enemy. On that, they would be partially right…

She did however have the benefit of one friend of a sort in the rival camp. Burt Hummel had been watching the result in Westerville carefully from his own count, and the moment that Sue's victory had been confirmed, he had placed a discrete call to her, to offer her his congratulations. She had accepted them gracefully, and had also been more than happy for his advice on finding staff and indeed accommodation in the nation's capital. These bits of intel she had passed on to Mrs Duval, knowing that as well being able to count on her to run her operations here in Ohio, she would be only too happy to assist in setting up her operations in DC. For her part, she had already taken it upon herself to speak to the retiring congressman that Sue was replacing, and he had admitted that he had backed Sue to win as he thought she was the best person for the job. She would be able to use his existing staff, at least to begin with, which was an advantage; they were already aware of particular local issues, and were in situ in the office she would be occupying from the start of next year…

Burt had also suggested that as he was the guest of honour at a show that was taking place at McKinley just before Thanksgiving, they could arrange to have a quiet, off the record chat with each other then, to see where there common political ground lay, and how they could work together surreptitiously to derail the worst of the new policies before it could even build up the momentum it needed to become law. He did have a good point about taking advantage of the opportunity to talk when they would be in the same building with good reason; much as she had come to admire and respect the man over the years, he was now her political enemy, in public at least. It would not be to anyone's advantage to discover that the two of them had been in cahoots with a plan to keep Duval out…

In Washington itself, Trent and Rory found themselves living in a city that was in a state of shock. The result was the worst possible one for many that worked in the political sphere, and even ardent lifelong Republicans found that their current President was a better man than the one coming in that represented their own party. Trent went to college to discover that his first class of the morning had been cancelled, as the lecturer had been struck down with severe nausea. Many people seemed to be suffering from the same thing, with unhappy faces outnumbering those that seemed pleased.

Rory had no classes that morning, so he was spending his time writing a speech for Burt; one in which he accepted the wishes of the American people, but at the same time making clear his condemnation of the worst of the new regime's political statements and ideas. Trent had been a little jealous that Rory had been asked to pen that speech at first, but then he had realised that it would have to be mild and conciliatory in tone, and he was pretty certain that anything he had written that day would have been far too fiery for Burt to have made. In his second class of the day, Trent found the curriculum had been abandoned for a debate on the rights and wrongs of the Electoral College system, whereby all the votes of one state had to be allocated to one candidate. It was flawed, they all more or less agreed, particularly now that the information was coming out that the supposed loser had actually received a higher number of actual votes than the winner. Trent was sure however that the system would never be changed, at least not until the current President Elect was out of office. Hopefully, that would only be a very long four years away…

Having met up for lunch, Trent and Rory went their separate ways once again for their afternoon classes. Once school was finished for the day, they met up again at Burt's office, where to their slight surprise they found the man himself, looking over the speech that Rory had prepared for him that morning. "This is good, as your speeches always are, son. It conveys what so many of us are feeling right now, without getting me into hot water when I make it. There are just so many disquieting things going on already. There is a group that is already trying to raise the money to challenge the result in a few states where the vote was very close; there are others that are trying to persuade the voters in the Electoral Colleges that they don't have to endorse the result as they would usually do, if they feel it isn't in anyone's best interest. That attempt to overturn the result is a futile gesture I feel, and it won't get them the result that they want in any case. Like him or not, that man is our next President, and for the next four years a lot of us here are going to be fighting battle after battle. Healthcare is going to be the major one, and the irony is that many of the people that gave their vote to Trump will be the ones that lose out if he gets his way over the Affordable Care Act…"

Burt paused, then with a sigh continued. "This can't leave this office, but I have been advised that to get the money that he needs to build his wall and to increase military spending as he pledged, he will axe all Federal funding to the arts and culture. He is going to close down public radio, and get rid of PBS. He still won't be able to balance the books and deliver all that he has promised even then - and that is before the whole question of Russia comes to the fore…" Trent and Rory, whose faces had been struck with horror from the moment that Burt had announced the demise of art and culture now looked at the older man with curiosity. "I can't say anymore on that subject yet, but Russia is going to be big, and it is a subject that will dog our new President. If we are really lucky, and people are brave then we might even see an impeachment from it. Personally, I think that he will manage to wriggle out of it, to blame the entourage and say he knew nothing. Still, I think a lot of people will come to rue the day they voted for Mr Trump…"

"I think so too," replied Trent. "We just need to get the defences going now, and try and save all that is good. If he chooses to destroy culture, then how can he stand there and state that America is great? A nation is not just judged by the world on the output of its factories, and its trade deficit, but on the culture that it produces, its protection of its heritage, and on the place that it takes in the affairs of the world. A man that undermines that by attacking such things as NATO and the UN will only serve to diminish this country in the eyes of the world, and reduce us to mediocrity."

"I should put that in the speech," said Rory, looking at his husband with pride.

"I think that would be a very good idea," Burt responded with a smile.

As Rory found the best place to insert Trent's words into his already written speech, and the latter settled down to begin to work through the pile of correspondence that had arrived in the last few days, a group of angels watched them all from on high. They knew that some of their earth bound friends would attend protests and rallies as time went on, to express their opposition to the nation's new commander in chief.

They knew that from that day on, Puck would keep his fingers crossed when he was called upon to pledge his allegiance to the President, as he felt no loyalty to the man; in fact, the only thing was to see the man in question caught up in a friendly fire incident….

They knew that Isabelle had agreed with her fellow senior staff on a complete embargo on Melania and Ivanka Trump having any access to the Vogue closet, and had pledged that they would continue to support and promote any designer that refused to clothe the two women. Some designers had already made that pledge, and as one of them pointed out, Ivanka could always wear items from her own line of clothing. Isabelle was resolved that nothing from the KEH Collection would ever head their way. The only thing they could not do was prevent the two women being invited to and attending the big fashion shows, and Kurt had been startled to hear the amount of swear words that his one time champion felt capable of using to express her feelings over that…

As for the angels themselves, it was Wes of all people that bemoaned the fact that the new President wasn't on one of their lists yet, which meant that there was no assassination planned before his Inauguration Day. When he said it, the others had stared at him open mouthed from a moment, then had smiled, whilst trying not to appear too keen on the idea.

"Don't worry, Wes," Blaine said quietly, "When Kurt's mom comes to reprimand you for that statement, we will say that we know that you were under a lot of stress and are sincerely sorry for your inappropriate comments."

"Now Blaine, if you say that, then my mom will have to reprimand you too, as she will be fully aware that Wes isn't sorry he said it," Kurt chided, which made them all chuckle.

"I'm not sorry, that much is true. I am so worried; I mean, a lot can happen in four years. If no-one controls him properly; if they let him continue to criticise and condemn by tweet, then who knows exactly what will happen? There are so many things at stake for our friends, and I just wish that we could do more. I wish that I could be there, standing tall next to our friends as they protest against the chaos and destruction!"

"We all do, Wes. The good thing is that Nick has put a major problem for Mr Trump, right in the heart of his camp. Sue will not just lie down and obey. She will do all that she can to frustrate the man, and Burt will be there in the background helping her do so. I have a feeling that a lot of his plans will end up being defeated and coming to nothing, just as long as the opposition stays together and strong," said Blaine, with a smile. Sue Sylvester was for the first time in their lives the best hope that they all had for the safeguarding of the world that they knew…

The angels went their separate ways after that; the work of heaven never stopped after all. Wes did not head back to his desk though. He had somewhere else he had to go, someone that he had to check on, because although all of his boys were hurting because of the result, only one of them was physically. His arrival at the house was unnoticed, and he crept in silence to the room from where he could hear the quiet sobs. He stopped on the threshold, and nearly burst into floods of tears himself. He had seen his injuries before, but nothing like this... His nose was bloody and to his eye crooked; his bare chest marked with scratches and newly formed bruises, and the way that he was holding his hand made Wes wince. As Drew had surmised, Lucy had not liked the result one little bit, and had taken her outrage out on the only American she could find. If Drew knew Wes was there, he did not acknowledge him, not wishing to have that conversation. Instead he spoke as if to no-one. "I can't go home now even if I wanted to, and I do, I really do. She's destroyed my passport and driver's licence. She's burnt all my ID, all my papers. I couldn't get another passport now even if I begged at the ambassador's door. I'm stuck here, so I have to make the most of it. I don't think she'll kill me, because deep down, she loves me, as much as I love her..." Drew fell silent, his tears rolling once again. Wes felt his heart break, and he cursed that he could do nothing; he couldn't intervene. He could only watch and pray that somehow Drew could escape one day...


	66. All Jeff wants for Christmas Part I

**All Jeff wants for Christmas... Part I**

The period immediately after the election was busy for everyone; it was after all fast approaching the holiday season. Thanksgiving came and went in a flurry of activity. For those in New York, work and other commitments meant that there was no time to head home, so they found themselves gathered together on the day itself. Nick had volunteered himself and Jeff to host their celebration, and the big house was soon filled with the sound of laughter as they all came together to mark the big day. Of course, Nick had been tied up in the kitchen from first thing that morning, roasting meat and preparing the side dishes; he had prepared the desserts the night before so that he could relax a little during the big meal itself. The day went off without a hitch, and everyone enjoyed themselves, with one exception…

Jeff loved all of his friends, he really did, but thanks to them, his husband was busy all day, and had even been out of bed before he had woken up that day, which meant that the holiday morning snuggles he had been hoping for had not taken place. That did not put Jeff in a good place for the rest of the day, not that he showed it, at least at first. It was only at the end of the day, when people were being slow to take the not so subtle hints he was dropping and leave that the mask slipped a little. When Sebastian jokingly asked "Are you trying to get us all to leave, blondie?" he was startled to find that his reply was Jeff nodding his head rapidly. Worse still, after they had all finally gone, Jeff had offered to tidy up a little to let Nick take a break; that done, he had headed up to their room to find that his husband was in a deep sleep…

Next morning, it was immediately apparent to everyone that Jeff was in a mood; Caleb was ignored, and Mike decided he would rather go to the City Ballet and get in some practice that stay home and be grunted at whenever he opened his mouth. Once he had left, Nick immediately turned to his husband. "Okay, Jeffie, what's up? You are like a bear with a sore head this morning! If that wasn't bad enough, you have just been downright rude to poor Mike, and I will expect you to apologise to him later."

"I know Nicky, and I will apologise to him, but it's just… Yesterday was fun, but a big part of me wishes it had just been you and me. I hardly saw you all day, and when you weren't slaving away in the kitchen, someone else was monopolising your time! I didn't feel thankful for too much yesterday…" Jeff replied.

Nick sighed, and responded "Well, I guess it would have been nice to have more time together yesterday, but what could we have done?"

"Not allowed them all to rope us into it in the first place!" whispered Jeff. "Yes, we have the biggest house, and yes, you're the best cook, but they could all have gone to the diner and had a celebration there! It will end up being the same at Christmas, just you wait and see! Don't get me wrong, I have no objection to Mike being here; this is his home too after all, but I wish, just once, that it could just be the two of us…"

Nick nodded. "Well, I think that Mike has plans with Tina this Christmas, so he will not be here; so, if what you want is just the two of us for Christmas, then that is what we will do. No guests, just us two. A day filled with snuggles and presents, and a lot of us time."

"That is exactly what I want, Nicky! All of those waifs and strays can just go to the Spotlight this year instead," replied a happier Jeff, who pulled Nick into a deep hug. With that promise made, he was sure that this was going to be the best Christmas ever…

As the day grew closer, it began to emerge that getting Jeff what he wanted would be a lot easier than they had originally anticipated. Mike did indeed have plans for the day; he and Tina would be spending the holidays at her aunt's place in Pennsylvania, as would her parents. His parents had been invited to join them, and had accepted much to Mike's shock. Next door, Luke and Duncan would be heading up to Vermont, as they might have expected, but Seth had been invited to join them, once he revealed that his plans for Christmas would be dinner for one at the Spotlight.

Skylar would be heading home to Ohio, as would Colin and Edward, although the latter had ended up having a lengthy and at times heated discussion about whose home they would actually be spending the big day. Skylar had been at home at the time, and would later confess to Seth that he didn't know which had been worse; the argument, or the making up afterwards…

Elliott and Beats would be hosting a party of their own, to celebrate their first Christmas as a proper couple, and the first family one for Elliott in a long time. As for Flint, he had been invited to join Izzy and her parents for a 'Christmukka' party in Baltimore, and he had agreed. He had nearly backed out again when Izzy revealed that her parents had invited his to join them, and his mother had accepted. Izzy couldn't see for the life of her what the problem was, but Flint knew how his mother could behave at other people's homes…

Artie would be spending the day with Kitty, Marley and Ryder, as none of them had the time to head home this year. Sebastian and Dave had time to celebrate as a couple this year, as Dave was not playing a game, but had made plans to head over to New Jersey to spend the day with Julian and Isabelle. Sebastian was hopeful that his brother might produce a ring, as it was about time that the two of them made their unofficial relationship official.

Upstairs, Grace had decided that she would host a family Christmas lunch for the first time. She had invited her brother and Jeff, naturally, but Nick had declined politely on their behalf, and when he gave her his reasons, she understood why. With both Mason and Roderick, Pam, her mother and her grandparents all due to be there, the house would be pretty full, and if she was really being honest with herself, she had invited her brother partly so he might help her out in the kitchen if she struggled. As her family were arriving two nights before the big day, Nick had invited them to drinks on Christmas Eve, and if she was overwhelmed on the big day, then her mother and grandmother could be called upon.

Rachel was heading, with Sam, to Ohio, where they would spend the day with her dads; Brittany and Santana were happy about this, as they had their own plans for a just the two of us celebration. That left only Ethan, and he had made plans of his own. His intention was to spend the first part of the day helping out at the soup kitchen that Cooper had done for the last few years, and then he would head to the Spotlight, to lend a hand and get himself a meal. His family were not that big on the holidays, and to him, it was really just another day…

When Nick had agreed to give Jeff a quiet Christmas Day, he had not consented to have no celebration with their friends at all, and to that end, he organised a party for the 19th of the month; just a small affair with a buffet and drinks. He chose to hold it on the Monday, as college classes were finished, and Broadway was closed, meaning that the greatest number of friends could make it. He had still asked Jeff about it first, and his husband had agreed that it was fair; their parties were pretty legendary after all. It also meant he would have a good opportunity to show off the festive decorations that he would by then have installed in the hallway. When Jeff had said that, reality hit for Nick. The small amount of decorations that they owned from the loft last year would be nowhere near enough for the new house; they would do one room if they were lucky. They would have to acquire more, and then there was the question of the tree. It would have to be much bigger than last years, given that Jeff wanted it to be in the hallway, next to the stairs, and visible from the landing on the first floor…

The one advantage of that plan was that it would be easily accessible for the purposes of decoration; the drawback was that he had no idea how many strings of fairy lights they would need, or how much garland and trimmings. They wanted it to look classical after all, not gaudy and tawdry. Thus it was that Mike found himself being dragged to Macy's early one Sunday by the young couple, and ended up standing with them in the store, looking at the decorations there for inspiration; sizing up the trees they had used to see if there was one of a similar size to the one they would need. It was just a case of looking for inspiration for Jeff; for Nick, it was more about being able to ask what quantity of lights they had used so he knew how many to buy…

In both cases, their prayers were answered by helpful sales staff. As one assistant looked at the rough sketch that Jeff had drawn of the effect he wanted to achieve, the other contacted the display department and asked the necessary questions for Nick. As Jeff walked round and stared at all the trimmings that filled the department, Mike explored for himself, hopeful that he might get some input. Eventually Nick was supplied with the information he needed, and after thanking his informant profusely, he was able to join his husband to ensure they had the correct quantities of the essentials, and also to reign him in just a little. Mike for his part had found some little chorister decorations that he felt were wholly appropriate at the back of a shelf in a corner; he was not in the least surprised when the staff, on being presented with them, looked at them curiously, wondering where they had appeared from; it had been a clear angelic intervention….

Eventually they were able to head home, Jeff satisfied at last with everything they had bought, and Nick not in too much shock over the final bill. All three were laden down with bags, but as they headed downtown, there was still one final issue to resolve; obtaining the actual tree. Mike couldn't help but think that it would just have been easier to take the fully decorated display one from Macy's, but he said nothing…

A tree was eventually sourced, and delivered on the 18th, the perfect date as far as Nick was concerned, as it did not do for a tree to be up in the house for too long. The deliverymen managed to get it in with no problem, as Caleb watched open mouthed from the door to Nick's study at first, then shaking his head, went off to find a quiet spot to nap in and ponder once more the stupid things that humans did. The tree was soon standing tall and proud in the hallway; to Jeff, it was the start of his Christmas dream, and a blank canvas for him to turn into a spectacle. For Nick, it was a multi layered challenge; first to decorate, then to undecorate, and then to dispose of after the holiday. He wondered if it might be a good time to invest in an axe, as that would make it easier to get out afterwards, and they could even burn the logs…

Jeff decided that he needed to eat first, and so they headed to the kitchen, leaving the tree alone - but not for long. Caleb smelt food, and was en route to the kitchen when he paused to stare at the tree again. He had decided that this time his humans had lost their minds altogether. They had brought a smaller tree into the old house last year, and yes, it had made a wonderful hiding place, but this one was far too much. For starters, he could easily get lost under there, not to the mention the fact that such a tree was screaming "Climb me!" at a young cat like himself. It was tempting, but he resisted; he knew instinctively that his humans would not like him doing that at all…

Having eaten, Nick and Jeff returned to the hallway, and began to unpack the bags and boxes from Macy's. Caleb had decided not to head back up quite yet, as there was a nice, draught free, warm spot in the kitchen by the radiator, and he was in need of another nap. He could check up on what they were doing later… In the end, it took the two husbands all afternoon to finish it, and there had been a couple of moments when Nick had wanted to scream, particularly when Jeff had informed him that he was putting on a garland upside down - as if that was even possible! Still, by the time that Mike arrived home, everything was ready for the grand switch on moment. Caleb had heard the front door open, and suddenly recalled that he had an inspection to make. He arrived just in time for Jeff to grab him and hold him in his arms as Mike switched off the lights, plunging the hallway into darkness; and Nick switched the tree lights on, his fingers crossed that there wouldn't be one bulb that wasn't working…

The result of the afternoon's work was, they all had to agree, magical. The twinkling lights were bright enough that they illuminated most of the room, and standing by Jeff's side, Nick felt his heart warm as he saw the big smile on his face. Even Caleb had to agree that it was pretty special; once again, his humans had done him proud.

The next night was the party, and the first thing that everyone remarked on as they walked through the front door was that the whole house just seemed to be Christmas encapsulated. The air was fragrant with the scent of pine needles; the spices from the pies and cookies that Nick had spent most of the day baking; and with the smells from the apple wood from the open fire that was blazing away in the grate. The tree was of course the centrepiece of the decoration of the hallway and was admired by everyone. The most commented on decorations upon it where the little choristers that Mike had found, given that each and every one of them was very much an individual. They all had different facial expressions, different coloured hair in a variety of styles, and as had been discovered when they opened the box, four of them had wings…

Mike had dismissed the notion that they might be special at first, but then it had gradually grow upon him; after all, there had been the two little dolls that Nick and Jeff had come across in Prague that resembled Kurt and Blaine; they now lived in a display case in the drawing room. All of the little choristers had been displayed prominently on the lower branches of the tree with one exception; one of them had such a forlorn expression on its face that on coming across it the day before, Jeff had felt his heart breaking. Nick had felt the same, and both had agreed that they had to display it, just not quite so visibly. Nick knew that if what Mike surmised was true, and they represented the Warblers - and he had found one that looked like Jeff - then the sad one had to be Drew. If Ethan saw it and made the connection, then it would upset him and leave him depressed all night. So the forlorn chorister was placed higher up on the tree, still visible, but not quite as clear to the naked eye, given that it faced away from the staircase. Sure enough, all of the guests did twig what they represented, but none of them spotted the little one on its own, miles from the others. One guest did count them and realise that they were one short, but all Ethan could do was sigh, and hope that if they were magical, one of these days there would be an extra one to hang on the tree…

In the dining room, Nick's lavish buffet was the star attraction; the dining table nearly groaned under the weight of savoury snacks. There were tiny tarts and pies, little sandwiches made on a variety of breads, vol au vents, and breadcrumb morsels of delight. As for the desserts, they had been left in the kitchen, placed out of bounds for the moment.

The main events of the evening would take place on the sprung floor of the drawing room upstairs, and as was the inevitable case at any assembly of Warblers and New Directions alumni, there was a lot of singing and dancing going on from the off. All of those that lived in the city had made it. Puck had been invited, but had sent his apologies, as he had been unable to get leave, with Quinn. She discovered that Caleb knew at once that she was alone, and the cat immediately attached himself to her, jumping into her lap the moment she sat down. Nick, ever the good host, hurried over to apologise and escort the cat back downstairs, but Quinn shooed him away; there was something quite nice about being selected as Caleb's resting place, and it also meant that she was brought plates of food from the buffet. If some of the ham and chicken from the sandwiches made their way into the stomach of a cat, then so what?

Trent and Rory had arrived a little late, having been held up on their journey from Washington by a slow moving train. What was a surprise was that they were followed in by Gabriel and Mitch, who had been unsure if they could make it. As they stood in the hall, admiring the tree, Santana sidled up to Sebastian, and whispered, "Are those two a couple? They live together, go everywhere together; they are more coupley that you and Dave."

"Just because my husband and I do not spend every waking moment whispering sweet nothings in each others ears doesn't mean that we are any less of a couple, Satan!" Sebastian had hissed in reply. "In answer to your question, no, they are not a couple. Mitch is single at the moment, after a nasty break up, whilst Gabriel's long term girlfriend is abroad, studying at the Sorbonne from what I have been told. He is leaving the day after tomorrow to spend Christmas with her." Santana nodded, but she wasn't totally convinced that there was nothing going on there…

After a while, Nick relented, and let everyone into the kitchen. Quinn discovered that the quickest way to get Caleb off her lap was for Nick to say the word kitchen, as he had no sooner uttered it than the cat was jumping off her lap and sprinting down two flights of stairs in front of them all. There were happy glances all round as they admired Nick's handiwork, set out on the kitchen table. There was a mix of delights to share; cheesecakes, pumpkin pie, apple pie, key lime pie, and lemon meringue pie too. There were little mincemeat pies, and a treacle tart, which all those in the know swooped on first. As Sebastian was about to walk away with a slice, he almost dropped his plate as he saw what was sitting on a dish nearby….

"Grace kept a packet back; Merry Christmas Sebastian!" Jeff whispered as his friend swooped territorially on the custard creams. Santana, seeing what was going on, laughed out loud, then ignoring the growls coming from the former Warbler, she helped herself to a couple on the way past.

The room was soon full of happy chatter, and if some of the whipped cream that Nick had generously served on top of the desserts ended up being licked off fingers by Caleb, nobody minded. The entire intention of the event had been to celebrate the bonds of their friendships, and it had been a roaring success. The night would end with Mason reprising _Turn it Off!_ , with a full compliment of dancing Warblers around him, and a general air of hilarity…

The remainder of the week in the run up to Christmas was marked by a flurry of activity. Those that would be heading out of town for the day had to pack, deliver gifts and work shifts at their jobs if necessary to cover the days they would be absent. Those on the stage had shows to perform to full houses, along with extra matinees to deliver to cover for having the day off on Sunday. Sebastian found himself being called in every day, as there had been a small outbreak of flu, and although the virus was mild, it still left them short of Mormons. Those that were in college might not have been in class, but there was still coursework to complete, and end of year shows for those at NYADA. Those that now worked for a living found that their workload was actually heavier as they had to prepare for the holidays, and on top of that, there were the office parties that they felt obliged to attend.

For Nick there was also the task of buying the ingredients for his and Jeff's lunch on the big day. He would still be buying a ham as he had last year, and boiling it, although that would be mainly for serving up for meals after the big day. He decided against buying a turkey as he had the year before, and instead he bought a good sized, corn fed chicken, as that would mean a lot less leftovers and much less waste. That along with a good selection of sides would be the main course, with a starter of a hearty homemade lentil and bacon soup; for dessert he had decided to make one of Jeff's favourites, a treacle tart. His other favourite, Tiramisu, would be prepared and ready for the following day. On the top of all of that, he had large numbers of cookies to bake, to fill boxes that he intended to hand out as gifts for family and friends, not to mention a large number of fruit cakes to bake and decorate. One of them he would take across the street to their favourite neighbour, as a small token of their affection for her.

By the time that Friday night came around, everything had reached its crescendo. The Spotlight was busier than ever, and it was a case of all available hands to serve, clear and seat the line of eager customers. Flint had arrived there straight from the office, having intended stopping off solely to get some dinner; Ethan was at his work Christmas party, and he couldn't bother cooking for one. He ended up eating as he stood at his usual spot at the coffee machine. He was particularly proud of the fact that he had been allowed to create a special of his own; after experimenting at home, he had managed to create a special spiced latte, which smelt and tasted of pure Christmas. Judging by the number that he was having to make that night, he had managed to formulate something that everyone else was enjoying too.

Between those coffees, hot chocolate with whipped cream, slices of rich fruit cakes and mincemeat pies and tarts, it was clear that the holiday spirit was in full swing. The main sellers that night were still the everyday regular menu items, the things people liked but would find in short supply over the next few days of festivities. The music that night was naturally those old festive standards that were sung year in, year out, but never seemed to fall out of favour, although they did perform some of them with a little twist. The tip jar had been replaced with a charity collection box for the soup kitchen, and it was gratifying to all of them to see how generous their customers were being. Then again, someone pointed out that as the two people going round with it were the sweet Brittany and the slightly scary Santana, so that might have helped influence people into making a donation…

Christmas Eve was busy too, but in a completely different context. The city did seem a little quieter, at least in the centre, with the exception of the major transport hubs, as people boarded buses or trains to head to the airport, or home, or even just to those locations they would be spending the holiday. Luke, Duncan and Seth had been amongst the first to leave, rushing to Penn Station for the Vermonter, but still finding time to leave a gift with Nick and Jeff; the other three members of their house were not far behind them in heading to the airport for their flights. Artie left early too, as Kitty wanted to spend the whole of Christmas Eve with him, as well as the whole day tomorrow.

After having an early lunch together, Flint and Ethan exchanged gifts, and then the latter headed off for the train to Baltimore; Izzy would join him at the station and they would head down to her parents together. Flint was actually looking forward to seeing the Bernsteins, and even the thought of his own parents wasn't too bad, as long as he managed to keep the worst of his mom's running commentary under control. At the same time, Mike was also saying a farewell to his two housemates before he headed to work for the afternoon show; he would head straight to Tina after he finished. He had mixed emotions about the whole thing, as he would miss the company of the two young men, and if they were honest, it would be strange that he was absent to both of them too. After he left, Nick and Jeff found themselves alone in the hallway, with just an expectant Caleb for company. Jeff smiled and hugged his husband, before saying more loudly than necessary, "This is going to be the best Christmas ever, Nicky!" As Nick hugged him back, he did not feel quite so sure…


	67. All Jeff wants for Christmas Part II

**All Jeff wants for Christmas... Part II**

Christmas morning saw Jeff wake up full of anticipation for the day ahead. He had the whole day planned out in his head; a good breakfast would be followed by a return to bed for a morning of snuggling, and then a long shared bath before lunch. After that, they would settle down to watch two or three Christmas movies, huddled together on the sofa with Caleb. There would then be another meal, before they returned to the sofa, just to cuddle together in silence until it was time to return to bed. No stress, no visitors, just him and the love of his life, his Nicky….

He realised that there was a hitch to his plans the moment that he turned round to give his husband a good morning kiss and discovered that his side of the bed was already empty. He waited for a few minutes, in the hope that Nick would reappear, but he didn't. in the end, Jeff got up, put on his robe, and headed downstairs. He discovered his love in the kitchen, fully dressed, and dealing with the chicken. "Merry Christmas, Jeffie! I thought that I would let you sleep a little longer whilst I prepared our lunch for the oven."

"I woke up, and I turned round to kiss you, and you weren't there," said Jeff sadly. "I was thinking that I could get you breakfast in bed…"

"That's a lovely thought, Jeffie, but once I've sorted out the chicken, I have to move on to the vegetables, and then I need to check on the soup. Once I've done that, I need to make the pastry for the treacle tart. In any case, I have something in the oven for our breakfast already; they should be done in about two minutes." Nick looked down at the chicken, nodded to himself, then placed it carefully in the roasting tin, and placed it in the bottom of the fridge, ready for later. He headed over to the sink to wash his hands, then noticed the crestfallen look on his husband's face. His hands dried, he walked over to him, and pulled him into a hug. "Merry Christmas, my only love," he said softly, before he kissed him.

Jeff had to admit that even though all of his plans were lying in tatters, the intensity of that kiss did kind of make up for it. A few minutes later, and he was sat at the kitchen table, admiring the croissants that Nick had just taken out of the oven. His husband explained that he had talked to François, and he had sent him a recipe for that most delicate of French pastries. It had used a heck of a lot of butter, and it had taken him hours to prepare the dough, but in terms of appearance at least, the finished product seemed to be worth all the effort. They also proceeded to pass the taste test, both of them smiling at the flavour; much closer to that they had enjoyed in Paris, and far superior to what the bakeries here produced.

"Now, not a word to anyone about these, not even Mike," Nick said. "If it gets out that I made them, and they were good, then Sebastian will want some, and then there will be suggestions I should make them for the Spotlight, and I really can't spare the time!" Jeff nodded as he devoured a buttery morsel, only too happy to keep Nick's secret; these were far too good to share.

After breakfast, Jeff headed upstairs to dress, as Nick had to point out that he was just too busy to come and snuggle right now, unless Jeff was prepared to wait until the evening for his lunch. He had however confirmed that in his opinion, a long bath would be very much on the cards later. He then returned to the kitchen, to just sit at the table with Caleb snuggled up on his lap, watching Nick doing all his preparations for Christmas lunch. He hadn't ever actually realised just how much his husband had to do until now; at other big meals or parties, he had been elsewhere, dealing with their guests whilst Nick slaved away. He had offered to help, but Nick had declined politely, telling him he was used to doing it on his own, and he had a routine. With just Caleb to occupy him, Jeff watched intently, stroking Caleb gently every so often. The radio was on, playing old Christmas tunes, the whole house smelt of food being prepared, and the decorations were classic, but yet, Jeff felt there was something missing; something that he couldn't put his finger on…

With all of the prep work finally done, the soup on the stove, the chicken and vegetables in the oven, along with sausages wrapped in bacon, Nick was finally able to leave the kitchen and take a seat by his husband for a few minutes. "Well, this is actually our fourth Christmas together as a couple, and I think that being married, along with the years, has made you much more mature, my love…" said Nick teasingly.

Jeff turned to stare at Nick, and said "What do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm getting old?"

"No, my love, although we both are. No, it is more the fact that it is just after midday, and you still haven't even asked for your presents, let alone opened one…"

Jeff stared open mouthed at his husband as he realised that he was right. "That is an outrage! It must be remedied now! Take me to them now!" Nick laughed as Jeff lifted a protesting Caleb out of his lap, and holding him in his arms, virtually sprinted up the stairs to the tree. He followed, to stand with his husband beside it. Under it were two piles of presents which had grown bigger since yesterday, alongside a third, smaller pile that was meant for a certain cat…

It was Caleb that made a break for the tree first, leaping out of Jeff's arms as his keen nose sniffed out one of his favourite scents; one than was even better than food. As he began to claw at the paper on one of the parcels, Nick laughed, whilst shaking his head. "That one is from Mike; it seems that Santana was right all that time ago when she warned us that Uncle Mike would be buying him drugs, as I'd wager that inside that wrapping is a catnip filled toy."

Jeff smiled as little shreds of paper could now be seen on the floor beside the small parcel that Caleb had his nose buried in. Then he headed for the tree himself, lifted out a package that he had carefully wrapped himself, then handed it over to his husband with a grin. "I didn't know what to get you this year, but then I remembered that you always say that you have the best gift of all when you have time alone with me. However, I did notice that you were looking at this when we were in Barnes & Noble the other week, but then did that thing you always do; check the price of something, then use that as an excuse not to buy it, telling yourself in your head that you don't really need it…"

Nick smiled, knowing full well that it was a particular cookery book that he felt was very interesting, but that with his full workload, he did not have time to experiment with right now. He opened it carefully, smiled as he saw his hunch was correct, then after kissing Jeff on the cheek, he headed towards the tree. To Jeff's surprise though he walked past it, and headed instead to the closet under the stairs. He opened it and brought out a very large parcel.

"So, Sam helped me chose this one. You have been saying for a long time that you wanted to learn how to play an instrument properly, to do something creative in a musical sphere. I did initially consider setting you up with a course of piano lessons, seeing as we have one, but then I decided that was silly. After all, I do play a little, and it made no sense for us both to play the same thing. So after a chat with a few people, I decided on this; it was Mike's idea…." He handed the parcel to Jeff, who was still looking at him curiously; then he ripped the paper off, to reveal a cased guitar. His face lit up as Nick continued. "Sam chose it because he knew it was a good make; he also said that he will be happy to teach you the basics so you can make a start."

"It is perfect Nicky! It is portable, simple enough to learn, or so I have been told, and one day we can play together." Jeff pulled his husband into a tight hug and kissed him, the two of them as happy as ever just to be in each other's arms.

There were of course other gifts to open; small parcels containing clothing, more books and toiletries, alongside sweet treats. The parcel from Mike was eventually retrieved from Caleb and unwrapped properly. It was indeed a whole selection of catnip filled toys, and they were of most interest to the little cat; far more interesting than the new collar with a gold name tag on it, and even better than the new bed and bags of cat treats.

Gifts opened, they headed back downstairs to make the obligatory Christmas phone calls; Jeff had to call his mom and dad back in Ohio, and his mother in Vermont. Nick was fortunate in only having to make one local call to Murray Hill, although it was a long one, speaking to one member of his family after another, until he was finally handed over to Cooper. He asked jokingly if he could come over and spend the day with them instead, and escape a house full of in-laws; those words were followed by the sound of a gentle slap as Grace hit him in jest. Nick denied his request at once of course, and then he could almost hear Cooper's wry smile at the other end of the line. "I take it that he hasn't changed his mind yet?"

"He was a bit upset earlier when it became clear that his plans for us to just relax together all day couldn't happen, but he is happy just now. That might well change soon though," Nick whispered in reply, as he saw that Jeff was now finishing up his own call. "Anyway, you guys have a good day, and Happy Christmas!" he said, before he ended the call.

Nick had to turn his attention back to preparing lunch after that, leaving Jeff to sit quietly on the sofa again. This time he didn't even have Caleb for company, the cat being far too interested in one of his new toys to come and sit on his lap. He tried at first to study one of the guitar books that Nick had bought him; he went as far as unpacking his new guitar and trying to play a few chords, but in the end he decided it would be best to wait until Sam was there and able to show him what to do properly. He then headed upstairs to fetch his sketch pad, and drew a quick sketch of his husband as he worked away in the kitchen; then he moved on to one of Caleb, happily purring away as he held his new toy between his front paws, and inhaled the scent of what was contained within.

That done, he looked up to see that Nick had now set the kitchen table with two place settings. Suddenly he felt a tremendous pang of loss. Seeing those two place settings across from each other on the big kitchen table brought home to him the fact that there celebration this year was small scale. Last year they had need the whole of the table set, and everyone had been squashed in. Today the big table cloth was folded in half across the centre of the table, and the table looked far too large for just the two of them. He glanced up at Nick, who was checking how the chicken was doing in the oven; he was aware now that he had never seen all the effort he put in to make their meals, and how much he enjoyed doing it, because he was usually with the others. It being just the two of them was nice, but now he felt that it was a little wrong; almost selfish in fact when he knew that other people would be spending the day on their own…

Having checked the progress of the chicken, Nick was finally able to glance across at his husband; one look at his woebegone expression told him all that he needed to know. He had anticipated that this would happen from the moment that his husband had requested that it just be the two of them for Christmas. Jeff was after all a kind, loving, caring man, who was never happier than when he was doing things for other people. True, he could stand for hours with just his paper and pencils and create a masterpiece whilst all around him the world moved on; Nick had long since given up trying to disturb him when he was in the zone. When it was just the two of them, and Nick had nothing else to do, then Jeff gave him his full attention, and was in heaven. Today though Nick had been busy almost from the moment he had woken up, and Jeff had been alone, deserted by even Caleb, who much preferred catnip and a nap.

Nick left the chicken to cook for a little longer, and went to sit by his husband on the sofa. "So, dinner will be ready very shortly. The chicken is almost perfect; it will just need to rest then we can eat."

Jeff nodded, but kept his eyes downcast. "I didn't ever truly appreciate just how much effort you put in to making these meals until today. I should help you more, Nicky, because we are supposed to be a team. I have just sat idly by today and left you to do everything, and that's wrong."

"On day's like this we usually are a team my love. You keep the hungry hordes entertained whilst I cook, and save them getting under my feet in the kitchen."

"But today there were no hungry hordes, all because I was being a bit selfish and wanted you all to myself," moaned Jeff. "All that has happened is that I still haven't had as much time alone with you as I would have liked, and I have managed to drive away all of our friends in the process."

"Now, Jeffie, you know that isn't strictly true. Sebastian would still be spending the day with Julian, Trent and Flint would still both be in Baltimore, and Mike would still be spending the day with Tina and her family. In any case, you haven't driven everyone away; Elliott, Beats and the boys are two doors down, celebrating their first Christmas together as a family."

Jeff nodded, but then said quietly, "But what about Ethan? He hasn't got anyone to spend the day with, and this year, we didn't even offer him the option to spend the day with us!"

"He was going to the soup kitchen with Cooper and the boys to help out there this morning, and then he was going to go and assist at the Spotlight this afternoon. He was more than happy to just do that; he told me as much," responded Nick.

Jeff suddenly got up and pulled out his phone. He quickly dialled the number for the diner, as Nick watched, and his call was answered after just a couple of rings. The voice that spoke threw him for a moment, until he realised that it was Ollie Harwood; he was also spending the day at the diner, working alongside Michelle so that they could spend the holiday together. After exchanging the usual greetings of the day, Ollie passed Jeff over to Michelle, and he asked the questions he needed to.

As Jeff talked, Nick headed back to the kitchen with a smile on his face, and headed to the cupboard in which he had placed all he needed to set another place at the table in a quiet moment earlier. He was about to open it when Jeff spoke. "Michelle said to say Merry Christmas; apparently the diner is really quiet, and they're well staffed, and Ethan hadn't eaten yet, so I hope you don't mind but I've…" Jeff stopped mid sentence as he saw Nick walk towards the table with the stuff he needed to set another place. "You… You had all of that ready!"

"I did, my darling, because I know you so well… Anyway, if we ever decide it should just be the two of us for Christmas again, we will go to a hotel; that way we can spend the whole day in bed, or other romantic places, as there will be a chef to prepare the meal. The one positive thing that has come out of this is that neither of us will have to wash and stack the dishes for a month - Mike bet that you would finally crack and invite someone over an hour ago…."

Jeff's mouth dropped open in shock, but then he started to giggle. It was a sign of the strength of their relationship after all that his husband knew him so well…

As Ethan hurried back home, having been virtually ejected from the Spotlight by Michelle, he was feeling truly happy for the first time that day. When he had woken up alone in the apartment that morning, he had felt no trace of Christmas cheer. This time last year after all was the last time that he had seen Drew; this year, there wasn't so much as a message on his phone. He had shed a few tears over breakfast, and then having washed his face, he had headed to the soup kitchen, where he had painted on a smile for the benefit of those around him. Helping others had made him feel good, but it didn't make him happy. He had left quickly, before Cooper could invite him to join the festivities in Murray Hill, and walked to the diner, not that he was really needed there. When Jeff had called and invited him to join them, he had declined, not wanting to bring them down too; but then Jeff had begged him, and there was something in his voice that made Ethan realise that his presence would make Jeff happy. The fact that he was wanted by someone made his heart a little less sore, and of course, it was hard to be sad when you were in the company of Niff…

The moment that Jeff opened the door to let Ethan in, all of his worries seemed to melt away. He was pulled almost instantly into a tight hug, not even getting time to remove his coat. In the end, it was only when Nick shouted up from downstairs that Jeff should let him go that the younger man released him. He took off his coat and handed it to a smiling Jeff, who informed him that as soon as he had freshened up he should come down, as Nick was about to serve dinner. In a few more minutes, having washed his hands, Ethan was stepping into the kitchen, where Nick was ladling out soup into bowls; it smelt amazing, and it tasted every bit as good. As they ate it, they chatted; small talk about work and school. One subject stayed off limits for them all, and that was absent friends….

There was homemade bread to go with the soup, but Ethan ate sparingly; he was not blessed with the fast metabolism that Jeff had, and Nick's roast dinners were the stuff of Warbler legend; more was definitely the right word for those meals. True to form, the chicken was served up with both roast and creamed potatoes, green beans, carrots and roasted parsnips, not to mention a rich gravy. The meat was cooked to perfection, and it took them some time to clear their plates. Nearby, Ethan noticed that several slices of the chicken had also made their way into Caleb's dish, along with a little of the gravy, and that had been enough to distract the little cat from his new toy. Small noises of contentment filled the air from his direction too.

"So, do we eat dessert right now, or should we take a break to let the main course digest for a moment?" asked Nick, as he poured more sparkling apple cider into everyone's glasses. Ethan burst out laughing as he saw the look of horror and misery on Jeff's face at the very suggestion that they should not immediately eat their pudding - but then he had to admit himself that the scent of the sweet pastry coming from the oven was very, very tempting. "Okay, so we will eat it now, but first someone needs to clear the table, and that someone isn't our guest, my love." Nick picked up his own plate as he spoke, and headed over to the dishwasher with it. He was followed by Jeff a moment later, grabbing Ethan's plate up and stacking it on his own, before hastening to the kitchen. He cleared the table as Nick prepared a British style custard to serve with the treacle tart. On seeing that, Jeff stepped up behind his husband and kissed him on the neck, whispering just how much he loved him. Ethan's heart felt warm to see them so in love. He was grateful that he was hear, and not in some quiet corner of the Spotlight, or worse, alone in his apartment. After all, no-one should be alone on the holidays….

As the majority of the Warblers celebrated the day with family and friends, one person was however on his own, but that was through his own personal choice. Thad had been invited to join other people, but he had managed to decline the invitation with tact and skill. He was quite happy to spend his first Christmas at Dalton on his own after all. The Carmichaels were not in town, having been invited to his sister's home in Princeton. She invited them every year, but this was the first time they had actually gone. Mrs Carmichael had wanted to stay for Thad, but he had insisted that they go, telling her that he had already promised to spend the day with Mrs Thompson, given that David would be spending the holiday in L.A., and she would otherwise be alone…

The fact was the Mrs Thompson was going to L.A. at David and Mercedes' invitation. She had agreed after Thad had told her he was spending the day with the Carmichaels, who would otherwise be on their own… He had spun a web of white lies to every member of the faculty too, and had been able to ward off all their invites; everyone thought he was going to be with someone, and so nobody worried about him being all alone. All things considered, he was proud of the deception that he had pulled off. He had not decorated his apartment, feeling neither the need or the desire to do so. He had managed to prepare himself a very acceptable lunch of roast brisket, and although his culinary skills were nowhere near as honed as Nick's, he was still proud of how well it had all turned out. His dinner eaten and the dishes washed, he settled down to do some marking, and to work on next semester's lesson plans. He knew that Wes would appear at some point, and that was all that he needed to be happy.

Back in the West Village, Nick was horrified to realise that this was the first time Ethan had actually tasted his treacle tart; the latter had enjoyed it immensely, savouring the sweet pastry smothered in the thick yellow custard, and had joined with Jeff in requesting a second helping. It was sweet and calorific, but if you couldn't indulge a little at Christmas, then when could you? He had helped to clear the table after dessert, ignoring Nick's protests, and now they sat together on the sofa, drinking coffee, and nibbling on the petit fours that Nick had brought out. The television was on, Nick having found a channel that was showing _It's a Wonderful Life_. The old classic film had them all engrossed, even though they had seen it several times before. Ethan smiled at the way that Jeff sat curled into Nick, holding him close; he himself had been selected by Caleb as having the most acceptable lap for a nap, and the now sleeping cat was curled up there. He felt content, happy and cared for; he had read between the lines of what Nick was saying to know that he was more than welcome to join them again anytime in the future. He might not have been blessed with the world's best family, but through the Warblers, he had gained access to some of the best and most loyal friends in the world.


	68. All Jeff wants for Christmas Part III

**All Jeff wants for Christmas... Part III**

It was late by the time that Ethan headed back to his own place that evening. After the film had finished on the television, it would have been quite easy to just have taken his leave then, but Jeff had discovered another show that was worth watching; on top of that, it would have been cruel to disturb a sleeping Caleb by getting up. Then Nick had brought out a box of assorted savoury biscuits and a selection of cheeses, and of course, Ethan was a big fan of a good cheese. That had been followed by coffee, with another plate brought our laden with mincemeat pies, and slices of rich dark fruit cake, covered in marzipan and white icing. It would have been rude to have refused to eat any of it, and Dalton had left him well mannered. It would also have been rude to have then refused to join them in singing along to the old Christmas tunes that were being sung in an old Judy Garland Christmas Special that was being shown. That of course made them all reminisce about the show that the New Directions had done for television back in Ohio, which seemed like a lifetime ago. That lead to Nick and Jeff singing _Let it Snow!_ accompanied by an approximation of the dance that Kurt and Blaine had performed to that song in that recording…

He had finally managed to decide it was time to leave when there was a Skype call from Trent to the boys, and it wouldn't have been right to leave then either. Trent was not surprised to see Ethan there, and they all ignored the sound of Rory cursing that he had lost his bet over Nick and Jeff's Christmas plans. Other than that, the two of them were in good spirits, having a great time in the company of Séamus and Becca, not to mention everyone else. The Bernsteins knew how to celebrate Christmas without calling it such, and for Trent and Rory the day had been every bit as enjoyable as it would have been back home, filled with good food and singing. They made small talk for a while, but then Nick asked the inevitable question - "The big question on our minds here is this; how has the day been for Flint?"

Trent and Rory glanced at each other, and then the former spoke. "Mrs Wilson is an interesting and I'm sure lovely lady, but if I never see her again… For a start, she wasn't all that happy about the whole Christmas vibe, even if there was no mention whatsoever of the actual word… She was also very shocked that they had allowed their other daughter to marry an Irish Roman Catholic without insisting that he convert first, which offended Becca and Séamus. Then she went on to make a nuisance of herself in the kitchen - which was also when she managed to cause Becca's mom great confusion when she started to ask her about her mother's matzo balls…."

Ethan suddenly burst out laughing when he heard that, earning himself a look from both Nick and Jeff. He managed to stop, then explained. "Flint's family dread every special occasion because his mother makes really horrifically awful matzo balls. Last Thanksgiving, when Izzy made him take her to Kansas, she solved the issue by offering to make them to her 'Grandmother's recipe.' Only, it wasn't; she had taken it from a magazine. I'm guessing that she had not mentioned that her subterfuge then to her mother…."

"Right first time. Izzy managed to avert a disaster by telling Flint's mom that it was her paternal grandmother's recipe, and fortunately her father was very quick to realise what was going on and back her up. Then over the main course, Mrs Wilson constantly nagged Flint and Izzy about when they were going to get engaged, and followed that up over dessert with constant talk about how much she would like grandchildren before she gets too much older. Just now, Flint looks worn out and on the verge of a breakdown. Izzy looks all sympathetic, but her folks just look mildly bemused by it all. Flint is going to need bucket loads of TLC over the next few days Ethan…"

"I will make sure that he gets it," came his reply.

"Good, because his mom did suggest that he brings Izzy and her parents with him to Kansas next year, and I think he is contemplating matricide…"

After the Skype call was over, Ethan got up and made his excuses. He was tempted to stay, and both his friends suggested he should, but he could tell that the two of them would appreciate a little alone time, and the chance to make the most of an empty house. As he let himself in his own front door a few minutes later, with a tin filled with mincemeat pies, cookies and cake from Nick, he no longer felt the pain and loneliness that had dogged him earlier. He had spent several hours in good company; he had eaten well, and he had laughed. Still, the house he now entered seemed quiet and calm in contrast to the one he had just left. He turned on the television, then the coffeemaker, before setting Nick's parting gift to one side. Instead, he found the box of handmade Florentines he had bought on a whim from one of the gourmet food stores near his work, and took them through to the living room with his coffee.

The television had switched on to the local news channel, and he let it show, not wanting anymore schmaltz. He checked his phone next, not finding any new messages; certainly not the one he hoped for, from Drew… He dismissed the thought, and quickly scrolled through his contact list until he found the number he wanted; he called it, anxious to hear a voice of reason.

"Hey Ethan! Seasons greetings and all of that stuff. How was your day?"

"It turned out a little differently than I had planned in the end, Thad. Honestly, I thought that I would be alone all day, sitting to one side in a corner at the Spotlight, before I headed home alone, but then Jeff cracked…"

Thad chuckled at the other end. "We all knew that he would, even Nick. He just craves company on days like this, and of course Nick would be busy cooking, and so it was inevitable…"

"It meant that I got to gorge myself on Nick's cooking though; honestly, he should be at catering college, not law school. Every bite was absolute heaven, and he gave me a tin stuffed full of cake as I left. Anyway, to change the subject, I would ask you how Mrs Thompson is, but I am sure that you don't know. After all, she is in L.A. with David. You just wanted a quiet day, didn't you?"

Thad sighed, then said, "Yes, I did to be honest. Everyone was inviting me to join them, which was very kind of them, but I couldn't be bothered. I had a good meal, got most of my marking done, and I have the lesson plans for next semester roughed out. Wes did come along and spent an hour with me, which was the highlight of the day… He couldn't stay longer, as it is a busy day for them up there. He knew what I needed. Still, I couldn't help but think what it would have been like if he'd still been around…" Thad's voice trailed off as he pictured Christmas Day with Wes in his mind's eye, and just how perfect that would have been…

"We can't change things I'm afraid, much as we'd both like to," replied Ethan quietly. "Still, we both know that things will come right in the end. Anyway, I was thinking, next year we should get together and have a singleton's Christmas together. Just sit around and say 'Bah, Humbug!' to all of it…" Thad chuckled again at the thought, and couldn't help but think that such a day would be no bad thing…

As Ethan continued to talk to Thad, Jeff had finally managed to achieve one of the things that he had planned for Christmas. He had headed upstairs more or less the moment that Ethan had left, telling Nick that he should come up and join him once he had Caleb settled in his bed for the night. He had delivered that line with a wink, and Nick had known at once exactly what his husband was implying; he had no objection to the idea whatsoever. Caleb was a bit surprised at how early he was being placed in his basket, but it had been a long day, and there was catnip, so in the end, he settled there. Nick had meanwhile made some hot chocolate, and had poured it into a thermos flask, so it would be ready when they wanted it. Then after a final check that everything was okay in the kitchen, he climbed up the stairs carrying a tray with the flask, two mugs, and a tin containing cake and cookies in equal quantities…

Now he lay in Jeff's arms, reclining on him as they sat together in a deep, hot bath, just relaxing in each other's company. Whereas many other people these days might have needed drugs of some sort to achieve the state of relaxation that they were both in, they had each other, and to them, that was the best drug in the world. This was one of the rare nights when Jeff was in the back; it had all began after all one night in Chicago, not long after they had moved there, when Jeff had been feeling a bit down. Nick had been washing his back for him, and it suddenly made more sense for him to climb in the bath with Jeff, and just hold him; gently stroking his fingers through his hair, and generally making him feel loved. Now it was just one of the many rituals they had between them.

"It's not been a bad day, all things considered," mused Jeff as he gently ran his fingers through Nick's hair. "True, it might not have turned out exactly as I had imagined it would, but it was the best day. We cheered Ethan up too, so that was a bonus. It was kind of selfish of me not to think about him when I was planning today in my mind though…"

Nick smiled, and replied, "When you planned today, you had no idea that Flint was going to be in Baltimore. The sad thing about all of it is the fact that Ethan didn't even have the inclination to go home and see his parents for the holidays. When you think about it, when did we ever hear of Ethan going home for Christmas? I know he didn't go home when he was at Dalton either… I know my father is a complete douche, but until I admitted the truth about myself to him, he always insisted that the family all be together for the holidays. Your mom and dad were exactly the same; Christmas was a family day…"

"The only time that I know of when he didn't spend the holiday at Dalton was the year that he went home with Drew. It was also the only time I ever saw him looking enthused about the whole holiday season…"

Nick nodded, then moved the conversation on. "I wonder how Beats, Elliott and the boys got on with their first Christmas together? I hope it was every bit as successful as ours…"

"Well, I guess they must have done. There was no sign of the fire department, so dinner must have gone okay too. No doubt we will hear all about it tomorrow; everyone will be telling the story of their day. I mean, I wonder how Dave and Sebastian got on in darkest suburbia…?"

"I wonder how Grace coped with hosting her first family Christmas? I should probably have called her up at some point to check, but it's too late now I suppose. Still, there were no emergency calls from her, so it must all have turned out satisfactorily…"

"We can worry about all of that tomorrow Nicky. Right now, I think that my dear, sweet husband needs to be shown just how much I love and adore him; after all, every morning that I wake up with you by my side, every day that I spend in your company, well, it kind of feels just like Christmas morning…"

Nick smiled, and replied, "Likewise, my beautiful boy." He turned his head to kiss Jeff deeply, then broke off to say, "I think though that we should take this elsewhere…"

The following morning did indeed see them hearing all about their friend's experiences on Christmas Day. Jeff heard all about Elliott's day as he worked side by side with him at the Spotlight; the older man got a little tearful as he described how wonderful it had been to wake up for Christmas with Beats curled up against him, then rouse him from his slumbers with a kiss; how fantastic it had been to see his brother sitting by the tree, smiling from ear to ear as he opened his gifts, so different to the floods of tears that he had been left in last year….

Elliott was much more himself by the time that Sebastian stopped by for a spot of lunch, having found nothing that was unfestive at home, and desperate for something normal to eat. He ordered a dish of the Spotlight's very own winter stew, then described to Jeff how Julian had gone in for total festive overkill, with every possible kitsch thing for Christmas either on display or on the table for eating. Even Isabelle had looked startled and bemused, but she had looked even more startled when he had handed her the ring box. Jeff's eyes lit up at that, but Sebastian just smiled and laughed.

"Oh, he didn't propose, it was just a promise ring. She did look a little sad about that. However…" Sebastian paused to look around, then leaned in and whispered in Jeff's ear, "…trust me when I say that he is serious about her, and now he is just biding his time. He says that when he finds the perfect ring, then he will make her the happiest woman on earth."

Back in the West Village, Mike arrived home just as a cab carrying a still traumatised looking Flint drew up. He insisted that he come inside with him for a coffee. Nick already had Beats and Ethan there, so it was no problem to pour an extra two cups. As they were drinking it, Flint told them one thing; he was never, ever spending a Christmas Day like that ever again. They had all laughed at that, until the moment that Nick quipped that he wouldn't have to spend a single day like that ever again, at least until his wedding day…

"Don't remind me! If yesterday was bad, then my wedding is going to be absolutely horrendous! I am telling you all here and now; my mother is not being allowed anywhere near it until the moment that the ceremony is due to start. If she does manage it, then trust me, there will not be a wedding, mainly because the groom will be in prison for murdering his mother!"

The friends that were sitting around the table all knew that he was being totally serious when he said that. "Yesterday, she managed to criticise the cooking of the meal, saying all kinds of things that she does that would have made it taste better. It took all of my self control and restraint not to just yell out that contrary to her claims, her chicken was usually dry and tasteless, and her gravy greasy - I think my dad guessed what was going on in my head as he just fixed me with a stare. She managed to upset Séamus by going on about his relationship with his parents, and how a good son would ensure that they were happy - thank God that Trent was using his own innate sense of calm to keep Rory silent, and his own mouth closed. I did hear Rory letting rip with a with a whole string on invective later though. Then she started going on and on about engagements, and how most of her friend's children had found someone, and how they had exchanged rings. This was followed by a rant about the liberal way of life on the coast, and how in Kansas they still believed and held on to the old values…"

"Like believing the earth is flat," Beats muttered in a deadpan voice, which made all of them chuckle, even Flint.

"By the time that dad managed to drag her out of the house to their hotel - and thank God she decided not to accept the Bernsteins invitation to stay - I was totally worn out. I was fully expecting at that moment to be asked to leave the family home, and be told never to darken their door again; to stay away from their daughter; to hand over my staff ID and never return to the office. Instead, I was pulled into a hug by Izzy's mom, who said she was so sorry for all that I must have suffered over the years. That was followed by her dad shaking my hand, and telling me that meeting my mother was one of the best comic experiences he had ever had in his life; he then asked me to give his mobile number to my dad, just in case that poor man ever needed someone to vent his frustrations to. I am more determined now than ever to marry Izzy, but it will all be on my terms. For a start, there is no way that my mom will get her number one wish. There is no force on earth that could make me get married in Kansas, just so that she can parade the two of us in front of the Ladies Circle like trophies!"

"Well, if she does ask, then you can truthfully tell her that you intend to get married in Manhattan," Nick pointed out. "It will just be this one, not the one in Kansas. Leave telling her that until the very last moment, and then there is nothing that she can do about it without looking like a complete idiot. She has to be at your wedding though; no doubt parts of the day will turn out as a result to be awful, but she is family, so there is nothing you can do…"

"I would suggest though that you have a finger buffet at the reception; that way, there will be no knives, so less temptation for you," joked Beats. Flint looked at his best friend, then howled with laughter. His mother would never change, but deep down, he did love her with all of his heart. He just had to ensure that she was kept under control…

Eventually all of those that were based in New York made it back home, and began to prepare for the start of 2017. It was a new year, but not one that held out quite as much of a promise as those before it had done. The new President did not inspire any of them to much hope; they could all see clearly that in the very near future they would have to make a stand, and be counted on certain issues. Mrs Duval said that much to her son two days after Christmas, when she and her parents came to lunch in the West Village before they headed home to Ohio.

"This country is going to be in turmoil for a while. That man is a danger, an accident waiting to happen, and so many people seem to be blind to that truth. You'd think that they would have had more sense, but as I see it, it's like a stranger offering a child sweets. You see the treats and you grab for them without considering what the implications might be. Fortunately, Sue will be taking our fight against his worst excesses to Washington. She will not just stand idly by whilst he tries to ride roughshod over everyone. She and Burt have been communicating a lot behind the scenes, and they have managed to identify the key areas that they both agree on. Neither support his stance on immigration, his stupid wall, or the dismantling of the healthcare system. She will not cast her vote along his lines on any of those things, thankfully. However, it won't just be in Congress that the work will need to be done. After all, our forefathers thought hard for the right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. There will be protests, and as long as they are non-violent, I will back them. Our aim is to ensure that he serves only one term, and if at all possible, much less than that."

Nick had to agree with the sentiment, but to him at the moment, the idea of an impeachment seemed a far distant prospect. Still, all of those rumours about Russia had got the world talking, and if there turned out to be any truth in them, then there might be a cause for rejoicing sooner rather than later.

There was no big gathering for New Years that year either; the Spotlight was the nearest that they came to it, with most of them being on duty there at the crucial time, so as to allow Michelle to spend the night with Ollie. Thad had been invited to come to New York and join them, but he had declined, and instead spent the night in the company of the Carmichaels and Jeff's cousin Dylan. By the time that the stroke of midnight came, all of their friends in town had made their way in, and they happily exchanged greetings and best wishes. There were no proposals made, in spite of what people had hoped, but neither was there any bad news, at least none that pertained to them. All in all, it made for a reasonably positive start to the new year. Now all that they could hope was that 2017 would not turn out to be quite as bad as they all feared….


	69. Another year begins

**Another year begins.**

The first few months of 2017 were certainly busy ones, not just in terms of college studies or the strains of the world of work; indeed, those that had left their college days behind them found that the world of work was, on the whole, okay. Ethan had settled in nicely at the bank, and had won plaudits with his superiors when he had spotted an opportunity to develop a new account for those that felt wary of the institutions that had the closest links to the new President. It was true that his policies had done some harm to the ethical policies of some companies, but it had opened up new prospects in other areas too. Flint was grateful to discover that the Bernstein organisation still placed the environment high on its list of priorities, and he was a key player in the team that ensured that they stuck to them at all times and levels. The firm was committed to the reality of the situation as stated by scientists, not that postulated by an untrained Presidential eye.

Beats had also been relieved when the city's mayor had announced that there would be no change to the policies they used just because of what the President was saying he wished. He was also grateful that he was given a choice between two projects to work on; the new Second Avenue Subway, or the 'L' Train. He had chosen the latter for two reasons; firstly, it would be longer term, and secondly because it ensured he avoided his worst nightmare - being pinned down by Rachel Berry when she began to suffer from the demise of the most convenient train to Manhattan for 18 months. He also made a promise to his colleagues that were working on the project that he would do his best to deflect her letters; he was wise enough not to make such a promise for anything that came from Santana…

For Thad, working at Dalton was every bit as rewarding as he had anticipated it would be. He had proved popular with the students, all of whom appreciated his very different teaching style. He ensured that the facts were got across, but he also encouraged the boys to go on and do their own research. He made sure his lessons were interesting too, with plenty of visual displays, not to mention a spot of desk based role playing. As for the faculty, the majority of them knew him, and had indeed taught him not so long ago; they had expected that he would be an exemplary teacher, and they were not disappointed. As for the Warblers, he had taken a hands off stance from the start, letting the council run things as they had done in Wes' day. On the other hand, when they needed advice, he was there and ready to hand out what wisdom he did have. His strategy had seen the boys make it to a close second place at Regionals.

That had been a slight disappointment, but he had also taken a bolder step. He had entered them in a nationwide Acappella choir contest. In that, they had coasted straight through the heats, and straight into the finals. On one perfect Saturday night in March, Thad had stood at the side of a stage in San Francisco, with David at his side, cheering loudly as the current Head Warbler had lifted the trophy aloft. His first action after the victory was to enter the Warblers for the competition again next year. He had then tweeted all about the victory, and was pleased to discover how much the other alumni loved the news. Later that night, he and David were joined by Wes, who was just as overjoyed, although he had to admit that he was sad that he had not known about the competition when he was Head Warbler, as he would have entered his group of boys for it at once…

For Trent, the first few months of the year had been busy, as this was a pivotal year for him. He would graduate that year, and at the moment it was predicted he would do so with the top marks in his class. His essays on the various aspects of politics that were taught to them all scored highly; his essay on strategy and deception, and how parties worked behind the scenes to undermine a candidate was singled out for particular praise. In his comments, his tutor had complemented him on his breadth of knowledge, and had then jokingly asked if he had first hand experience. Trent naturally denied that, but was secretly quite pleased that his work behind the scenes to aide Sue Sylvester had paid off so handsomely… Life in Washington for himself and Rory had changed since the election; Burt was after all no longer on the side of the President, and the speeches they wrote now had a much more critical tone than ever before.

Sue Sylvester had lived up to everyone's expectations and her spats with the more senior members of the Republican party had become the stuff of legend already in the corridors of power. As far as anyone was aware, she had been the sole new Republican member of Congress to have boycotted the inauguration of the President, saying she had urgent work to attend to; one political journalist had taken great pleasure in saying he had seen her in Walmart, buying chips, at the precise moment Trump took his oath of office. The next day she was prominent at the march against the President's policies; she had kept her distance from Burt, who was there with Carole, Trent and Rory at his side. They were eventually joined by Nick, Jeff, Sebastian, Santana, Brittany and Flint, all of whom were determined that they were not just going to lie down and take what was being proposed without a fight.

Ethan and Beats had been unable to come to the march, having had other commitments, but they played their part too later on. They had joined the most vocal of all of them, Santana, at the protests against the President's travel ban at JFK. Burt and Rory had been at Dulles at the same time, trying to help out however they could. As the weeks went by, the debates in Trent's classes certainly became more heated and lively. He was shocked at the identity of some of those that were defending the President and his more controversial policies. As for himself, he tried to occupy the centre ground in the debates; he was not convinced that full blown socialism would ever be possible in the country, but at the same time, he was certain that Mr Trump's policies were not the way forward either. He could only sit and listen with sadness as the world began to turn on his nation - and with growing interest as more and more information came out concerning the Russia scandal. He would be graduating with a politics degree in very interesting times, that much was certainly true. He was also lucky to know that he would be going straight into a full-time job in Congress. It had been arranged by Burt, but it had been Trent's own strength of character that had won him the coveted role.

Trent would be the only one of the Warblers in his Dalton class to graduate that year of course. The decision by his fellow musketeers to take a gap year to recover from the stress of their senior year meant that his contemporaries would still have one year left to go when he finished up. For them there would be at least another year of writing essays and working hard on projects. After the big events of the summer, Sebastian had walked back into NYADA to the adulation and respect of his classmates; the young man that had scored himself a Broadway lead in a major hit, even if it was only for one night, was now a bit of a celebrity at the school; he had still blushed furiously when a nervous freshman had come walking up to him and asked if he could possibly get an autograph. Santana had witnessed the whole thing, and pulled his leg without mercy after that, bowing and curtseying whenever he walked towards her. Mason did not attract the same level of attention, much to his personal relief.

What with his classes, and his four a week gig at the theatre, Sebastian had very little time for himself, but he and Dave coped. They made sure that even if their respective careers meant that they did not see each other all day, they would always share the same bed at night, and also dedicated themselves to one date night per week. Dave's own schedule had become heavier too, as he was called upon to play more often, and was in demand to help coach younger players.

In the house above them, Mason and Roderick were also dealing with an increased workload at school, with the former now having a crash course in tap added to his other classes. Of all of them in Murray Hill though it was Cooper that was the busiest of all, as he worked between two shows right through to the end of February. His last night as Charlie Price was marked by a full house and a standing ovation that seemed to last forever. The party that was then given in his honour after the show left him quite emotional, and he was glad that he had the following day off to recover. But that was all the time he did have; on the Tuesday he was back in a new dressing room, in a new theatre, but thankfully, he was now wearing much more sensible shoes…

Cooper's opening night in his new show was marked on everyone's calendar, but then so was another night that month. The night that Rachel took on her new role had less excitement about it for most of them, but it did mark a significant change in her life. Her name was not going to be on the marquee this time, but that was okay; it was there in big enough lettering on the posters, under the names Bette Midler and David Hyde-Pierce. It had been a challenging role for her to accept, but she had managed to impress everyone with her skill and performance, and now her debut in the new part was being anticipated by the critics. She had walked away from the lead role in _Funny Girl_ with no regrets, just good memories; and on the positive side, she had another opening night to look forward to…

As for the others living in Bushwick, life was good too. Both Sam and Santana had decided to just concentrate on their studies, although they still found time in their busy schedules to help coach the drama workshops that NYADA operated as part of an outreach programme. With that, classes, and their shifts at the Spotlight, their lives were pretty full. Brittany too was kept busy with her math classes at NYU, where she continued to astound her tutors and classmates with her ability to solve the most complex of problems in just a few moments, before proceeding to explain how she had done so in layman's terms. The college had already offered her a job after she graduated, assisting with research projects and tutoring, and she had accepted it, with the caveat that she was given enough time off to do the other things that she loved.

Life was also good for Mike Chang. He had moved up swiftly through the ranks of the corps, progressing from chorus to a minor named role quite swiftly. He had not wanted a big gathering for that debut, instead telling all of his old friends to come once he had made it to the front. He would only expect them to gather for him when he was the lead. It had not stopped Nick and Jeff from turning up of course, as that was what roommates did after all. It was the first time that either of them had attended the ballet, but from the moment that it began, the two of them were entranced. Mike's dancing was perfect in their eyes, and they were both pleased for him when he was singled out in the official reviews for much praise. For his part, Mike found such things embarrassing, but accepted it as a part of the job he had taken.

For Jeff himself, the year was proving much quieter. After the phenomenal success of _The Judging Angel_ , he had taken on a much smaller scale project this year; a series of related drawings, rather than one huge piece of work. He had done them in such a way that if they were alone, they made sense, but if placed side by side, they would be one obvious piece of work. He had elected to draw a street scene, and he had chosen the perfect one to illustrate; his own. He had naturally populated the street with all of his friends. These were accompanied by a series of drawings for which he had a problematic sitter, as Caleb refused to sit still enough for very long, always looking out for new things. He had added to those a drawing with the most ideal sitter, Artie. He had only been too happy to oblige, and had smiled as Jeff had set up the perfect scene; a table next to him on which rested his camera, a clapperboard, and a director's cap, sourced from a flea market.

Jeff had been concerned that his tutors would feel let down by his work that year, but he need not have been, as each new work was greeted with the same enthusiasm as his masterpiece; the subject might be smaller, but his attention to detail was still there. The biggest event for him that year had come in early March, when he and Nick attended the gala event at the Met to mark the official unveiling of _The Judging Angel_ in the gallery. His drawing had taken pride of place in the room, and the event had been busy. The attention of the city's art scene had been focused back on him. He had obligingly stood there and made small talk, signing the occasional autograph, but his own focus had been on the angel standing by the side of his own portrait, invisible to most of those gathered. An angel that was beaming with pride at the fact that when Jeff had been asked to give the okay to the official description of his work on the label, he had insisted that four little words came right at the end - _'Inspired by Wes Montgomery.'_

Nick's own workload had been excessively heavy since the summer, and in the period after Christmas, it got heavier still. He had anticipated that it would be tough, but there were moments when he wondered why he was putting himself under so much strain. His big investigative study into the issues that had been raised by the Montgomery trials had kept him fully occupied on some days, and very busy on many others. He had also to spend long hours doing his research for his other essays, studying the files of cases that were decades old to find the justification for the arguments that he had put forward. If that was not enough, there were a series of mock trials that he had to prepare for and then carry out. He had caused a bit of a stir with one of his tutors when he had arrived at the mock trial and informed him that he could not in all conscience carry out the defence role. When asked why, he pointed out that the guilt of the perpetrator was so evident that even attempting to make some defence of their actions would be a mockery of the entire legal system.

Some of his classmates had immediately mocked him, or jeered at him, making all kinds of wild accusations as to why he really wasn't prepared to take part, mainly that he had not prepared. His tutor had asked to speak to him privately, and Nick had headed over with his file, and the notes that he had made on it. To the surprise of the others in the room, and indeed of Nick himself, his tutor had reviewed all that Nick had written, and then informed them that he had just shown that he had a strong and clear set of morals, which was not something he should be castigated for; indeed, he should be praised.

"Mr Sterling-Duval felt that he could not argue in the face of the overwhelming evidence that his client was innocent, and that admission is a courageous one to make. It is the correct one for him in this case; a jury will see through you at once if you do not believe in the claims of your client. I would say to you know that if any of you ever feel that you cannot with any conviction present the case you are asked to, then you should not attempt to do so. The fact that you as the defence have doubts will swing the verdict away from you. For that reason, I will be awarding Mr Sterling-Duval an A- for today."

Nick walked out with those words of advice ringing in his head; he knew there and then that they would serve as his watchwords for when he was doing the job for real…

With work and school keeping them all occupied, the chances to gather as a group began to rapidly diminish. It did not help that Sebastian's weekends were spent at the theatre, and often he would be the one that was not there. He did manage however to join with everyone else for the first big event of the year; in a way, he had to, as he was the star… The premiere of Artie's first full length film, _Vegas Night_ , was too big a draw for any of them to miss. They all knew what the plot was, of course; they all knew what would happen when Stephen and Dustin, on a trip to Las Vegas to meet up with Stephen's estranged brother Jude, in the company of Dustin's dad, had a few too many free drinks at the casino…

There had been enough changes made that a stranger would never be able to identify for sure the real protagonists, but the hints were still there for all those that knew them well. Stephen was now a lapsed, conflicted and definitely gay Mormon missionary; he had lost his companion and met Dustin on the same night. The story was perfect and the performances of the actors spot on; the fact that the cinematography and the direction were excellent was another bonus. When the film ended to the strains of a group of Mormon missionaries singing _Viva Las Vegas_ , there was loud and genuine applause. The critics that had been invited by the film school to view it lapped it up.

As a result, Artie was informed the following day that his film had been awarded the highest marks so far that year at the school. On top of that, he had been invited to show the film to a wider audience at the Tribeca Film Festival in the city later that year, and much to his surprise and delight, he was also on the shortlist for a place at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival later that year, subject to a little bit of editing. As he was allowed to enter additional films in both shows, he wondered if he could also manage to get his other project ready in time. That film would be much harder hitting, and a documentary. They were not nearly as popular, but everyone agreed that his film, _Dalton Boys_ , an account of the life of the Warblers under the reign of Hunter Clarington, had to be made, to ensure that all of those events did not become just a footnote in history.

Those events at the start of March had been a welcome break from the relentless cycle of work for all of them. It was also the last night that Cooper had been free before he began the hectic round of final rehearsals before his previews on the new show began at the end of the month. His opening night, as such, would be on a Sunday night; this was an unusual night on which to have one, but it was a choice that would give all of them an advantage. It was the one night on which most of the friends that he had in the city could more or less be sure of being able to be in the audience. Sebastian had requested the day off the moment that he knew it was going to take place, and when he explained why, he had been granted it.

For some of them it would be their second opening night of the week; after all, it was taking place just a few days after the opening night of _Hello Dolly!_ which they had all been invited to by Rachel. Sebastian was fortunate in that he had managed to obtain some of the best seats in the house to go along and cheer on his Auntie Bette as she owned the stage with the titular character. Rachel's dads had been in the audience nearby; for them, this was the moment that their little girl arrived for real. Yes, she had been a lead on Broadway before, but now she was appearing on stage alongside one of their icons… The critics were more than favourable to all of the cast of the show the following day, with all of the reviews more or less positive. The media had also carried an interview with the star of the show herself, thanking them all for their kind words and appreciation, before urging them all to make time to go and see the other big show that was opening officially on Sunday…


	70. Of Charlie and Chocolate Factories

**Of Charlie and Chocolate Factories.**

When Cooper woke up on the Sunday morning of his big opening night, he point blank refused to see the show that he was about to perform that night as being any different from the previews that he had performed for the last four weeks. Only one of his many friends had already seen the show, and that was Rachel; she would after all be busy herself on the opening day, and so he had agreed she could come, but only after she was sworn to secrecy. When Santana heard from Sebastian that such an exchange had taken place, she had laughed, and then suggested they contact a good psychiatrist as Cooper had obviously lost his marbles if he believed that statement. For once, however, Rachel did say nothing, not even to Sam. Santana was left eternally grateful that she had not made a bet on her spilling the beans with Sebastian after all, and strangely, she also felt quiet proud of Ms Berry for finally keeping a secret.

In addition, he had also ensured that not even an angel had seen the finished show yet, as Cooper had asked them all and Blaine in particular to stay away until opening night as well. This had been a risky strategy to pursue, as he could well have managed to upset his brother by what was after all a rejection of all of his offers of assistance. Blaine had understood why he had asked though; he knew that his brother wanted to create the part all by himself. Cooper was after all the originator of the role of Willy Wonka on Broadway, and he wanted to play it his way, with no input from anyone other than the director. As a result, his brother and Kurt had not made appearances to help coach him as they had done with _Kinky Boots_. He was confident that the part he had created was now his own, and the preview audiences had, for the most part, enjoyed what they had produced.

Tonight would be very different; the audience would be critics, invited guests, and the great and the good of the city of New York. Cooper felt that he should have been a bundle of nerves this morning, but instead all he felt was an inner serenity and calm. If they loved him and the show, then they did; if they didn't, then at least he had tried valiantly to convey the wonder of the original London version show that he had fought so hard to keep intact. He had threatened to walk out twice over proposed cuts and changes. He had refused to accept anything other than the full London style set, not the scaled back one that had been proposed; and when the suggestion was made that all the children other than Charlie should be played by adults, he had nearly thrown his script at the producer and walked out there and then. He had triumphed in the fights, and the director had admitted to him after the first week of previews that he had been in the right. Now, he just had to hope that the opening night audience agreed with him…

Once he had left for the theatre, still serene, his household quickly descended into full blown panic mode. Grace had been supportive and quiet towards him, but now he had gone, she let all her stress about the night erupt, much to the horror of Mason, Roderick and Pam. In the end it was Pam that managed to calm Grace down by pointing out that if Cooper was happy, then none of the rest mattered. After all, what did those critics know in reality about the reactions of the primary audience for the show - children… If the kids liked it, then nothing else mattered. Sebastian had backed her up when he arrived with Dave an hour later; the pair of them were dressed up to the nines in matching tuxedos, which they had purchased for the occasion, and also on the off chance that at sometime they might have to attend the Tony Awards.

Over at the theatre, Cooper had walked into his dressing room to find it filled with flowers, cards and gift baskets bearing messages of support, and of course, two angels. He shook his head, then shut the door behind him. He grinned as an animated Blaine ran through a breakdown of what was in the room. "Okay, so you have flowers from _Kinky Boots, Hello Dolly!, Book of Mormon, Aladdin,_ and from the original London cast. Lots of good wishes, from Douglas Hodge through to Bette Midler, via Carmen Tibideaux and Nathan Lane… I think that he is on the official guest list… That basket of mini muffins which Kurt has sampled came from _Vogue_ , and somewhere there are chocolates from Meryl Streep…"

"I had to check the muffins were safe for him to eat," said Kurt defensively. "Anyway, my mom can't make it tonight, so she asked us to pass on her best wishes, but both Finn and Wes will be joining us up in that box you have organised for us to have. Right, now we will take our leave, and let you get ready for your big moment…"

"Not before I give him a hug," Blaine countered, and stepped forward to wrap his arms around his brother. "You will blow them all away tonight with your brilliance, Coop. I love you, and they will too…" Cooper could only nod, and then he found himself alone in the room again. He sat down on the chair, sampled one of the mini muffins and had to concur they were delicious, then began the process of transforming into his character…

Opening night meant of course having to arrive much earlier than normal due to the heightened level of security. Everyone of the friends that Cooper had invited were in great seats, and had taken them at least half an hour before curtain up. The first to arrive had been Artie and Kitty, and they were joined at the front by Marley and Ryder. The others had been seated further back, but still with an excellent view of the stage. When Quinn arrived with Puck, the latter dressed in his air force uniform, they all wondered for a moment what lie he had spun to get leave to attend, until someone noticed from the stripes on his insignia that he had been promoted to Staff Sergeant. As they all congratulated him, Quinn revealed that he had been given leave to mark this, and that was how he had been able to attend.

The bulk of the Warblers were seated behind the row that Cooper had designated for family and tenants; Sebastian and Dave sat alongside Mason and Roderick, just along from Pam, Grace, and of course, Burt and Carole; they had been invited at exactly the same moment as his own mother. Sam was also sat in that row, next to them. There was no discussion of politics that night, but they were all quietly glad that although an invite had been sent as a matter of course, no-one would be attending tonight from the Trump Tower. All conversation ceased entirely as the opening music began, and the lights went down. Just before they did, those in the know had seen the arrival of four angels into a box high above them; the last and most important of those that would witness Cooper's big debut.

It did take him a while to appear as the character they were all expecting though, although they did all catch a glimpse of him in some of the other scenes, standing to one side. It was only once the final golden ticket had been discovered by Charlie, who had been encouraged to buy the bar of chocolate by a tramp - that it took some of them a while to realise was actually Cooper - that he made an appearance as Willy Wonka right at the end of the first act. He came in with a song, _It must be Believed to be seen,_ a number that had them all gasping with delight. It was almost as if something had happened to his voice overnight, as it seemed so much stronger now than it ever had done whilst he was in _Kinky Boots_. After the curtain came down, there was eager discussion amongst his friends and family as to what he could have done to change his voice, but it was Mercedes that pointed out what had to have taken place. To her, it was obvious that whilst he had sung Charlie Price in a register that suited the established cast when he joined, here he had been able to set the level to suit his own vocal talents, and so he sounded much better. Her theory spread amongst the friends like wildfire, as did one other significant fact; the critics all appeared happy and a little stunned with his performance. At the same time, they all had to admit that they were a little disappointed that he had been on stage for such a short period of time; they were all certain he would be around much more in the second part….

He was, and he opened it the way he meant to go on with a spirited performance of the number _Strike that! Reverse it!_ which had them all smiling within seconds. In the case of Santana, she was smiling not just because he was good, but because beside her, her wife was sat entranced by the whole combination of music and set. The tempo of the song was fast, and yet an increasingly frantic Cooper did not seem to need to pause for breath, or to have any problem with going even faster. At the end of the song, the whole auditorium erupted in spontaneous applause, some people even getting to their feet, which was almost unheard of mid-show on Broadway. Carmen Tibideaux, in her seat immediately behind the critics, took great satisfaction in the way that they were reacting. After all, she had been one of the people that had made the recommendation that he would be perfect for the part. Her faith in his ability was so far being justified in spades.

As the show went on, and one by one the more odious children fell by the wayside, Cooper managed to portray the detached and uncaring attitude of Wonka to the audience perfectly. "He is basically taking great satisfaction in the death of that kid," remarked Carole to Burt. "We should feel aggrieved, but as the child in question was deserving of their fate, we don't mind. Our sympathy lies entirely with him, and that is why he is the star of the show tonight." Burt nodded, feeling immense pride in the young man that he thought of as a son. When he thought back to the Cooper he had first encountered, that conceited, smug guy that had breezed in from L.A. from time to time, it was sometimes hard to believe that he was the same man. He glanced along the row at Pam, seeing her broad smile, and how her face was flushed with pride at her boy. It was a terrible thing to say, but in many ways the death of Blaine had been the catalyst that had set the lives of both mother and son back on a good course…

Of course, everyone there knew the story, and so it was no surprise whatsoever that Charlie would win in the end. When it was revealed that his grand prize was to be one everlasting gobstopper, they all felt bitterly sad for the poor boy, but the fact that he didn't mind one bit just endeared them all to the young actor that was playing the role. That however was the cue for the moment that Cooper was dreading above any other; it meant it was time to sing the song that affected him more than any other; the one song that even Grace had never heard him sing. As Cooper guided the young man playing Charlie into the Great Glass Elevator, he took a breath, then started the song…

He had only sung a few notes, when Pam suddenly let out a gasp, and her face went sad; the sudden change made Grace turn towards her in concern. "This song…" Pam began as tears formed in her eyes. "He used to sing this song to Blaine when Jonathan had been particularly unkind to him; when he had mocked him for his love of music, or his toys, or just for the whole way that he was. He first sang it on a day when Blaine had been watching the DVD of the film, and Jonathan, in a rage, had ejected the disc from the player and snapped it in two… Cooper went to Blaine, who had run off in tears, and he sang this to him…. From then on, he would always sing it to him when he was upset, and every time, it cheered him up, without fail…"

With Pam's words, it suddenly became clear to Grace why Cooper had argued with the casting director; had insisted that Charlie could never be a boy with olive skin tone and curly black hair. If that had been the case, then he would never have been able to sing this number; he would have broken down in tears on a nightly basis. Then she thought back to when they had seen the show in London, and now she thought of it, Cooper had had tears in his eyes as the song had been sung there; she had dismissed it as tears of delight at the staging, but now she knew why he had cried… She also knew now that her fiancé was the strongest man that she knew. Every time that he had to sing _Pure Imagination_ , it had to be a huge wrench on the strings of his heart…

For Cooper, singing this particular number was painful, that much he would freely admit. Once, during the latter stages of rehearsals he had let his imagination run away with him, and instead of seeing the young actor that was playing Charlie, he had seen Blaine as he was when he was only 9 or 10; pictured himself as being 16 or 17. He recalled that first time, when his dad had blown up at Blaine once again, this time for singing along to a children's film. He saw the man in question storming into the room and taking all the stress of his working day out on his youngest son, going so far as to eject the DVD from the player, hold it in front of Blaine, high enough up that the boy could not reach up and grab it, then snap it into two… The scream of despair that he had heard from his little brother at that moment had only been equalled since by that he had made on the night that Kurt had died, when his whole world had been ripped apart.

His father had thrown the useless disc to the floor and stormed out again, but not before telling Blaine to act like a man, and not a little sissy fag. Cooper had watched as his brother collapsed in on himself, then started to sob bitterly; later on, once Blaine had come out, Cooper would understand that with those words, his father had made a direct hit on his brother's psyche. His mother was drinking somewhere, and so it had fallen to Cooper to go and try to comfort his little brother, abandoning his homework in the process; he had knelt down and held the sobbing little boy to his chest. And then, suddenly, he found himself singing the song that had been playing moment's before. He would never understand why he had done so, but it poured out from him. He had begun quietly, but the second he had started, Blaine's sobs had ceased. Realising that his voice was calming his brother, he had allowed it to grow in volume, and suddenly he realised that the tears had ceased too. He had sung on, louder and louder, as if to challenge his father, to show him that he was no longer scared of him, and Blaine's smile had returned….

If he recalled correctly, he had then taken Blaine out of the house, and driven him to the mall, where they had had ice cream; then into a store to buy a new copy of the DVD, with strict instructions that from now on, he should only play his films in his own room. Blaine had nodded, and had invited him to come and watch them with him anytime he liked. He had done that far too little, he realised now… That had made him cry, and the rehearsal had stopped, as he sobbed for no apparent reason. No-one had asked for an explanation, and he hadn't given one; it was a one off, consigned to history…

Now here he was, singing it in a Broadway theatre, having not only to remember the words and tune, but also to work the greatest prop of them all; the Great Glass Elevator. In reality, it was strictly under the control of the stage manager, but he did have a little influence in what it would do. As he suggested that Charlie press the button marked Don't Push!, he flicked a switch…

In the audience there were gasps of delight and amazement as the elevator actually lifted up from the stage and conveyed its two occupants upwards. Grace smiled to herself, she alone knowing that this was about to happen; the whole set was a replica of the one in London after all, and Cooper had fought tooth and nail to get it all. She smiled all the more as the elevator began not only to rise but to spin, and then swoop out over the audience. They all sat transfixed, their attention divided between the glass box above them and the monitors mounted on either side of the stage, which showed them what was going on in the elevator itself. Cooper was seen singing his heart out as his young companion stared in wonder at all that he could see around him. The spectacle held even the most sceptical and jaded of his friends spellbound. They would all have predicted that reaction from Brittany, and the Warblers would have said that much of Jeff, but Santana was sat next to her wife crying at the sheer wonder of it all. Sitting behind her, Sebastian would have mocked her without mercy if he hadn't been in the same state himself. The critics too were spellbound, not able to concentrate on their notes as the elevator spun around above them all, and Cooper said and sang those words that made every heart glad…

As for the angelic guests, high above the crowd, Blaine had begun to cry like his mom had the moment that Cooper had sung those first words. Kurt and Wes were both fully aware of the significance of the song to the brothers, and each of them had swiftly placed a comforting arm around his shoulders. The song was making their own eyes moist as both of them pictured a teenaged Cooper singing this to try and comfort the broken little brother he called Squirt… Finn could see all of this happening, but had no idea as to exactly why; he could only surmise that it was down to their sheer joy at the spectacle before them, because it was pretty special; and when Cooper told Charlie what his special prize was, well he became a little tearful too…

The elevator spun on as the song reached its climax, stopping right in front of what appeared to most to be an empty box. Cooper knew that it was not, and looked right across; he saw now that his brother was in floods of tears. He couldn't let himself dwell on that fact, as he had to finish the song. It was at that point that the lyrics reached the part where for a few lines, Charlie sang with him. It was meant to be a duet, but that night, it wasn't. It turned into an unexpected trio. As that point was reached, Blaine burst into full voice, singing along with his big brother those words that they had first sung together on that terrible day so many years ago. His clear, strong voice made the tears on Wes and Kurt's face fall all the faster. Down below in the auditorium, those that were lucky enough to be able to see the angels suddenly heard Blaine join in too, which made them all smile a little as tears ran down the faces of the majority of them…

And then the moment was past; the elevator began to descend to the stage as the song came to an end. Up in the box, Blaine collapsed sobbing into Kurt's arms, Wes wrapping his own around the two of them before Finn joined them. As for Cooper, he turned his eyes to the floor as the elevator came to a stop, taking a deep breath and demanding that his eyes did not cry to himself. He was glad of the fact that the applause was loud and long, as it gave him a chance to compose himself and finish the show before he fell apart…

He took a brief moment to wipe at his eyes discretely, cursing himself inwardly just a little for allowing them to even fall in the first place. Then again, he thought, how could they not have done so when his little brother's still perfect voice had joined in. The moment that he had he had been almost instantly transported back to that day, as he had spun around the room, holding Blaine under his arms, taking such pride and pleasure in the fact that the tears which had been falling so recently had now entirely dried up. It had been a happy moment, one which had been captured in time; of a life before he had left for the bright lights of L.A. and had to all intents and purposes more or less forgotten all about the little boy that had looked to him for stability in their all too imperfect world. Yes, there had been their housekeeper, and she had been more of a mother to both of them than Pam had ever been. Even now, he still sent that good woman a card on Christmas and her birthday.

His biggest regret in life, Cooper admitted was all the years that he had wasted; all that time when he was so busy trying to get himself noticed amongst the crowds of wannabe actors in L.A. that he had no time for the little brother that was fast becoming a man. He had run back at his moments of greatest need - he had kept a vigil at Blaine's bedside after that first attack - but the rest of the time he was too obsessed with himself. In the end, his path had brought him to that moment of redemption in the end, but it had come in the face of overwhelming tragedy, and finally had been cut short by his brother's own demise. He knew that every time he performed that song, he would think of Blaine. Eight times a week he would do so, each and every time feeling he was singing for his brother - but that meant that every performance would be the best he could give… He was suddenly jolted back to reality as he realised the applause was finally fading, which meant that it was nearly time to launch into the next song. He shook his head, then pulled himself together; he had a finale to deliver after all…

After a spirited rendition of _A Little Me_ , which was given just as loud a chorus of adulation as the previous number, Cooper finally had a chance for a little breather off stage, as his character temporarily vanished. The head of wardrobe was waiting there for him with a new jacket, grey and dull in complete contrast to the colourful one that he had been wearing.

"Are you okay?" she asked with concern, noticing the slight redness around his eyes.

"Yeah, I will be. That song always gets me in the heart. Maybe one of these days I will tell you why," he whispered as he changed, then headed off to the point from which he would return to the stage…

As Charlie headed into the factory, closing the gates behind him, there was a gasp from amongst the audience as Cooper returned to the stage, floating down from above on a wire. His descent drew the attention of the entire audience long enough for the prop that he described as like something out of _Harry Potter_ to be pushed onto one side of the stage. His final song was a brief reprise of his first, _It must be believed to be seen_ , but sung far more sadly. As he sang the final notes, he stepped behind the prop, a very thin and at that point transparent screen. He knew though that as he held the final note of the song, the technicians up above would work their magic, and alter the way that the light shone on the screen. As the audience watched, there were more gasps as suddenly, as he held that last note, he began to fade from their view, eventually turning into nothing but mist, before vanishing altogether…

The applause began as he was letting that note fade, and when he finally finished it, the noise was thunderous, as all around the theatre, people rose to their feet to clap and cheer. The cast came back on to take their bows, growing steadily louder until Cooper came back on to take his bow, and then it became deafening. To her great satisfaction, Carmen Tibideaux noticed that all the critics were on their feet, which in her mind meant not only that the reviews the following day would be glowing, but that she would probably have a chance to bask in the satisfaction of being right about his suitability for the role again in June. She turned then to Isabelle, who was sitting beside her, with Julian and his son Peter, who had been flown specially from L.A. for the occasion. The young boy was clapping with abandon, his face alight with joy - and he was the audience that really mattered.

"I think that you should book an interview with Cooper for _Vogue_ ," Carmen said to Isabelle.

"Oh, trust me, it is done," came her response. "Having him online immediately after a certain date in June would be quiet an exclusive, and Anna would absolutely love me for it…"

Above them all, Blaine was cheering his brother loudly, knowing that he would be able to hear him, and he was rewarded by a glance upward and then a bow in their general direction.

"If we aren't all watching him get a Tony in June," said Kurt, "then the entire thing is rigged, just one big sham, and we will have to get someone to expose the event as such." Wes nodded, quite in agreement.

The same sentiment was being generally expressed elsewhere around the audience. As for Grace and Pam, the two of them were crying tears of happiness. Cooper had set out to make a mark; he had taken a big risk in leaving such a long running show to originate a new role in a new show to Broadway. It had paid off it seemed, as they had all hoped that it would. Even if the rest of the world now failed to notice just how talented he was, then they had. To all of his friends and family there, there was no question - C.J. Hummel-Warbler was a star.

The next morning, Cooper woke up reasonably early. There had been the usual opening night party after the show; well, he had been informed by Rachel that such things were usual, this having been his first Opening Night. He had stayed only as long as he really had to, as he was eager to get home to his quiet house, and spend the little that there was left of the evening with the people he regarded as his family; Grace and his mom; Nick and Jeff, of course, as future brother-in-law and husband; Sebastian and Dave, his tenants; and naturally the lodgers, Mason and Roderick. He had done his duty; he had gone to the stage door and signed autographs, and had endured the photo session, flanked by his fellow cast members, his mom and Grace, and finally to everyone's surprise, Rachel, Sebastian and Bette Midler. The former and the latter had come straight from their performance of _Hello Dolly!_ to wish the cast well, and their presence was appreciated; Sebastian had been asked up as he was also on Broadway - he had demurred at first, until his Auntie Bette had nearly dragged him up from his seat.

After that, Cooper had been able to make good his escape; Sebastian had asked Bette to put on a distraction for him, and she had obliged with a wink. The party back at home had not lasted that long either; Nick and Jeff had to get back to their studies after all, and the same was true for all the other younger men that had gathered to welcome him home. His mom had then decided on an early night, and shortly after she had headed upstairs, Grace and Cooper had decided that she had the right idea…

She was not there that morning as he woke up and climbed out of bed, put on his robe and headed downstairs for coffee. He walked into the kitchen to find his mom and to find spread out in front of them. Mason and Roderick were standing by the coffee machine, and the former poured Cooper a coffee without being asked. The room was silent as he took it, then headed to his usual spot at the table where a glass of orange juice and his usual plate of granola were waiting for him. He took a drink of juice, and a spoonful of cereal, then broke the silence. "Go on then; tell me the worst…"

Grace grimaced, and then with a sigh said, "One reviewer gave your performance a mark of 98%…" She paused, and then with a radiant smile continued, "Honestly, that was the worst review, my love. They loved you, CJ!"

" _This show deserves to run as long as such classics as_ Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia!, _and Hummel-Warbler's debut show,_ Kinky Boots. _In fact, it should run longer. It is the perfect show for kids of all ages, and CJ Hummel-Warbler's performance is the highlight_ ," Mason said in a happy tone.

" _From the moment that he steps onto the stage, he owns it. Hummel-Warbler is a born showman, and his ability to go from fast to slow, nice to dark, evil to sweet in the blink of an eye makes him a contender for certain_ ," intoned Roderick.

" _His vocal performance is astounding, particularly in_ Pure Imagination _, which nearly moved me to tears, and that is no easy feat with this hardened critic. The glass elevator from which he sings it is the show's most magnificent prop, moving above the audience as we sit below in astonishment and delight,_ " Pam read, with a smile.

" _If this show does not receive a raft of Tony nominations, then the system is flawed. It scrapes in just before the cut off date of course, as did_ Hello Dolly! _Fortunately the stars of the two shows will not be pitched against each other. I firmly expect to see a win for Ms Midler, as I stated on Friday, and now I confidently predict that she will be joined by Mr Hummel-Warbler_ ," Grace finished. "They are all saying that, by the way; they all say that you deserve a Tony…"

"It's early days yet," said Cooper calmly. "There are other people out there who deserve one too; Ben Platt deserves one for _Dear Evan Hansen_ , not to mention Bette's co-star in _Hello Dolly!_ , David Hyde-Pierce… No, I don't think I will win one; a nomination maybe, but not a win. I'm not that deserving. Anyway, is there any toast on the go, or do I have to sort that out myself?"

Grace shook her head, and got up to make him some, as behind him, Mason and Roderick made a show of mock bowing. As she busied herself at the toaster, Pam spoke quietly to her son. "I do know one thing for certain this morning, son, and that is that Blaine would have been immensely proud of you last night. Your performance was every bit as good as they are saying, and singing that song… well, it must have been hard. I do remember that day, the first time you sang it to Blaine. I recall standing in the doorway - actually leaning on the door frame would be a more accurate description - and I watched as you turned his tears into laughter. I might have had a mind befuddled by gin and pills at the time, but the moment I heard those notes last night, that day came right back to me. It was all that I could see whilst you were singing it… He would have been so proud to have been sitting there watching you last night…"

"I think that he will have been, in spirit anyway," whispered Cooper. "I swear that I could hear his voice singing those two lines at the end with me, and it made my eyes moist… I just wish that he was still here…"

Pam placed a comforting hand over her son's, as his eyes began to tear up, and said "I do too, Cooper. I do too…"

At that moment, Grace walked over with his toast, and placed it before him before kissing him on the cheek. "By the way, Isabelle Wright wants to interview you. She says that it is standard _Vogue_ practice for up and coming stars, and there is an element of truth there, given that she interviewed Sebastian and Mason, but deep down, I think she just wants a scoop ready in case you win…"

"Which I won't, but I will give her an interview anyway. She will however have to wait her turn behind all the other people that the theatre has probably already booked for me to see. I mean, I am guessing that all the theatre websites will be in line for a start," replied Cooper.

"I'm quite sure that she will have no objection to that," Grace responded. "At least, none as long as you give her some juicy exclusive…"

Cooper nodded, and knew instantly what that would be. He trusted Isabelle, and she had known his brother after all. She would be the one that would be given the story as to why _Pure Imagination_ broke his heart.


	71. The Horror from Across the Ocean Part I

**The Horror from Across the Ocean Part I**

It was no surprise to anyone that when the nominations for the Tony Awards were announced, Cooper's name was amongst those for Best Actor in a Musical; he appeared alongside the two men he had already mentioned to his family on the day after his Opening Night, of course. The announcements had been made on a Monday night, and Cooper was forced to attend, much as he didn't want to, by his bosses on the show. He felt alright though with Grace at his side, dressed up to the nines. He had blushed furiously as his name was read out, as he still felt that he was undeserving of such attention. He wasn't helped by the fact that as his name was announced, all he could hear was the squealing and whooping of a couple of angels in the background. He was just glad that no-one else in the room could hear them apart from Grace. As far as he was concerned though, that was it; he would have to show up in his best bib and tucker on the night of the actual ceremony in June, along with Grace and probably his mom - she would never forgive him if she wasn't invited. He assured them though that he was only there to make up the numbers. The following night saw him back on stage, giving it his all as usual, dismissing the whole thing. He was unaware that Grace was trying to get tickets for Burt and Carole, who saw Cooper as a son in many ways, and was seriously considering how she could obtain them for Nick and Jeff.

As the month moved towards its end, another hectic year of study was drawing to a close for many of them. For Trent, it was the final stretch before he graduated; as for two of his fellow musketeers, it was the end of a busy junior year. Jeff's third year at art school had been hectic, but it was ending on a less stressful note than last year. When the art show had opened to students this year, his work had not been hidden away in the inner room, much to his relief. He had narrowly missed out on top marks this year to a senior, and he was grateful that someone else would be the centre of all the attention this year; however, the gap had been very slim, and he was still the top of the junior class. That meant that all of his submissions were displayed together, and in quite a prominent spot; he knew that the moment people saw his distinctive signature, they would still stop and stare. He was happy enough with that; he had done well, and he had no reason not to smile.

He was however on his own at the show this year. Nick had not been able to come with him as he had a last minute meeting with his tutor at school. The summons had initially left Nick flustered, so close to the end of term. He feared at first that the worst had happened, and his work had been deemed inadequate. As it turned out, the opposite was true; his work was subject of much praise, and it had come to the attention of one of the leading human rights lawyers in the city, an alumnus of Colombia themselves. They had requested to meet Nick face to face, and that was why his tutor had summoned him.

That was how Nick found that he was destined to spend his summer in an office in Manhattan, working for her and her team on a paid internship. He had of course consulted Jeff on the offer before accepting, as to do so meant that they would have no vacation again. Jeff was disappointed, but he could see exactly what this opportunity meant for his husband, both in terms of college and his future career, and so he gave him his blessing; after all, he would still be coming home every night. This settled, Jeff headed to the Spotlight, and offered his services to Michelle, stating that he would be happy to work full time more or less for the whole summer. As he was more than capable with dealing with the workload, she agreed, if only because it meant that she could give Dani and Elliott more vacation time. For the latter, it meant that he and Beats could head to Zanesville and spend some time with the Harpers. After that, Beats decided to book them a trip to Chicago, a place neither of them had ever visited but wished to explore. They could catch up with Jasper and Brad whilst they were in town too. With Jeff offering to keep an eye on Josh and Scott, there was no obstacle in the way of their first vacation as a couple.

Before that, Nick and Jeff had marked the fourth anniversary of their relationship quietly. It was a day that was also acknowledged by all of their friends and close family too now, which did seem a little strange at times, given what had happened to Nick on that night… That however was a far less traumatic moment in their life together than what had happened the day after their wedding. They spent the day together happily, not leaving the house. Contrary to what Santana suspected, they did leave the bedroom, and they did get dressed. They didn't go out for dinner, as there was no need; Mike had acted as chef for the evening, and had prepared a whole selection of dishes so that they had their own mini Chinese banquet. He had tried to leave them to it, but Jeff had forced him to join them, knowing that he would not feel able to refuse. Once they had eaten though, he did more or less frogmarch them out of the kitchen, knowing that if he didn't, Nick would start stacking plates…

They had retreated upstairs to the sitting room, and Nick had settled down to play a few notes on the piano, something that he was very rusty at. Jeff had taken out his guitar, and had joined in. Sam had been true to his word, and had sat patiently as Jeff had learnt the instrument. He would later tell Nick that his husband was a natural player; he was every bit as skilled with the strings as he was with his pencil. That night they managed to find a song they could both play well, and had managed to play it together a couple of times, blithely singing along, before they even noticed that Mike was standing in the doorway watching them, with Caleb in his arms, and a big smile on his face.

At the middle of the month of May, the focus for many of them switched to Washington. Trent had written his final papers, sat his last examinations and walked out of his final class, so far, as a college student. He had to admit as he did so that it would feel kind of strange not be heading back to school in August. He would be heading to work full time instead from that point, whilst his beloved Rory would be heading to college full time instead to get his degree; he would be working for Burt only in an extreme emergency, leaving everything to Trent. He was looking forward to assisting Burt more as the gears of Congress wore on. He was delighted by the fact that so far, they had managed to block much of what the President wanted to do, particularly in the areas of healthcare and immigration. It had left him a little distressed to think that the whole of the former scheme could fall apart, but he was confident that it wouldn't.

It was also quite gratifying for them all to see that the doors of the West Wing seemed to have been replaced with a revolving one, what with all the stuff that was coming out about Russia. The only pity was that some good people were being forced out of office too along the way. The whispers that he overheard in the corridors of power were fascinating to Trent, but he did not repeat what he heard to anyone other than Burt and Rory. As for Sue Sylvester, she had made a major impact in the House from day one; she left no-one in any doubt about her intention to disobey the party line and fight instead for all those things that she and her voters were passionate about. She had even admitted that she would have no problem with putting her name to any document that called for the impeachment of the President, because as far as she was concerned, the man was an embarrassment to the Republican Party and a danger to the world at large. I mean, that photo with the Pope had been nothing but a laughing point for the world at large…

Trent's graduation day came along before he knew it. As he stood there that morning, looking in the mirror in his marital bedroom, his husband straightening his tie for him before he had to don the ceremonial gown, he couldn't help but think back to the day four years earlier when he had been getting ready in his dorm room at his beloved Dalton for his graduation ceremony there. It was the crowning moment of what had been an eventful year, to say the least. He had considered that day that he might defer college for a year; after all, it was what Sebastian was being forced to do at his father's behest, and Nick and Jeff were also thinking about it. He knew though that if he did, it would only give him time to dwell on past events, and that was never a good thing…

The Trent that had looked in another mirror that day had been stouter, the young man mused. College had been good to him, people would say, but he knew that it was all down to the love of a good man. He smiled at him now as he stood back to admire his handiwork, and Trent couldn't help but lean forward to give him a kiss. Rory smiled back, then whispered, "You are one handsome man in a suit. I got so lucky in meeting you…"

"I'm the lucky one; I thank God every day that Séamus signed you up for that exchange programme, but don't ever tell him that!"

"Never! He would be unbearable if he ever thought that all this was done to him..."

Rory's brother would of course be in the general audience at the ceremony, alongside his wife, who was several months pregnant. That news had delighted them both, and Trent was certain that Uncle Rory was going to be a great success. As for his own family, his parents and sisters would be there, along with Burt and Carole. He knew that when that moment came, and Trent F. Nixon took his walk across that stage to receive his degree, with the highest grades of his year, he would be doing so to deafening applause. His phone had also been buzzing all morning with messages of best wishes from all of his fellow Warblers; only Mitch would be there, as life had the others caught up, but they would all be at his side in spirit. He would see them all in Port Jeff in a week or so anyway, for this years big Warbler get together. It was earlier this year, but that suited him, as he had plans to take a trip with Rory over to see some more of Europe…

On the night of Trent's graduation, Jeff was at home alone with just Caleb for company. Nick had gone with his summer boss to assist her at one of her weekly sessions at a free law clinic. There she provided advice to some of the city's poorest inhabitants, something that Nick intended to do himself once he was qualified. Mike was performing of course, and so Jeff had eaten at the Spotlight before returning home from his shift. He had fed the cat, then helped himself to a glass of iced tea and one or four cookies, intending to sit and read one of the art books that was on his summer reading list. He had barely begun when he heard a frantic knocking on the front door. His initial thought was that he could ignore it, as he was downstairs at the back of the house, and no-one would ever know, but then his inherent sense of duty kicked in…

He headed upstairs and checked who it was through the spy hole. What he saw startled him. He flung the front door open to admit Beats and Flint, both of whom were white as a sheet, and carrying between them an almost catatonic Ethan. The door closed behind them and Ethan placed on the sofa in the little downstairs living room, Jeff waited for someone to speak. Instead, Flint handed over Ethan's cellphone, gesturing him to look at it. It was opened at a page on Facebook. What he read made Jeff gasp and feel quite faint; it easily explained the state Ethan was in. After all, it was the natural reaction he would have to seeing that Drew's status had been altered to _Married to Lucy George_ ….

"Okay, so this has to be a joke! Someone has hacked into his Facebook profile and altered it in a pretty poor excuse for a prank," exclaimed Jeff quietly. "It's the only possible explanation! I mean, there is no way in the world that Drew would get married without…"

"That's exactly what I said when Flint told me," admitted Beats in a hushed tone," but then I started to really think about it, and I could find no obvious reason as to why somebody would. I have a horrible feeling that this is no joke; that he really has done it. If anyone of us should know whether something like this was feasible, it's Ethan, and judging by the way he has reacted, I think we have to concede that it is the truth."

Jeff turned to look at Ethan who was sitting on the sofa with glistening eyes, just staring blankly into space. At his side was Flint, looking every bit as heartbroken and destroyed, all for the sake of the young man he shared a home with and had as a result become so much closer to. He knew after all how something like this had to feel; it was a bit like when he had discovered that Beats was stripping in the bar, quite by accident. It had been a stab in the back, a complete betrayal of all that their friendship had been built upon. This was, of course, much, much worse. He knew that on the day he finally married Izzy, Beats would be there at his side as his best man. Ethan would have expected to carry out the same role for Drew, even if he did not think much of his choice of bride. Of course, this had her name written all over it. If indeed it was true, then she would have been the one to have excluded all of them from the ceremony. That realisation did bring with it a big question. Was Drew so weak now that he would not have thought tooth and nail for his friends to be there with him? Or had he tried and failed to stop her in her tracks, no doubt being punished in some way for doing so? Whatever the case was, Flint's priority now had to be Ethan. He had no idea however what could be done to fix this problem.

It wasn't long after that that Nick arrived home. His reaction was the same as everyone else, but he was the one that made the call that no-one else had. They were all due to be in Dalton on Friday, making the annual pilgrimage back to the school for graduation day. This was far too big an issue just to land on Thad on the day; he was assuming of course that Flint could even get Ethan to go. The minute he told them what he was going to do, they all realised sheepishly that they should have done so themselves by now, and so sat in silence as Nick made the call, then passed on everything that he knew to the Head Warbler.

Thad was silent for a moment, then spoke quietly. "I'm afraid that I am behind Ethan in believing that the statement on Facebook is true, unfortunately. What we have to ask ourselves though is this; when was the last time anyone can recall Drew updating his profile, or posting at all? To my knowledge, it has been well over a year, and so it does make me wonder if this is actually a cry for help… I mean, is this the only way that he has to tell us all what has happened? If he was genuinely celebrating a happy event, then where are all the photos of the happy couple and whatever guests they mustered up? I mean, would anyone marry willingly without recording it all for posterity? Has anyone tried to access her Facebook account?"

"No; I will check it out now…" said Nick; a few clicks later and he replied "Her profile is restricted to people that she recognises as friends, and we all know that even Ethan does not enjoy that status…"

"Right, so we have to be underhand. As I recall, one of the best hackers we know lives close to you. I would suggest that someone goes and explains the situation to Artie, and see if he can breach the security wall around her. If he can't, then I will get in touch with David, and see if he knows anyone at work that can help us out." Nick rang off and went to see Artie, eager to get the process under way. As for Thad in Ohio, he sighed inwardly, then turned his attention to Google. He typed in the name of his fellow Warbler, and of that woman, just on the off chance that their union might have made the local news somewhere…

Ten minutes later Nick was back home, having left Artie to start cracking the security on Lucy's Facebook page. As if by chance, he walked through the door just as Thad called back; the minute that Nick heard his voice, he knew that the news he was about to impart wasn't good. He headed to his own computer in the study, and having turned it on, typed in the exact phrase that Thad had told him to. It lead him to a tiny article from the _Oxford Mail_. He only had to read the first few words to feel his heart break. He headed back across the hall, and cautiously looked in the door of the sitting room. He saw that Beats and Jeff were now sitting on either side of the catatonic Ethan, with Flint now standing and staring out the window. He looked up and noticed Nick's reflection in the glass; the moment the younger man noticed that, he beckoned him to follow him. He left the room quietly, and followed Nick to the study. "It was Thad that found it… It broke my heart…" Nick said in a low voice, indicating the computer screen.

Flint sat down and read the words out loud. "A wedding took place yesterday in the wards of the John Radcliffe Hospital. Dr Lucy George married her boyfriend, Mr Dru Simmons, at the bedside of her gravely ill grandmother. ' _She was desperate to see me married, and this was the perfect way to ensure that,'_ said Dr Warrington…. Damn and blast! So it is true, and worse still, they couldn't even spell his name correctly!"

Nick nodded. "That was the thing that Thad found the most galling about the situation at first, that his name was spelt so badly. Then he realised why; he thinks that the paper was deliberately given the bad spelling so that it would not pop up automatically on a search. Thad found this article on page 34 of the search results for their names on Google. That was one of two things that had Thad really concerned. He wants to know why Drew did not check that the paper had it right; we all know that he was always so particular about his name being spelt right. I mean, do you remember how he blew his top the one time that his name was spelt Simons instead of Symons on a letter he got at Dalton? He let them misspell both his names, and even add an extra letter, and didn't react."

"The paper might publish a correction in due course…" said Flint in hope.

"That's the second thing," said Nick with a sigh. "The wedding didn't take place today; it happened on Thursday; this article is from Friday's edition of a daily paper…"

"So any correction would have been made online by now," said Flint sadly. "Okay, so why did Facebook only update today? Ethan checks Drew's page every day; he thinks that I don't know, but I do. It was only updated at 20:03 our time today, four days after the 'happy' event."

Nick shook his head and sighed again. "That means that it was updated at 3 minutes past one in the morning over in England, and that makes Thad even more worried. I mean, not only is it four days late, but why update it in the middle of the night? And then there was something else that Thad realised. They got married at the bedside of her seriously ill grandmother. Now, you would only do something like this at a moment's notice if…"

"…the person in question was about to die. Well, it does say gravely ill," observed Flint.

"Thad has checked up and there is no record so far of the old lady dying. No mention in the paper of an elderly lady with a granddaughter named Lucy passing away, or anywhere else online for Oxford. And let's face it, after they covered the wedding, they would probably have followed it up if the grandmother in question had subsequently died," said Nick in a low tone. "Thad thinks that Drew was tricked into marriage; she claimed that her grandmother was about to die, and Drew, being the nice guy that he is, agreed to the ceremony for the sake of the old lady…"

Flint nodded, but couldn't bring himself to speak. It did look as if what Thad was surmising was true. Drew had been tricked into marrying that woman. If the fact that he had got married at all had left Ethan devastated, then the notion that he had been forced into it would crucify him. However, someone was going to have to tell him, and he was the closest of all the Warblers to the young man in question….

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Nick's phone ringing. Nick answered, and spoke quietly to the person on the other end. As he did so, his face got even more grim that it had been. He rang off, then turned back to Flint. "That was Artie; he has got into her page, and wants me to check something out. You want to come with me; get some air and check out whatever it is. I mean, you are the person that is closest to Ethan now, and Artie sounded a little upset. Whatever it is we see, it is going to be your call just how much we let Ethan know…"

* * *

Just after midnight, Jeff and Beats joined Nick and Flint in the kitchen. They were not alone; Sebastian had been summoned by Nick to join them as soon as they knew his show would be finished. He had been reluctant at first, until Nick told him what had happened. Once he knew, he had called Dave, told him there was a Warbler crisis, and that as a result, he might be out all night. Flint had made his way to the house next door, and had informed the four younger boys there of the situation. They had all agreed that they needed to be kept in the loop, but that they did not need to be dragged into this emergency assembly. They had considered calling up Trent and David, and having them present by Skype, but in the end they had thought better of it; after all, they would all be face to face on Friday, and it wasn't as if there was anything they could do. The same was true for Thad, and so he too was left blissfully unaware of the Council of War taking place in the West Village. As for Ethan, they had taken him home and put him to bed; they had found some Ambien, and had made him take it. Now he was sound asleep under the watchful eye of Elliott.

"So, now that we are all here, it is time for us to face the harsh reality of the situation we find ourselves in," started Nick. "Flint and I have seen a photo on Facebook of the wedding, and we have both agreed that Ethan cannot see it; can't even know it exists. To be brutally honest, as far as he is concerned, Artie could not access Lucy's Facebook page."

"Is it really that bad, Nicky," said Jeff in a trembling voice.

"Put it this way," said Flint. "The bride is smiling; her parents and other assorted family are smiling. Her grandmother, on her mother's side by the way, is awake and lying in bed, but she isn't smiling…"

"And the groom?" whispered Sebastian, fearful of what was coming.

"Drew's arm is in a sling. He has a big bruise on the same side of his face, and there is a plaster of some kind over his nose. It is claimed that 'my clumsy oaf of a husband tripped and fell down the stairs.' He looks lost, broken, and as if he is about to burst into tears at any moment…" Nick replied grimly.

There was a moment's silence, and then Beats spoke out. "So what are we going to do? We can't just ignore this situation now! We have to do something, for Drew and for Ethan! I mean, he fell down the stairs, for God's sake! That is a classic…"

"I've spoken to Thad," said Flint, "and he will be convening an emergency meeting of all the Warblers on Friday. He is going to fill the Carmichaels in, and ask them to distract and occupy Ethan. The problem is, as he sees it, is there is not that much we can actually do. He believes that if we try and intervene, then we might just end up making the situation worse…"

"Worse! With all due respect, Flint, how can we make it any worse than it already is? One of our number is being physically assaulted, from the evidence that you and Nick have seen, by his partner. He has been forced into marrying her. Lord knows what else she is doing to him behind closed doors. If we discovered that, for example, Flora was beating Cameron up, would we all just sit here? No, we'd be straight there to get him to safety," Sebastian shouted, before in a normal voice adding, "And before you say it, blondie, I only chose your cousin as an example; I know that she wouldn't."

"With all you respect to you, Sebastian," Flint hissed back, "what do you suggest we do? Head over to England mob handed to save him by dragging him home? If we could, then trust me, I would happily join you in that mission, but for a couple of points. One, we have no proof that he didn't actually fall down the stairs. I know it is unlikely, but he could have done. Two, who is to say that he would actually come with us if we did go over there; if she is treating him so badly, then he could have left at any time of his own free will."

"Drew would never chose to be used as some kind of target practice," said Beats quietly, "so there has to be some reason we don't know about as to why he hasn't dumped her yet. Either she has some kind of hold over him, or, as Flint said, maybe he really did just fall down the stairs…"

Before Sebastian could give more than a snort in retort, Nick spoke up. "I think that we all know in our hearts that she is hurting him, but the fact is that he has distanced himself from all of us over the last couple of years; that might not be of his own choice, but again, we have no proof that it isn't. Maybe he feels so ashamed of the fact that he has allowed this to happen to himself that even if we did manage to get him to leave her, he wouldn't be able to face any of us again out of embarrassment."

"We wouldn't say anything…" began Beats, but then he stopped.

"He would know that we knew, and that would be enough; his pride would be hurt. In any case, maybe he feels that he doesn't have anything or anyone to come back to," admitted Flint sadly.

"There is nothing that any of us can do tonight in any case," said Nick. "We can have a full meeting of all the guys on Friday; until then, our main task is holding Ethan together, as he is hurting the most. We can't leave that task to Flint on his own either; we all have to step up and support him."

"That goes without saying," replied Sebastian. "As it stands, hopefully there is at least one angel looking out for him right now…"

* * *

High above them, Wes sat in his office chair, despite the lateness of the hour, unable to sleep due to the turmoil in his mind. The moment that Elizabeth had broken the news to him that Drew had just married Lucy, he had cracked up completely, and had ended up in tears. He and his angelic counterparts knew exactly what she was doing to him, and had done for some time now. It frustrated him greatly that he could not intervene to save his friend and stop him from suffering more pain. Wes had spent his whole life being a stickler for the rules; he had always done the right thing, and had made sure that others did the same. Now he wanted more than anything to make some kind of intervention and save Drew from the hell that he was living through. He had gone to see him, not even intending to mention what was going on, but Drew had just ignored him completely.

He had done the same to Kurt and Blaine, pretending they were not there, even when Blaine was standing right in front of him and yelling in his face. The fact that Blaine could see that Drew was seeing him, evident from the tears in his eyes had left the angel in question all the more distressed. When he had broken the news about the marriage to those two… But there was nothing that they could do. The rules were the rules; they couldn't overtly intervene. They could only watch and wait, ready to help him when the time came. In the meantime, they just had to live with the facts, even though they were slowly tearing their hearts apart…

Eventually Wes left the office, and went to see the one person that he knew would understand. It was very late, but Wes had been certain that Thad would still be awake, and he was not proved wrong. Thad had not been able to sleep, not given all the information that he now had circulating around in his head. He felt so powerless sitting at Dalton, but he knew there was nothing else for it. He had agreed to the suggestion of a meeting on Friday in the full knowledge that it was actually going to be a pretty pointless exercise, a mere talking shop. Drew was an adult, and he had made his choices. Unless she was actually keeping him locked in the house as a prisoner, then he could have walked away at any time. He hadn't; Thad guessed that love sometimes made people do very silly things. Your heart made you stay somewhere when your head was screaming at you to head for the hills….

He looked up when he felt the draught, and rose up out of his armchair. He headed over to Wes, who was standing where he had appeared, his head bowed. He wrapped his arms around his angelic boyfriend, and let him weep on his shoulder, his own tears running down his cheeks. All they could do for now was be there and try to comfort each other in their distress.


	72. The Horror from Across the Ocean Part II

**The Horror from Across the Ocean Part II**

Trent went into Burt's office in Washington on Thursday morning still blissfully unaware of the crisis that had broken in New York the previous evening; his friends had not wanted to put a dampener on his graduation day as well as their own. Burt had told him that he could take a few days off, but he had declined to do so, knowing that there was a lot of work to be done, particularly as the President was trying to launch another crackpot scheme to destroy people's lives. He was already taking the weekend off to head to Dalton, and he had time off during the summer as well when he planned to head to Ireland with Rory to visit the latter's grandmother. Burt was already at his desk when he arrived, working through a pile of letters from his district; missives from people with problems and concerns, or just an axe to grind. Like most Democrats, Burt also received a fair amount of hate mail from Republican voters, all of whom seemed to feel that any attempt to block the machinations of the Oval Office was unconstitutional. These could usually be spotted very quickly, and were set to one side of his desk; if from there they happened to fall directly into the shredder, then so be it.

Trent greeted Burt, then headed to the in-tray to assist in the process. His attention was almost immediately drawn to the large brown A4 envelope at the bottom of the pile, which had been sealed with tape and bore a large number of stamps with the head of the Queen upon them. That latter fact made it all the more interesting. He took it first, and then carefully opened it with a letter opener. He slipped out the single sheet of paper it contained, and began to read…

" _Dear Mr Hummel, I don't know if you will remember me, as we have only met briefly on a few occasions. My name is Drew Symons, and I was wondering if you could possibly forward the enclosed for me. I am unable to post it directly for reasons that I'd rather keep to myself. My thanks in advance…"_

Trent's attention was now entirely directed on the envelope in front of him; the apocalypse could have begun, and he would not have noticed. For a start, the hand writing on the envelope was wrong. He knew the penmanship of all of his fellow Warblers so well, and what he saw before him was so very, very wrong; it was sloppy, amateurish and crooked. 'It's as if he was writing with the wrong hand,' thought Trent. He dug into the envelope and found two more A5 envelopes inside, one addressed in the same poor handwriting to Thad Harwood, and the other, much to his surprise, addressed to Trent F Nixon…

"Anything that I should be worried about?" came a voice, startling Trent out of his reverie. He handed the covering letter over to Burt, whose smile began to fade as he read it. "Drew… He was the one that more or less caught Clarington at the New Yorker? He lives in England now?" Trent nodded, and Burt went on. "Do you know any reason why he would write to me, and not straight to you and Thad?"

Trent sighed, then spoke. "His girlfriend doesn't like the fact that he is so close to his 'stupid bird-brained school friends', to quote her word for word. I guess that he didn't want her seeing that he had addressed letters to us, but a letter to a congressman, well that is different - she couldn't complain about that as much. There is one thing about all of this that has me really worried though. Drew won a prize whilst he was at Dalton for his calligraphy. His penmanship was always so neat and correct, but the writing on those envelopes…"

Trent stopped, and Burt didn't need to ask any more. "Well, you can take that one with you to Dalton tomorrow," he said, pointing at the one addressed to Thad, "and you can see if what is inside yours will allay any of your fears. The rest of the mail can wait a while…"

With a sinking feeling in his heart, Trent opened the envelope, and found it contained a standard sized letter envelope, and a letter for himself. The name on the other envelope was no shock; carefully placing the letter to Ethan on one side, he began to read the pages that had been enclosed with it…

 _I have chosen to write this to you, Trent, as you are probably the most level headed and calm of our little circle of friends. You will not overreact, or find yourself running to the airport to fly thousands of miles. So, the facts of the situation are this. On Sunday, I found myself railroaded into something that I think I might come to regret. It might well be common knowledge by now, but I married Lucy on Sunday. Her grandmother hasn't been very well, and on that fated day, Lucy told me in tears that she was dying, and her greatest desire was to see her granddaughter married before she did. I have always liked the lady in question, and well, Lucy can be quite persuasive…_

 _The thing is that after all of the ceremony had taken place, I found myself left alone with the old lady, and in the course of our conversation, she told me three things; for a start, she wasn't dying at all; then she told me that her late husband had been a manipulative, abusive bully that had made her life a living hell; and finally, that she knew that Lucy was exactly like him, so her advice to me was to run like the wind whilst I could._

 _She was right of course, but it isn't that easy. I can't just run away as Lucy needs my help; I love her so much. You are probably thinking that I am mad, and you would probably be right, but I'm sure that I can change her. That's the reason why this will be the last any of you will hear from me for a while. I miss you guys and Ethan so much, but I have to respect my wife's wishes. The letter enclosed for Ethan is my attempt to explain to him why he couldn't be here. I need you guys to look after him for me. He is such a special person, but he needs to find himself someone else to care about and forget about me._

 _Thank you for being my friend Trent. Take care of yourself and Rory,_

 _Drew._

Trent had found that as he read the final lines his eyesight had begun to blur as his eyes had filled with treacherous tears. He could read between the lines well enough. The bad writing, along with the comment about her grandfather could direct him to only one conclusion. How on earth was he to tell Ethan not to worry about his best friend when his own mind was filled with nothing but concern for the man in question?

In the end, Trent handed the letter over to Burt to read whilst he attempted to dry up his own tears. The older man's face quickly took on a pained expression, but then he spoke in a quiet but authoritative tone. "Love is blind; it makes us turn the other cheek and ignore the faults and failures of those around us. It also gives us hope; hope that through it we can save those that we hold dear from themselves. That is what your friend is attempting to do. I think Carole said that she talked to the young lady in question very briefly at the Christmas wedding. Her feelings were that the girl had all the makings of a good doctor - passionate and caring towards her patients - but that personally, she was cold and aloof. She saw that so many times in her work at the hospital. Love can change someone, but it needs to be a deep love; a devotion if you like, and it takes a very strong person to deliver that. Your friend must really love her. He has to be able to see something in her that the rest of us don't."

"She hits him," said Trent bluntly. "At least, that is the implication that I get."

"Me too, but she can't be doing it all the time, or someone outside would have noticed by now. He works, doesn't he? He must go out in town and be seen by the neighbours. People would be quick to report something off these days…"

"Yes, they would, if it was the other way round, if he was hitting her..." whispered Trent. "And maybe the abuse isn't just physical, though I am thinking that she has done something to his hands, because his writing is all wrong. Maybe it is mental abuse. He isn't allowed to call any of us, and he seems to be unable to write to us either. She is isolating him from his closest friends, helped by miles of ocean."

"The problem is that you don't know any of that is true, and can't prove it either. Let's assume that you are right and she is hurting him; there has to be conclusive proof before anyone will act. The police will do nothing without that. Call them with your suspicions, and if they don't dismiss them, and they turn up on the doorstep, then what happens. Chances are he will deny it is happening, because he knows that she will probably be able to get away without being charged. Then, once they're safely away, he will be attacked worse than ever. Trent, son, much as it pains me to say this, there is nothing you can do. All that you boys can do just now is look after Ethan, as he asks, because he will blame himself for leaving him alone with her in England. It is irrational, of course, but that is how he will see it; if he hadn't come home, if he had been around, then maybe he could have stopped it."

"But he couldn't have done!"

"Try to tell him that… After all, I recall someone who thought that he could have stopped my son and two other people dying if only he hadn't drawn Blaine's attention to what was happening with the Warblers during his senior year…" Trent nodded, recalling his own guilt four years ago; a guilt which he still felt sometimes even now. "Sometimes we just have to resign ourselves to the unpopular stuff; all we can do is pray that it all comes right in the end," finished Burt, hoping for the sake of all of Drew's friends that it would do.

Trent resolved that he would not mention the letter to anyone else until he had had the chance to hand over the one addressed to Thad the following day, and then he could see what he wished to do. At lunchtime, he received a call from Jeff, and after a quick discussion of flight times the following day, Jeff moved on to the real reason for his call. Trent pretended that the fact that Drew was married was news to him, as it was the only way to keep his silence about the letter. He almost cracked when Jeff confided in him how worried they all were for Ethan, who had called in sick, and was refusing to eat. The mention of the meeting on the issue didn't exactly please him, but he knew that it was inevitable. He just had to ensure that he got to Thad first. To achieve that, he had to alter his plans. He was blessed with an understanding husband in Rory, and a good boss in Burt; a few phone calls and the airline were also only too happy to change his flight from the first one the following morning to the last one that night. After heading home and picking up his already packed bag, Trent headed for the airport. He sat in silence the whole time, and had to blink back silly tears when he heard the call for the flight to London.

On his arrival at Columbus, Trent took a taxi straight to Dalton, now quiet as curfew had begun. The security staff at the gate recognised him, and had let him in, calling Thad up to let him know he was on his way. It meant that the Head Warbler was waiting for him as he approached his front door. Once inside, the door closed against the night, Thad turned to him. "I know that you have a reputation for being punctual, Trent, but you are much too early for graduation! Was there some sort of problem with the flights tomorrow?"

Trent said nothing, just dug into his pocket and pulled out the envelope. He handed it over, then went to slump down on the sofa. After a moment, Thad joined him, and then quickly scanned through the letter, which Trent would later discover said more or less the same as his own. Thad set is down, and shook his head. "Well, this confirms our suspicions; David and I thought there was something not quite right when we met her, and now Drew has admitted it. Of course he won't leave her, out of a mixture of love and his own foolish pride. The whole thing is a mess, and we are powerless to do anything. All of us feel so helpless, and that includes Wes, Blaine and Kurt. I guess we just have to turn our focus to Ethan for now…

Trent nodded, then dug in his pocket again, handing over the second letter; the unopened one addressed to Ethan. "So, what do we do about this, Thad? Will its contents make things better for him, or worse? What on earth do we do?"

"The thing that we can't do is open it," said Thad decisively, "And that fact makes our dilemma worse. If we knew precisely what he said in the letter, then our choice would be an easy one. The fact is that Drew entrusted you with it, because he knew that you would give it safely into Ethan's hands. If we give him it, then it might well be a positive thing; it might well contain some words that will soothe him. On the other hand, it might be negative, and that will just make things worse. However, if we don't hand it over out of that fear, then we run the risk that one day he will find out about its existence, and betrayal is the most negative of all the emotions… Could you live with the knowledge that this letter exists and still keep it secret? More importantly, would Burt agree to that?"

Trent shook his head sadly. "We don't really have any option, do we? We have to hand it over to him and just pray that he is okay afterwards…"

"I suggest that we have the meeting whilst he is occupied by the Carmichaels as planned, then when we send someone to fetch him…"

"I am guessing that I will be that someone? I go and hand him the letter, not mentioning that you know anything about it. That way I will have the Carmichaels on hand for support, and his reaction is not in front of everyone…" Trent glanced up at the clock, and on seeing the time said, "I'd best go. I still need to get through to Lima tonight. Burt gave me the spare key for his place…"

"Don't be stupid! I have a spare room, so you can stay here with me - unless, of course, Burt has some specific task he needs you to carry out in Lima?"

"No, there isn't anything like that, so yes, I will happily accept your kind offer. The only thing that I will need to do is order something for dinner; I didn't have time before my flight, and I'm a little hungry."

"You could - or you could risk sampling my cooking. I'm not Nick by any means, but I do have some left over pasta in the fridge which I could heat up for you, and it wouldn't take me two minutes to rustle up some garlic bread to go with it." Trent happily accepted Thad's offer, and not much later, he had to admit that Thad's culinary skills had come on leaps and bounds in the last few months. Then they sat and just enjoyed each other's company for a while, catching up on news, before they headed to an early bed…

* * *

The graduation ceremony at Dalton the following day passed off with a hitch. It was a little odd for the alumni Warblers at first that Thad was not sitting with them but rather with the staff, but they got used to the idea eventually. Flint had confessed quietly on his arrival that he and Beats had been forced to all but drag Ethan to Dalton, and his downcast face immediately attracted the attention of all those that did not live in New York and who were unaware of the story. Thad had managed to break the news only to David beforehand; he had sworn continuously at the top of his voice for several seconds, much to his best friend's shock and horror, although fortunately they had been out of earshot. He had wanted to pass the news on, but it was more or less impossible given that Ethan was in the room. Instead he had to be content with passing out a note to all those not in the know, stating that he required a full Warbler meeting in the Junior Commons after the ceremony. The fact that it was being held in that room raised a lot of eyebrows. It was just another precaution that he had chosen to take to ensure that Ethan did not find out that he was the hot topic of conversation that day.

The moment the ceremony was over, the Carmichaels came over and more or less abducted Ethan. Jasper nearly blurted out that he couldn't go, as there was to be an emergency meeting, but got no further than the words "Excuse me, Sir, but…" before he felt the glare of several sets of eyes on him, and he instinctively held his tongue. Thad had no choice but to go and speak to the parents for a while, and so he asked David to chair the meeting in his place. He was pretty sure that his friend would immediately designate that responsibility to either Trent or Nick…

"Okay, so why are we in here?" said Mitch the moment that the door to the Junior Commons was closed behind them.

"Necessity," said Trent, as Nick nodded in agreement. "This is an emergency meeting as we have a major situation that concerns Ethan…"

"…which is why the Carmichaels were asked to whisk him away," completed Nick. "Just in case he gets away sooner than we expect, we had to talk somewhere that he won't head to straight away."

"Makes sense, I guess," said Brad. "So what has Ethan done?"

"Nothing," said David. "It is actually Drew that has done something. Two nights ago, from what I have been told by Thad, Ethan checked out Drew's profile on Facebook, as he does regularly, and saw that it had been updated for the first time in over a year. What he saw sent him reeling, and left him howling in anguish and pain."

"Essentially, five days ago, Drew got married," stated Nick. From those that already knew there was silence; from the rest there was initially the same, and then a rising amount of anger and indignation.

"He got married, without even telling us! That's awful!" exclaimed Jasper.

"He didn't even tell Ethan!? How could he do that to his best friend," said Cameron.

"We think - well, we kind of know that he was pushed into marriage at the very last minute. Even if he hadn't been, his wife…" - Nick stopped as he grimaced at the very word - "…well, she hates all of us, so none of us would have been permitted to attend in any case. We are also pretty sure that Drew is in no position to be able to argue his case either."

"I know he isn't," said Trent, earning himself a look from everyone, even David and Nick. "He actually wrote to me, but via an envelope addressed to Burt. Ethan doesn't know this yet, but he as good as told me that if he speaks out, if he voices an opinion she doesn't like, then she hits him…"

"I'm sorry, I thought I just heard you say that she hits him," said Louis, breaking the stunned silence in the room after Trent's statement. "However, if that is indeed the case, then I am sure that the majority of us will want to be jumping on a flight to England right now to rescue him!" His comment was greeted with a murmur of approval from most of those present; indeed, Mitch pulled out his phone and with Gabriel looking over his shoulder, began to Google flights. Trent for his part hand handed Drew's letter over to Nick, who was now scanning it along with David, and the anger in both of them was growing by the minute.

"Okay, so there are still quiet a few seats available across the London flights tonight…" began Mitch.

"No-one is going to London!" came an authoritative voice from the doorway, and they all looked up to see Thad standing there, his hand reaching for Mr Bangy. "I know why you want to go, but what will it actually achieve? We can't force Drew to come back here with us, and in any case, it's not just his wife that keeps him there; he has his work too. If we go there mob handed and start casting aspersions, stating things that we have no actual proof of, then all we will achieve is getting him punished by her again."

"Are you seriously saying that we just have to leave Drew, our friend, our brother, where he is? Are you saying that we are not going to aid one of our flock when he is suffering and in danger?" asked Brad.

"Yes, Thad is, and I am right behind him on that," said Trent. "He has made his own choice to stay where he is. He has decided to cut himself off from all of us. He makes it quite clear that he doesn't want us to fly in and rescue him. We have to respect his wishes on this."

"Even if it appears that Drew has lost all his marbles and every bit of common sense he ever had," sighed Sebastian. "It is his choice to make; reluctantly, I have to side with Thad and Trent on this."

"I think that I speak for myself and Nick when I also back them," said David sadly.

"Me too," added Jeff, "much as it breaks my heart…"

"Our priority now has to be Ethan," said Flint, who had until then been unusually silent. "This news has hit him so hard. I mean, if it was me that was getting married, and Izzy and I eloped and got married without Beats…"

"It would feel like you had ripped my heart out of my chest, stamped on it, minced it up, then set it on fire," admitted Beats. "It would be the worst pain I had ever experienced. Guys, I have seen Ethan first hand since he found out. This is his worst nightmare come true, more or less. He has to be our priority just now; we can plan how we are going to rescue Drew later. Just now, we have to care for the half of Drethan that's here…"

"We do, don't we," sighed Jasper. "I guess that Drew will have a phalanx of angels watching over him…" He stopped, as he suddenly remembered that there was one person in the room that still couldn't see or hear the angelic Warbler alumni like the rest of them.

"I'm not sure that is enough of a comfort to me, Jasper, but I do admire your faith," said Cameron with a hint of scepticism. "So, what is the plan to fix Ethan?" He was answered by silence because, to be frank, none of them had a clue as to how to achieve that…

Not that far away, in the sitting room of the Carmichaels' house, Aaron was thinking much the same. The moment that Thad had told him that Drew had been more or less forced into marriage, he had recoiled in horror. He knew at once that Ethan would be hurt, but the moment that he set eyes upon him that morning he realised that he had grossly underestimated how badly it would hit him. Ethan's eyes were dull, and red rimmed from tears, dark bags underneath them from lack of sleep. His hair was unkempt, and his attire wrinkled and incorrectly worn. His wife had stepped in, and had taken the boy aside - they would always be boys to her - to sort his hair and clean his shoes, just to make his appearance a little better. He had been there in body but not in soul during the graduation ceremony, his mind in another country. Now all he could do was try and get some of Ethan's spark back…

His wife had set out tea, sandwiches and cake on the table, but he hadn't taken any; in the end she had forced it into his hands, and in her best motherly tone had told him that if he didn't eat, then she would stand over him until he did. Once he started to eat, his hunger took over, and he was soon eating as if he hadn't for days; from what he had been told, that was indeed the case, and now his body was gratefully taking the opportunity to replenish itself.

Now, however, the hard part was about to begin. The table had been cleared, and Mrs Carmichael had sat on the sofa next to the young man he had to try and console. "Ethan, do you recall the conversation that you and I had in New York last summer?" Aaron began, and he received a nod in return. "The position that you find yourself in is a tough one, and it has to hurt, but…"

"…I have to carry on?" Ethan interrupted. "After all, Drew would want me to carry on… What if I can't, or don't want to? This is all her fault, and I hate her, because she is hurting him. She is slowly but surely erasing the Drew Symons that I know and changing him into someone else. A man that isn't a fighter, but a victim. I want her to die. I want to kill her! I blame myself, because I always had my suspicions about her, how she was too perfect, but I never spoke out. Perhaps if I had, he would be here right now, safe and single. Instead, he had just got married to a psychopath. I promise you this, sir; if she hurts him, then I will kill her…"


	73. The Horror from Across the Ocean Part 3

**The Horror from Across the Ocean Part III**

" _I promise you this, sir; if she hurts him, then I will kill her_ _…"_

Aaron Carmichael could tell from the way that Ethan's until now dull eyes suddenly blazed as he uttered that threat that he meant every single word; that should Lucy harm his best friend too much, he would head to England, hunt the young woman down, and kill her in cold blood, even though he knew exactly what the consequences of those actions would be. He could understand why Ethan felt that way because if he was being honest, he felt exactly the same way about the situation himself.

"As much as I sympathise with that position, Ethan, I have to ask who that would benefit in reality? If you kill her, then yes, he would be free of her tyranny. However, the one person that he would want in that situation more than any other would now be out of reach. You would be in a prison cell, somewhere in England, locked away for however many years the legal system decided you deserved. Trust me, you would be the one made out to be the villain; her mistreatment of Drew would barely even feature in the trial. So, whilst you are detained at Her Majesty's pleasure, as I believe they say, who takes care of your best friend? The others would try, but none of them will ever be you, just as Flint will never be a replacement for Drew…"

Aaron paused for a moment to let it sink in, then continued, "Worse still, Drew will believe that it is entirely his fault that you were now languishing in jail as a result of a conviction for murder, and that fact would hurt him more than she ever could. Then, at the end of your life, you would be denied entry to the heavenly realms as a result of your decision to kill, and he would have to face eternity without you too. No, the one thing that you cannot do is attack her physically, not if you love him quite as much as I think you do. She will slip up, and she will be caught; maybe not tomorrow, but one day. Or he will come to his senses and make good his escape, and it will be to you that he runs, Ethan. It will be his best friend that he needs. So you see, you have to try and stay calm; you have to carry on…."

Ethan looked up now at his former headmaster, his face full of pain. "I know I have to sir, it's just…." With that, he gave up trying to fight the emotions, and burst into floods of tears again, his whole body being wracked by aching sobs filled with anguish and pain. On hearing them Edith Carmichael, who had been listening in silence, wrapped her arms around the young man and held him to her, letting him cry and trying to instil all the love that she had for the boy into him. Her own tears were falling as she did so, and across the room, her husband was crying too, as his heart broke. Everything that had happened with Hunter had been bad, but it had been stopped, and in the end, he had been able to control the situation. In this case he was powerless, however, with Drew being thousands of miles away, and no hope of his aggressor being dealt with any time soon…

In the Junior Commons by that point, the emergency meeting had drawn to a close with a reluctant agreement that they had no choice but to respect Drew's wishes on the matter, even if they all felt he was mad to have made the choices he had. Thad had made them all promise solemnly that they would not travel to England with the sole intention of trying to see Drew; he could not however stop any of them going there for another reason and meeting him by chance… He had also promised them that if any of them did head across the Atlantic specifically for that purpose, he would expel them from the Warblers, and from that time on, they would be regarded as a leper to them all. It had been no issue to get them to agree to support Flint in looking after Ethan however. With that decided, Thad called an end to the meeting, and ordered them all to head out and join in the festivities, and to put the issue to the back of their minds at least for today.

As everyone rose to leave, Thad held back Flint, David and Nick, apologising to Jeff as he did so for detaining his husband, but explaining that he had a special mission for Jeff, and that was to get everyone else to laugh and smile with his usual sunny disposition. The blond boy had smiled, and promised to do his best. Trent also remained in the room once the others had gone, and took a seat next to Thad at the table. "Okay, so we do have another issue, guys, but it wasn't one that I wished to broadcast right now; the last thing that we needed was a heated debate on this issue as well. Drew wrote another letter; again it was sent to Burt, and the intended recipient this time is Ethan. In the circumstances, it falls to us to decide what we should do with it. Trent and I discussed this earlier, and we are both in agreement that we are obligated to give it to him, even if the contents could potentially tear his heart asunder. We now want to hear other opinions, and we chose the three of you. David, you are my deputy, and always of sound judgement; Nick, you are passionate about laws and rights and will know the legal position; Flint, you are the one that is going to have to handle the fallout, because you are the one he lives with."

"You can't keep it from him," said Nick without hesitation. "No question, he has to be given it."

"I wish that we knew exactly what he said in it, but Nick is right," admitted David. "We have no right to refuse to hand it over to him. If we did, and he found out, then he would never forgive us."

"It is a no brainer…" said Flint with resignation. "When do you plan on giving it to him?"

"Now. We have kept it from him for long enough already," Thad replied.

"Right. I take it that he will still be with the Carmichaels? Their house would not be a bad place to hand it over to him. He would have more privacy there than in any other place in the school," said Flint decisively. "I take it that you will be the one that hands it over Trent, as it was sent to you?" Trent nodded, and with that confirmation, Flint continued. "Well, there is no time like the present. Let's get it done."

Flint got to his feet and Trent joined him. "Wish us luck, guys," the latter said just before he walked out of the room.

"If it is a confession that he is being beaten up, or a note telling Ethan that their whole friendship is over, then they are going to need all the luck in the world," David whispered to the other two as they listened to the sound of Flint and Trent's footsteps vanish down the corridor.

His companions both nodded, and then Thad spoke. "Okay, so if the others ask why I held you back, and I am certain that Jeff will for a start, then tell them the truth. I'm not going to go out and announce it, but if they ask, let them know, as discreetly as you can. That way, if Ethan does go into a complete meltdown, they will all be ready and prepared to assist. He has to be our immediate priority; we have to help him through all of this, and stop him doing something stupid…"

Ethan had just managed to stop crying when the knock came at the Carmichaels' front door. Aaron and Edith both knew at once that it had to be one of the other Warblers, come to take Ethan back to his friends, and that their emergency meeting must now be over. It was the former Principal that went to open the door, his wife still dealing with the last of Ethan's tears. He was not in the least surprised to find that it was Flint and Trent on his doorstep, both with a haunted look on their face.

"Sir, we have made our decision, and have also managed to prevent any of the others from heading off to London on an ill-fated rescue mission by use of the direst of threats," Trent began. "However, we then decided in a smaller group that the letter that Drew wrote to Ethan that Thad informed you about has to be given to him, and now. Given the number of other people in the school at the moment, we were hoping that you would have no objection to us handing it over to him here, were he will have just a little more privacy."

Aaron Carmichael stood in silence for a moment, then replied, "I guess that does make sense. You'd best come in, although I warn you both now that he is more than a little upset already, and this might well be the final straw that tips him right over the edge."

"In that case, sir, we will be here to catch him; to restore him and help him," said Flint quietly. "It is what Wes taught us all to do; to support each other through the hard times. We will not desert him now in his hour of greatest need."

"That is a good thing, because I have a feeling that he is going to need all the support he can get," answered Aaron, who then ushered his two former pupils into the house and in the direction of the sitting room.

The fact that Ethan had been crying was immediately obvious to his two friends the moment they entered the room, due to his red rimmed, puffy eyes. As they entered his first instinct was to try and hide them, but then he realised that was a pointless exercise. Edith Carmichael vacated her spot on the sofa for Flint, then she and her husband left the room to give the boys some privacy; nevertheless they stayed within earshot, just in case they were needed again.

Trent took a deep breath, and then facing Ethan, he began. "Ethan, yesterday morning a letter arrived at Burt Hummel's office from England, addressed directly to him as a Congressman. The writing on the envelope was all wrong, but when I opened it up, it was immediately apparent who had sent it…"

"It was from Drew, wasn't it," said Ethan quietly. "She won't let him write to us, but she cannot stop him from writing to someone in Congress."

"Yes, it was from Drew. Apart from a brief note to Burt, apologising for sending the letter to him, the envelope contained two further envelopes; one addressed to Thad, the other to me. When I opened the latter, it contained another envelope, this time addressed to you. He asked me to pass it on to you, and I considered handing it to you the moment that you arrived, but…"

As words failed Trent, Flint intervened. "The thing is that you were in no state to handle something like that first thing, and as he could see that, he didn't. I agree 100% with his call, because you were in bits. It took all of our effort to get you through the public elements of today as it was."

"Anyway, here it is," said Trent, and he pulled the envelope form his blazer pocket and proffered it to Ethan. "It is still sealed, naturally, so if the contents upsets you, I can only apologise. I can tell you what he said to me in mine, if you wish…"

"No, no, I think that I can guess at most of it," stammered Ethan, extending a shaking hand to take the letter. He took it, and promptly dropped it as his hand trembled out of control due to his nerves.

Flint picked it up, and asked softly, "Would you like me to open it for you? I won't read it, just hand it straight to you…"

"I think that you should, yeah…. God, I am such a screw up just now," said Ethan. Flint carefully opened the envelope and handed the contents to Ethan, then sat back, silently praying that it would all be alright…

Ethan had to blink his watering eyes to get them into focus so that he could read, but in the end the first thing that he noticed was that Trent was right; it was certainly not in Drew's usual writing. That in itself was an immediate cause for concern, and he felt his stomach lurch, but he held the feeling down, as he needed to read what it said first.

' _My dear Ethan,_

 _Firstly I am so sorry that all of this has happened. You didn't sign up for this, and all of it is my fault, not yours. I hope that you can actually read this as I am having a bit of difficulty in writing, having broken my right wrist. Everyone is being told that I fell down the stairs, but you'll see straight through that… Lucy does love me, in her own way; it isn't all her fault. I do things that frustrate her sometimes, and she lashes out. Her grandfather was the same, so I have been told, but with his wife's love and support, he managed to bring it under control in the end. I know that I can save Lucy from herself, and it is my job to do so; I love her so much, and I have to try and save her, Ethan; I have to.'_

' _To do so means that I have to make a big personal sacrifice, and sever all my closest ties of friendship for a while. I don't want to lose you Ethan, because I love you like a brother; you have always been there for me since that day that two freshmen were placed together in a dorm room at Dalton. The problem is that I can't have both of you right now, although hopefully in time, once I have managed to make her well, then I can. Until that time comes, my focus has to be on my wife… I have the feeling that you will already know all about that; it was all so last minute, and I will never forgive myself for the fact that you weren't there for my wedding day. You were always in my plans for such an event, and your absence made the day all the harder for me to bear. If I had been given more than twelve hours notice of the event, then trust me, I would have had you at my side, even if afterwards she had knocked me about a lot. It would all have been worth it to keep my solemn promise to you, my best man…"_

Those words from his best friend were all it took for Ethan's composure to break once more, and he burst into floods of tears. He could already see from the wonky writing that she had done something serious to his hand, and now he was actually saying that he would be prepared to take a beating for his sake; that his love for his best friend was so great that ensuring that he was present on the day which should have been one of the greatest and happiest of his life would be worthy of suffering excruciating pain. Ethan's vision was completely blurred with tears, and he could no longer see to read on. He let the pages slip out of his hand; they were quickly picked up off of the floor by a concerned Flint, who was blinking back his own tears as his heart broke afresh as he saw the state that his friend was in. He was quick to place an arm around Ethan's shoulders, not actually saying a word, just letting him know that he was there and that he could feel the pain he was going through.

For Ethan, that warm arm was an instant safety rope, tethering him to the world and stopping his complete disintegration. Flint pulled him in closer to him as he continued to sob, and handed the letter back over to Trent, who now scanned it quickly. He knew in his heart that he shouldn't, but he needed some clue as to what was behind the sudden outbreak of emotion. His quick scan told him all that he needed to know. He looked up at Flint as tears began to fall down his own cheeks, betraying the pain that he now felt.

"Ethan, would you like me or Trent to read the rest of the letter to you? We could start at the point you finished at if you let us know where that was," whispered Flint to his broken friend.

There was silence for a moment, and then the slightest of nods came from the stricken man; then came the words "solemn promise to you, my best man…" in such a tiny voice, strained with emotion, that Flint felt his heart ache all over again. He looked back over at Trent, who was swiping at his eyes, and shook his own head, to indicate to the other man that he should read on for them…

Trent sighed, and then began to read in a low voice.

' _I know that this will upset you, and I am truly sorry for that. I would not upset you for the world if the circumstances were normal. So, Ethan, I ask you now to do me one final favour; this one will be hard for you, but I really need you to try. I need you to get on with your life; to stay strong, and live to your full potential. I need you to put me to the back of your mind. Yes, what I am attempting to do with Lucy is crazy, but it is what you do if you love and care for someone. You forgive them, and try to help them resolve their issues. She is always so apologetic after her episodes, and that is when I see the real Lucy; the girl I love and want to spend my life with. I wouldn't have married her otherwise…'_

' _So this is the last you will hear from me for a while, Ethan. Until I can get her fixed, I will need to maintain silence, but I promise you that once she is, I will seek you out. I can make that pledge because there is an aching hole in my life where you should be. I also promise that if things get too bad, and I am making no progress, then I will leave her, and head to you; trust me on that one. Maybe I don't know what I am letting myself in for, but I have started on this course, and it is too late now to turn back…'_

' _Stay strong for me, my brother._

 _With all of my love, your Drew.'_

Trent stopped, and decided that he should just let his own tears fall. He could see that in front of him, both Flint and Ethan were sobbing their hearts out, and he was sure that he could hear Mrs Carmichael doing the same in the hall. He let the tears out, as Ethan buried his face in Flint's chest, trying and failing to hide the fact that his whole world was falling apart. The one relief for Trent was that the letter had been kind, and had told Ethan that his best friend still cared. He had feared that Drew might have sent a missive telling him that they could no longer be friends, and that he had to stay out of his life on a permanent basis. It hadn't been, at least not explicitly. That had to be of some little comfort to Ethan in the face of all the revelations of the week….

* * *

It would be nearly an hour later before Ethan felt able to head back to the Senior Commons, flanked by Trent and Flint, the latter still with a guiding arm wrapped around his friend and roommate. No words were said as they walked in; there was no drop in the level of conversation as it had already been far more muted than normal in any case. That year's graduating Warblers had sung already, and it had made the entire room erupt with laughter as it usually did, but the hearts of those alumni that had known Drew were elsewhere that afternoon. The youngsters, those that called Thad Mr Harwood, seemed to sense that there was something big going on amongst the older men that had made the annual pilgrimage back to support their fellows, and they had kept their own celebrations shorter than usual; they had also agreed to move on to the main common room in the dorms at Thad's suggestion without any complaint or protest.

Now those that were left in the room made their way solemnly one by one over to Ethan, a gesture of solidarity, to let him know that they were all there for him in his hour of need. He said nothing as each of them came, just acknowledging them with a nod of the head. Thad came last, immediately behind David, and he just held his arms open wide. Ethan stepped into them, and accepted the hug that had been offered with gratitude.

"He said that he would have let himself be hurt just to have had me there, Thad… I want to run there right now, and bring him home, but I can't. If I go there, he won't come and she will hurt him, and I couldn't ever bear for him to be hurt because of something I did. I just have to wait - and pray. Pray that he is okay, and that all of his guardian angels are watching over him. If anything happens to him though…."

Ethan stopped speaking, and Thad unconsciously pulled him closer, aware that in the room around him, not an eye was dry, and the others were hurting too; not as much as Ethan, but the pain was there in every heart. The Warblers of the earthly realm were powerless to act, and could do nothing but stand by and wait; Wes on the other hand would be watching day and night over Drew, and if anything was to happen to him, then his wrath and that of his fellow angels would be great…

The weekend of the Dalton graduation might well have been tainted by the sad news that had arrived from England, and the resultant effect that it had on all of them, especially on Ethan, but as Drew had said in his letter they all had to move on. Once they arrived back in New York on Saturday, Ethan's initial reaction was to retreat into his room and not come out, even to eat. This was initially a cause of great worry for Flint, and in the end he resorted to the kind of tactics that he was sure that parents used on petulant teenagers; he made up a plate of sandwiches, and a thermos flask of coffee and set them, along with a plate bearing two slices of homemade chocolate fudge cake that Nick had brought over outside the door of his room, before slipping a note under the door to say that he was heading upstairs to see Beats.

In the end, he was upstairs for less than ten minutes before he felt the urge to head downstairs to check up, and to his relief, the plates and the flask were gone. He took comfort in the fact that at least he was eating something. He found them in the kitchen on Sunday morning, along with a note thanking him for everything he had done, and telling him not to worry about him….

Naturally, those last words made him do just that; he ran to his room to find the door was now unlocked, and the room was empty. He had several seconds when he just stood and freaked out, thinking the worst, before his inner voice told him to pull himself together. He rationalised the situation in his head and he was quite certain that Ethan would never kill himself; nor would he have headed to JFK and boarded a flight to England….

Still, Flint let out a sigh of relief that evening when, after a day that he had stayed in the apartment, and had even told the others that Ethan was still holed up in his room, he heard the front door open and Ethan walked in. Flint was busy in the kitchen, preparing the pasta for supper, homemade meatballs and sauce already warming through.

"That smells nice," said Ethan as he stood in the doorway.

Flint was just so happy to hear his voice, nearly back to normal, and simply responded "There is more than enough for two. Do you want to join me?"

Ethan nodded, and went to get what was needed to set the table for two. They ate in silence more or less, neither of them wanting to bring up the subject that had dominated their lives since midweek; indeed, Ethan spoke only to add more praise to that he had already made about Flint's growing expertise in the kitchen; the lessons that Nick was giving him were certainly paying dividends.

"I'm going back to work tomorrow," said Ethan as they began the washing up. "I have to be honest and say that I am not in the mood for it, but I can't wallow. I have to do what he wants me to, and move on with life. I would also like to thank you for being such a good and patient friend over the last few days. I've been a complete nightmare since we found out what had happened, and you've just been there. That means a lot to me."

"I'm sure that had the situation been different, then you would have done the same for me. Life has this habit of throwing us all a curveball every now and then, some of them bigger than others. You just have to fight back, then carry on as best as you can. It's the only way to survive…" answered Flint.

"Well, things sure are a lot easier when you have a good friend around to support you. If you hadn't been around…"

"Well, you have got me here for a good while yet, and even once I eventually move out to live with Izzy, you will still be able to call on me anytime you need for support, okay?" Ethan smiled and nodded. He knew that Flint meant every word that he was saying, and the same could be said for all of his close friends from his days at Dalton. Wes had made them all a strong team, and had also built the foundations for the support network that they had all become.

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, Ethan was to discover that it wasn't just his old Warbler friends that he could rely on. The news about Drew had inevitably filtered out to those around them; the first that Ethan knew though was when he had arrived home from work one evening, and as he approached the steps to his apartment, he found himself being pulled into a hug, from Kitty of all people. She held him for a moment, then released him. Before he could speak, she said, "You and Flint should come down and have dinner with me and Artie some evening - or even just you alone if Flint is too busy. After all, we aren't just neighbours; we are friends, and so we should all be looking out for each other more." Still a little flabbergasted, Ethan had promised that he would speak to Flint, and let her know, before he headed up the steps, conscious of a warm glow spreading through his body from the inside…

Santana had approached him two nights later in the Spotlight; she took him to one side, and then whispered that if he ever needed her services in dealing with a certain female, she would be only two pleased to go all Lima Heights on the twisted bitch. He had stared at her for a moment, and had then burst out laughing, telling her he would certainly keep her in mind. Sam made similar overtures about ten minutes later, only his plans also involved Puck and Quinn. He was still shaking his head when Michelle brought him a slice of cheesecake, telling him that it was on the house. She refused to accept any payment, as she was fond of him; he was after all one of the good guys. Yes, Ethan had to admit, he was surrounded by good friends, all supportive in their own way; it did not however make the pain of losing his best friend any easier. He soldiered on though as the summer started to approach; as Flint had said, there was nothing else for it…


	74. A Reward for Brotherhood

**A Reward for Brotherhood**

By a stroke of luck, it would be Ethan that would be the first of his group of friends to discover that something quite unexpected was happening as June arrived. He had arrived home early, and had collected the mail. He had discovered that there were two identical envelopes in the pile, both of the same high quality paper, each containing a card. One was addressed to him, the other to Flint. He turned it over, and paused as he read the return address on the back; then he opened the missive carefully and read the card inside. He was certain that there had to have been some kind of error in the admin department of the organisation in question. That was the only possible explanation for the fact that The American Theatre Wing would have sent him, and presumably Flint, an invitation to the Tony Awards. Later that evening, he was as shocked as the rest of them to discover that most of his closest friends in the Warblers had also received one. The big question on their minds was exactly why…

It was the question that was still on everyone's lips as they made their way to the Radio City Music Hall on the 11th of June. It was a Sunday evening and that meant that for those such as Cooper, Rachel, Sebastian and indeed Mason, they had already spent the bulk of their day at a theatre, and all they really wanted to do was head home and relax. Instead they had all donned their best outfits, and were escorted by their partners to the annual gathering of all of the glitterati of the Broadway world. They had all found time to grab a quick bite to eat before they had left their respective shows, and now they were meeting the others at the venue.

Nick had to admit that when he saw her, his sister looked lovelier than she ever had before. Grace was in a dress that Isabelle had lent her from the _Vogue_ closet; the fact that it happened to be a KEH Collection number made it all the more pertinent that evening. Rachel's dress that evening had also been designed by Kurt, but was in a different style which suited her perfectly. Sam felt a little out of place, as he always did when he was in the most formal of attire, but Blaine had worked with him on his look, and he looked every inch the star himself. As for Cooper himself, he had opted for the standard tuxedo, albeit one that Kurt had made tiny alterations to, so that it fitted him better. He had also agreed to his brother-in-law's suggestion that he should wear a small candy cane brooch on his lapel; it wasn't something he would usually have contemplated, but Kurt had pointed out that the media would pick up on it, and adore the symbolism.

As a nominee, Cooper was in the fortunate position that he had been given a ticket for an additional guest, and so his mom was also there that night. She looked more radiant as they stopped on the red carpet for photos than he could remember for a long time, and in the dress that she had also been privileged to select from the legendary closet with the assistance of Isabelle, she looked a million dollars. Once they were inside and seated at their table, Pam looked around her, enjoying the atmosphere and the knowledge that later on her son could be leaving here with one of the most prestigious awards in theatre. The only regret she had that night was that it felt as if the wrong son was here at times; after all, a few years ago this would not have been Cooper's environment. Blaine could not be here, however, and if his brother won in his stead, then she was certain he would be looking down in happiness at the scene…

The son in question was, of course, seated in line of sight of Cooper and his friends, with Kurt, Wes and Finn at his side. None of them had wanted to miss out on this night, given that Cooper was up for an award. Rachel had missed out by a whisker, but whereas the old Rachel would have made complaints to the committee about the gross injustice, now she accepted it. She would have other opportunities after all, and her show was up for a lot of awards in any case. What pleased her most was that one award was more or less guaranteed in her opinion; Bette was a definite for the win as Best Actress in a Musical, and most of the world agreed with her.

Wes had come for another reason; he was curious as to why quite so many of his boys had been invited tonight. Yes, as Kurt had said, everyone that was involved in making Broadway shows work was invited to attend, but they all did so on a nightly basis, whereas most of his flock had appeared for one night only… He smiled as he looked up and saw Sebastian warmly welcome his friend Jenny to the table they were all sat at; her success in the tour of the show was well known, and she was a big beneficiary of Sebastian's moment of madness. Moments later Sebastian was hugging the woman he called Auntie Bette, and was then introducing her once more to Jenny, who was still a little awe struck, Wes noticed. Looking around, he saw Julian Smythe enter the room, with Isabelle on his arm, making their way over to the _Vogue_ table. He smiled too as he realised how inventive his boys had been with their plus one tickets. Jane, Dave, Elliott, Mercedes, Tina and Izzy were all in the room as legitimate partners. Roderick, Kitty, Artie, Santana and Brittany had made it through the door thanks to Ethan, Nick, Jeff, Trent and Rory respectively. It was going to be a night for them all to remember, that much was true…

The awards for musical actors were at the very end of proceedings, so Cooper was able to just relax and watch as the awards for plays were given out. It all seemed perfectly normal as Sally Field introduced her little montage on the history of the Tony Awards - but then something unexpected happened. At the end of the film, rather than moving on to the award for Best Actor in a Play, Ms Field instead returned to the podium, and spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as you have just seen, the history of the Tony's is a long one, but tonight we are going to see something of a first. It is my delight to have been asked to present a special award for which there was only one nominee…" There was a spattering of chatter at that, which quickly died down. "If I say to any of you those immortal words _'The show must go on!'_ you will all immediately think of a brave actor carrying on regardless in the face of adversity or despair. In tonight's case, the adversity was caused by some dodgy shellfish. It looked as if there was no way whatsoever for the show in question to go on, but then one young man rounded up a group of his friends, and between them they brought the house down…"

In that moment, the mystery was solved. Wes found himself on the point of squealing in delight like a little girl. Beside him, Kurt and Blaine just stared, open-mouthed. In the audience, Cooper turned to Grace and mouthed the words "Oh, my, God!".

Not that far away, a group of young men were all slumped down in their seats in a state of complete shock, staring at Sebastian, wondering if this was actually happening or if it was all some mad communal dream. I mean, could that one night stand as Mormons to help out one of their bird brothers have actually lead them not just to a seat in the award ceremony, but to an actual award? Could the Warblers just be about to win a Tony?

"It is a brave director indeed that risks the reputation of his show with an untrained cast, but the young men in question had at one time been members of one of the two best high school show choirs in Ohio, if not the United States. What happened on that one night last summer has gone down in the annals of Broadway, and thanks to a number of well placed phone calls from the Dean of a certain performing arts school, it was reviewed favourably by the most respected of this city's theatre critics. Those in charge of the Tonys all agreed that such an event should be recognised, and to that end, we have this new, special award. It gives me great pleasure to present this Tony Award to those young men, and lady, that ensured that the show did go on; and therefore I would ask them to join me on stage now. Ladies and Gentleman, please give your warmest congratulations to Mr Sebastian Smythe, Mr Mason McCarthy, Mr Trent Nixon, Miss Jenny Garrison, and the group of young men that supported them ably in the show, collectively known as The Warblers!"

As the crowd started to applaud, and indeed a few began to cheer, including a certain Ms, Midler, a shell-shocked Sebastian was being helped to his feet by David and Thad; Nick and Jeff were doing the same for Trent; and Mason was being propelled forward by Roderick and Jane. Jenny joined them, and grabbed Sebastian's arm, helping to steer him in the direction of the stage as he blinked back happy tears. He could now hear the shouts of delight from his current fellow Mormons in the show from their table at the back, and he could certainly hear Wes screaming in joy far above them all, with Blaine joining in from time to time. Once he was on the stage and could see the audience, he saw above the glare of the lights the _Hello Dolly!_ table, where Bette and Rachel were on their feet; at their table nearby, Cooper and Grace were also standing and applauding… And then he spotted the _Vogue_ table, and his brother. Julian was crying and clapping like mad, being partially propped up by a smiling Isabelle. It was still all so unbelievable, but it was real; it had actually happened. He was leading his friends up on stage to collect a Tony. He had won a Tony! Then he almost smirked as he suddenly realised that for the rest of time, Santana would remind Rachel of the fact that he had won one first…

Of course, actually taking the award into his hands rendered him speechless for a while - and that was when he realised that he now had another problem; he had to make an acceptance speech. He turned round frantically in the hope that someone else might step up, but his eyes saw only Thad; as if he was reading his mind, Thad shook his head, making it quite clear he would not be stepping up; and if he wouldn't, then it really was all up to him… But what on earth did he say?

"Okay, Meerkat, as Wes and Blaine are still in raptures, you've got me. Just repeat everything that I say…"

Never before in his life had Sebastian been so grateful that Kurt Hummel existed, and was invisible to the bulk of the audience. He was happy to do just what Kurt suggested…

"Well, what can I say? We never expected this in a million years. It is such an honour and for most of the guys up here, this will be their only chance to actually win one. For me and Mason though, well we both hope that we will be back up here someday…" He paused, as the audience chuckled. "In the finale of the show, the song lyrics include the line _'we're there for each other, every step of the way.'_ Well, that is exactly what the Warblers are like. I needed help to realise my big chance; I asked them, and in the end, they came through for me. So this award isn't really for me, it's for all of them, and for the lovely Jenny, of course, even if she did think I was mad at the time… Anyway, Jenny and Mason, you'd best grab hold of this whilst you can, because no doubt Thad will be mentally deciding where this will be going in the trophy cabinet back at Dalton Academy…"

Another burst of laughter filled the air, not just from the words Sebastian had just said, but at the fact that Thad had adopted an innocent and nonchalant look; whereas in his mind, he had already moved the items in the cabinet in question around so that the latest trophy could find a prominent place. Sebastian smiled, and then knew exactly what to say as a finish. "There are a few other people I need to thank; the director of the show, for allowing me to go ahead; the half of the cast that weren't sick, who supported us brilliantly; those behind the scenes, who worked overtime to help us; Mr Mike Chang, a brilliant friend, who used his dance skills to choreograph us at a rate of knots; and finally, to three of our number that left us far to early. Kurt and Blaine, you guys should be up here with us, as was your dream - and finally, Wes, without you, we'd be nothing! Thanks for making us the team we are. Thank you, and see you next year…" At that, they walked off the stage, Thad smiling to himself at the last words, knowing that they would have reduced the man he loved to tears. He hoped he would have a chance to speak to him soon, but for now, they had to head back to their seats, and just admire the trophy sitting proudly in the centre of the table.

The surprise of the award for the Warblers impromptu performance meant that Cooper nearly missed his own cue to step up on stage and perform a song from his own show; a performance which earned him a standing ovation from the audience made up mainly of his peers. Time then seemed to drag as they ran through the awards one by one, and then suddenly, Tina Fey was there on the stage and uttering those words…

"The nominations for Best Actor in a Musical are:- Andy Karl, for _Groundhog Day_ ; Josh Grobin, for _Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812_ ; Ben Platt, for _Dear Evan Hansen_ ; David Hyde-Pierce for _Hello Dolly!_ ; and CJ Hummel-Warbler for _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_."

Cooper held his breath, a smile fixed on his face, as Grace reached out and gently squeezed his hand.

"And the winner is…" - Cooper would subsequently swear that the pause that followed was the longest few seconds of his life so far - "…CJ Hummel-Warbler for…"

The rest of the sentence was drowned out as around him noise erupted; the sounds of applause, of yells of delight from the Warblers, of screams of joy from his mom, Blaine and Kurt. Just as everyone had told him he would, he had managed to do it. He had gone from a bit part actor in infomercials in L.A. to a bona fide Broadway star - and the proof of that was about to be placed in his hands. His name was going on record as being amongst the winners at the 71st Tony Awards…

It took Cooper a lot less time than Sebastian to make his way out of his seat and up onto the stage to collect his trophy. He looked back at his table as he stood there; at everyone now up on their feet and cheering for him. He could feel all the hands that had patted him on the back as he had walked through the maze of tables to reach this spot; could even feel Bette Midler's lips on his cheek where she had surprised him with a kiss as he walked past. He had rehearsed this moment, just in case, for the last few weeks, going through it step by step in his mind; he had even written himself a speech of sorts. He knew that as a consequence it was highly unlikely that Kurt would come and whisper in his ear as he had done for Sebastian…

He found himself being handed the award itself by Tina Fey, who was smiling broadly, and then he had no choice but to make his way over to the podium as the applause began to die down. He smiled at the crowd, then took a deep breath. "Well, this was something I never imagined winning, at least not this year; after all, I was up against a group of people that are much more talented and experienced than me. The judges obviously however disagree with my personal opinion; either that, or they confused me with someone else…"

As a ripple of laughter sounded round the room, he smiled and went on. "I would like to thank the entire cast and backstage crew at _Charlie_ , because I am only standing here now clutching this award because of all of you, and the magnificent work that you all do, every single day. I would like to thank my director for taking a chance on a relatively unknown actor like me, instead of recruiting the A-lister that the backers all wanted. I'd also like to thank the Dean of NYADA, Carmen Tibideaux, who might have been the person that mentioned my name in the first place; my friends, some of whom were Latter Day Saints for a night; and naturally, my family - my lovely mom, my brothers-in-law to be, Nick and Jeff, and my fiancée Grace, who has to be one of the best looking women here tonight. Finally, though, I would like to dedicate this award to two young men who aren't here tonight; my brother Blaine and his fiancé Kurt, who were taken from us all in the cruellest fashion, and who both harboured dreams of being where I am now. I came to Broadway for them, and I think I might have done them proud… Thank You!"

Cooper walked off as the applause echoed around the room, and a few tears formed in his eyes. He had done it, and it did feel pretty special to be holding such an iconic award in his hand… "First of many," Tina Fey suddenly whispered in his ear, as they nearly made it back into the auditorium. "I've seen the show, and you deserve this…" With that, she left him to walk back to his table, where he immediately handed the award to his mom, who just beamed with pride at the fact that her son had managed to come here, beat the odds and win…

Eventually, with the last of the awards handed out, including of course the Best Actress in a Musical award for Sebastian's 'Auntie' Bette, the ceremony was over. There were photographs to be posed for; Thad organised his boys and Jenny into a tight group around their award, somehow engineering a pose that allowed Sebastian, Trent, Mason and Jenny to all have a hand on it at the same time. Cooper posed with his mom and Grace, then found himself posing again with Bette and Sebastian for another photographer, and then with the two of them, the Warblers and Jenny for _Vogue_. Then of course there was the official award winners party to attend, open to recipients and their invited guests; with help from Bette and her connections, they managed to get Rachel and Sam in. Commandeering a corner of the room, Bette then insisted that they all sit with her there, and when Broadway royalty told you to do something, you complied.

It allowed them all to check their phones for the first time, most of which had messages galore. Mason was left smiling by the video message that he had received from Alistair and Spencer, in which the two of them were literally jumping around for joy, screaming at the top of their voices about how they could not believe that he had just won a Tony. Nick had a message from his mom, which immediately made him cry, and the one he then opened from his grandparents made him cry all the more. Jeff's parents had also left one that had the same effect. Trent's phone had messages from his parents, his sisters, Burt and Carole, and Séamus and Becca.

Amongst all the joy, there was a sudden horrified gasp, and all eyes turned to Flint. He was very pale as he scanned the message, but then he smiled, before reading it out to them all. _'Apparently you were in a Broadway show. This is a big surprise as you never mentioned it, although I can guess why. Your mother is conflicted; she is horrified that you were playing a Mormon, but also desperate to boast to the Ladies Circle about how you've just won a Tony. Expect a call. Love, Dad.'_ There was a little laughter at that, and then Beats just smiled and said that at least his parents were delighted he's kept his clothes on this time. That comment brought the house down, and earned him a questioning look from Bette. Sebastian knew he would need to explain that one…

Ethan was not really paying attention to what was going on; he had opened his phone expecting to find nothing, but found a message from an unknown number. He opened it, and immediately knew two things; he could say nothing about it to the others, and also just how Mrs Wilson felt. The message read _'OMG! Wish I was there! D.'_ He smiled that Drew had seen their moment of triumph on television, but now he was so worried about what Lucy would do when she found out…

Sebastian meanwhile was reading one from his maman, which had him smiling but tearful. "My little brother, Broadway star and Tony winner," came a voice, which had him jumping up to hug his brother. "Isabelle can get you in anywhere," Julian whispered, to explain how he had gained entry. As his brother greeted Bette, and took his brother's Tony in his hand, just for a hold, Sebastian turned back to his phone, and saw he had a new message, from a surprising source. _'You've done well. I should have had more faith in you and your choices. I'm sorry that I misjudged you. I really am proud to say you are my son tonight.'_ He paused, then smiled at the praise from his father. He resolved to show it to Julian later, but for now, he simply replied 'Thanks, dad. That means a lot. I really am trying to be good…'

It was early in the hours of the following morning before everyone finally made it home. As none of the Warblers were prepared to give up their Tony award quite yet, Sebastian and Dave found themselves en route to the West Village, instead of Murray Hill, where they would spend the night in one of the guest rooms at Nick and Jeff's place, whilst the others crashed in the houses around about. Artie and Kitty were still awake when they returned home, and all of them agreed that both of them could have a turn at posing with it, just as long as Artie promised to return the favour when he won his first Oscar. The Tony ended up on the bedside table next to Sebastian, who smiled quietly as he drifted off to sleep, well aware that the first thing he would see when he woke up in the morning was that glittering trophy. He was also fully aware, although the others were not, that a small replica of the award would be making its way to all of them individually, given time; Bette had informed him that it usually happened when a Tony was awarded to a group, so that all the cast and crew in a show for example got something. She didn't see why this should be any different…

Across town, Mason and Roderick had headed straight for bed, both of them enthused by Mason's success. He had been more than happy to clutch onto Cooper's award all the way home, knowing that wherever the award he had actually won ended up, he could still say that he had one at home. Pam too had headed straight for bed, tired from the joy of the ceremony and the party, where she had absolutely refused all of the offers of champagne, sticking to fruit juice and soda water. Before she headed upstairs, she had kissed Cooper on the cheek, and then uttered the words "I am so very proud of you tonight, Cooper. You've proved to everyone just how talented you are, and I should never have doubted you. It is just such a tragedy that your brother isn't here to witness this; I think he would have been the proudest of us all, albeit tinged with a little jealousy…" She smiled, then headed up to her room to sleep.

As for Cooper and Grace, well they had a reason to wait up, even just for a short while. As Grace began to make hot chocolate for them both, she felt the by now so familiar gust of air in the room from two pairs of wings, and she smiled.

"You took longer than I thought," joked Cooper, as Blaine and Kurt materialised in front of him, both of them grinning madly as they eyed the trophy on the table, which did look a tad incongruous next to the cruet.

"We had to wait on mom going to bed," huffed Blaine, "not to mention on the two of you getting back from the party! Would it be alright if we…"

"I think that your brother knows better than to deny us the opportunity to hold an actual Tony award, my love," laughed Kurt. "We would also like to thank you for the dedication, although your talent was always going to be appreciated in whatever line of work you embarked upon."

Cooper blushed as he watched his little brother pick up the award, and saw the huge smile appearing on his face as his mind pictured it being his own; in that dream he was standing with Kurt at his side, listening to the adulation of the crowd. After a few seconds he passed the trophy over to Kurt, whose own face lit up as he pictured his dad and Carole on their feet, applauding him as he lifted the trophy, and prepared to make his acceptance speech….

He was stirred from his thoughts by Grace returning to the table with four mugs of hot chocolate and a box of cookies. "I thought that the two of you might appreciate a mug of this yourselves, plus it will allow you to gaze at the prize for just a few more minutes…"

Cooper chuckled as he watched the two of them take a seat, plunking the Tony down between the pair of them, their eyes twinkling and their faces aglow. "We should have kidnapped Jeff tonight and got him to draw this scene," he mused to Grace, who had to agree that the fond look the two angels were giving the Tony was adorable to say the least. She resolved to suggest the idea to her bother-in-law the following day…

* * *

After the excitement of the Tony's, life quickly returned to normal, more or less. Ethan was a few minutes late for work the following day, but no-one in the office was going to pull him up for it; indeed, he arrived at his desk to find a cardboard cut out of a Tony award waiting for him. Flint walked into his office and was immediately given a long round of applause, which made him as red as a lobster, and things were no different for Beats. David was fully expecting a similar response when he got back to his own work in L.A., not to mention a lot of love from Mercedes, who was so very pleased for him. He only hoped that she would not have to wait too long to win a Grammy of her own.

As for Thad, he was sent a photo by Mrs Carmichael of the music trophy cabinet at Dalton, with a space already cleared in it, front and centre, in anticipation of something new… He could only laugh, wondering how she had known he would be bringing it to Dalton. He put it down to her extremely good knowledge of him and the others, or to the fact that Wes might have told her…

In the case of Jeff, he agreed wholeheartedly when Grace made her suggestion, and had raced over to Murray Hill to make his initial sketch, given that both the Tony and the two angels in question were available. Everyone had to agree that his initial rough draft was spot on and captured the whole mood perfectly. That mood lightened all the more when a UPS man arrived with a package for Mason; his shriek of delight as he pulled out the small replica Tony was almost drowned out by that of Roderick. Jeff was delighted to discover a package of his own when he arrived home, and the photo he took of his, Nick's and Mike's standing side by side on the mantelpiece got a lot of likes. Santana had liked it the most; she could now taunt Rachel that even Mike had won a Tony before her…

For Cooper, the day went on without further incident, and it was only on the following day that it really hit him; that was when he walked up to the theatre as usual and suddenly spotted that the posters and the marquee had changed slightly; they now bore the legend 'CJ Hummel-Warbler; Tony Award Winner 2017' on them. That was the moment it truly hit home, and he realised that he really had arrived; finally, he was one of the princes of the Great White Way…

The faces of the Warblers, along with those of Cooper and the other winners were splashed across newspapers, magazines and most other media outlets that month, but for Jeff, he would make a second appearance as the press covered a gala for upcoming new artists at the Met a few days after the Tonys. Nick was unable to attend as he had to undertake a few days a week, as part of his law course, interning at a law firm, and they were unable to allow him to have the time off to attend the daytime party. Nick had been disappointed to say the least, but Jeff understood that his husband's work was important to him, and the idea that he would be able to take time off work for relatively minor moments like these, well it was even more unlikely.

The firm Nick was working for was small, and based in Brooklyn; it took on a lot of cases that no-one else would handle as the potential fees were too small. He had visited the firm that Grace worked for a few times, and Nick was not sure that he liked the atmosphere there. Money seemed to be all that mattered to most of the people there, not the justice that people really needed. Grace got round that by spending a couple of evenings a week volunteering at a free law centre in Harlem, and Nick knew that he would do the same if he ended up working for one of the big firms. The lawyers he was interning with were a married couple, who were happy to take on cases that would never get near the courts otherwise, given the financial situation of their clients.

Nick admired them as they had the same ethical outlook as him; to them justice was more important than cash. It had always been the case, long before he had inherited so much money himself, or found out that his husband was so much wealthier than they could ever have imagined. The two lawyers immediately saw this in Nick, and that he had a strong work ethic; in fact, they often had to virtually throw him out of the office at night. Even with that, he still found time to go to the store, and cook for himself, Jeff and sometimes Mike. Jeff had been working on improving his own skills in the kitchen, conscious that Nick was pushed for time, and they had agreed that he would make dinner twice a week, so that his husband could come home and just relax.

Jeff's trip to the Met was made with Artie at his side instead; it had been Kitty's suggestion, as it would also force Artie to take a break from his editing on his big documentary showpiece, _Dalton Boys_. He had completed all of his interviews with the young men that had been at the school during Hunter's reign of terror, and had also interviewed Burt, Cooper and many of the current and former staff at the school. Now it was just a case of piecing all the information together into a coherent narrative, along with placing the entire film of the Splenda incident, which had been the tip off to the outside world, comfortably into the film itself. He was also pondering whether he should speak to Elspeth, to ask for her views on her younger son, but he knew that would not be an easy discussion for either of them…

Artie had to admit that it was nice to get away from all of those images for a while and support Jeff. He was, of course, filming the entire thing, and afterwards he guessed he could ask Jeff for his opinion on how his mother would react if she was asked to talk about her prodigal son. Neither of them had anticipated quite the size of the crowd that would be assembled, with the great and the good of New York's art scene in place to support one of its brightest new stars in his moment of glory. Jeff spotted the mayor amongst the crowd, and a spattering of the glitterati who like to claim art as one of their interests. This time he took the whole thing in his stride, his now long hair tied back as he stood by his own work, hanging there proudly in the gallery, and chatted to the invited guests. Artie was mistaken for Nick twice, but he quickly corrected them, using it as a chance to mention his own work in the sphere of film. Kitty would be so proud of him…

As the world around them seemed to turn more and more crazy, the lives of the young people connected by two boys that fell in love on a staircase carried on in what seemed like the usual pattern. Sebastian found himself offered the chance to play McKinley in the show for a week, and he took it. He was an instant hit in the part, even if he did feel guilty about taking it over others in the cast that had been there much longer. In addition, Mason was now in the spot that he had been the previous year, and he couldn't help but feel he might have done the part more justice. On the first day that Mason had been there, his presence had felt strange to Sebastian, and he almost felt that he was waiting for the others to appear, but now it was normal. Mason was also lucky in that the group he was in were much friendlier.

Sebastian also knew that Carmen was using his performance in the role as a part assessment for NYADA. He had ended his junior year with Sam as his closest rival amongst the males, but he knew that his senior year would be the make or break one. It was what happened after that that would be the real test. He would be leaving school behind, and he would have to go out and find himself a full-time role. That would be when he found out just how good he was…


	75. Another year gone, a new one begins

**Another year gone, a new one begins...**

The remainder of 2017 was a blur for the large group of friends. College and work took up most of their time and energy, as the pressures of finals loomed for some. Those in the world of work did not have it easy either, and missed the long vacations that school had given them. Flint had spent a week in the summer back home in Kansas with Izzy, and he had longed to escape back home to that other Manhattan from the moment that he arrived at his parents' house to find a surprise party filled with relatives and those people that his mother wished to impress the most. She had forgiven him for playing a Mormon on Broadway for that one night because he had won a small share of a Tony Award, and having been reminded to bring his replica award at least three dozen times in the two days before they set of, it was there for all to see. That was down to Izzy, as Flint had tried his best to leave it at home, with his excuse for doing so being that he had been distracted by someone that kept sending him non-stop reminders…

He had managed to escape a trip to the Ladies Circle the following day, but Izzy had not been so fortunate; he had been careful not to let her see his grin as she was driven away. If his dad had taught him only one thing about relationships, it was that sometimes you had to keep your real feelings on a subject hidden away to keep the peace. No sooner had the two women left than his father had sat him down and then handed him a small box, which contained an old and extremely beautiful diamond ring. As he admired it, his father told him that it had been his grandmother's engagement ring, and that his mother had passed it on to him to give to Flint for when he proposed to Izzy, with the reminder that she was not getting any younger, and that a great-grandchild would be nice… Flint had accepted it, and began to consider the question of proposing to Izzy. He had after all been going out with her for two years now, and she was due to qualify the summer after next. Maybe the time had come to give the whole concept of getting engaged serious consideration.

He did not do anything about it whilst they were still in Kansas. His mother was too busy showing them off to everyone for a start - and then there was her constant worrying about the imminent outbreak of war with North Korea. In the end, the young couple headed back to New York with the ring concealed in Flint's carry on bag, having promised that if Armageddon did loom, they would head straight back to Kansas. It wasn't a promise they would be able to keep in all probability in the worst case scenario, and in any case, both of them were realists; better a swift death in the city than a lingering one in Kansas. It was a sentiment shared by most of their friends as the paranoia about a nuclear strike grew. They smiled and indulged those acquaintances that were making up survival kits, and tried not to laugh at those people that thought they could stop deadly gamma rays by covering their windows with bed sheets doused in talcum powder…

As summer came to an end, the world did indeed seem to be falling apart. Storms hit the south of the country, and Mike's thoughts turned naturally to his old friend Matt down in Texas. He was lucky enough to have escaped the worst of the floods at home, but his training and game schedule had been seriously disrupted by it all. Then it was the turn of Florida to be battered by mother nature, as forest fires plagued the west of the country, and strong earthquakes hit Mexico. The latter was a bit too close to home for David, Mercedes, Jake and Unique. Sure, they had all felt tremors from time to time, but that came with the territory when you lived in California. All the recent big earth movements had been on the other side of the Pacific, however, or far down in South America. Mexico was right next door… They all brushed up on their earthquake drills, and David insisted that he and his two housemates made up grab boxes that contained their most important documents. They all started to have that worry in the back of their mind that one day soon the big one that everyone feared might come along. When Jake expressed his worries to his half-brother, Puck was silent for a moment, and then in a quiet voice, told him what he knew about the plans for just such a disaster that had been made by the air force. In particular, he told him exactly where he should head to afterwards to make it easy to escape…

Flint might not have proposed to Izzy that summer, but someone else did get down on one knee. Sebastian was summoned to the office of _Vogue_ one afternoon by his brother, who met him at the front door, handed him a camera, and told him to start filming for him. Sebastian's protests that if his brother had wanted a cameraman he should have called Artie instead were ignored, and so he had obediently filmed all the way as he and Julian made their way to the editorial suite. They found Isabelle there talking to some of her colleagues; she didn't even get the chance to greet Julian before he was down on one knee, and there, in front of half the staff of the magazine, Julian Smythe asked Isabelle Wright to marry him.

Five minutes later Sebastian was sitting there beside his future sister-in-law, sipping on a glass of champagne that the legendary Anna Wintour had supplied herself to mark the occasion. Both of the newly engaged couple agreed that they did not want a long drawn out engagement, and a Christmas ceremony was being considered, though they would definitely not be holding it at the Rainbow Room. Sebastian was sworn to secrecy about the whole thing, more or less, being allowed to mention it only to Dave, until Isabelle announced the whole thing online. Naturally the moment that she was left alone in her office, Kurt had appeared to congratulate his former mentor, and promised that he would design the perfect dress for her. When Sebastian heard, all he could hope was that Jeff would have the time to copy it out….

Of course, the wedding of the online editor of _Vogue_ could not be as quiet an event as they would have wished, and so in the end a compromise had to be reached over the actual ceremony, given that there was no way that Julian's mom could attend a wedding that so many of the media would be in attendance for. It was a small group then that made their way up to Vermont one quiet Saturday in early December; Sebastian and Dave were joined by Eloise and Julian's mom in the small registrar's office in the little town close to Jeff's aunt's farm. The lady in question knew the local official well, and after a quiet conversation via Sebastian, they had prevailed upon them to keep the whole thing quiet, just registering the marriage in the official way with no great public ceremonial.

Julian's one regret was that his son was not there, but they would remedy that easily enough with the lavish public ceremony in New York in the summer, which his mom could never have been invited to; it would be in the full spotlight of the media, not to mention having its own spread in _Vogue_. The only other guests at the ceremony in Vermont were Isabelle's mother and brother, the latter accompanied by his wife. All of those present would keep the fact that the two were married secret for the next few months, whilst Isabelle wrote a column for the online edition all about her wedding prep. Kurt had told her off for the deception, not that he and Blaine were not in attendance in any case, but he knew why it had to be done. All that they could hope now was that some lucky journalist did not stray across the details of the Smythe Wright nuptials before the big event…

By the time that New Year's Eve came round again, most of them had come to the conclusion that whilst the year for them had not been too bad, for the world as a whole it had been a bit of a disaster. Events in Las Vegas had ignited the whole debate about gun control once again, and had provoked a lot of drama in Washington. Trent had written Burt a speech like no other for the first of many debates, and those that heard it in Congress would later say that it was one of the most powerful ever made in those halls. At the end, Burt was given a resounding round of applause from the Democrat side of the chamber, and even garnered some support from the Republicans. Amongst them was Sue, whose own speech, though not quite as eloquent as Burt's, gave her own blunt assessment of the situation.

Fortunately, no-one was around to hear her later quip to Burt as they passed each other by chance in a corridor, that they should not introduce proper gun control legislation until someone shot at the current incumbent in the Oval Office… Burt was left shocked, and had it made it's way to the media, it would have provoked outrage in certain quarters. In other areas, Sue was proving to be a most effective politician, getting things done for those that had elected her. She also used her influence to stymie an attempt by Nick's father to get himself elected to the city council in Columbus. She had merely reminded the party officials of the views that he had expressed at the hustings last year; and had then told Mr Duval that if he pressed ahead, his wife would be more than happy to make public all that had happened back in Illinois. Given the sex scandals that filled the airwaves, the idea of electing a man that had had so many affairs to the council would be a disaster. His ambitions thwarted once again, Mr Duval made plans to leave Ohio and head to a more sympathetic state elsewhere. After all, there was nothing left for him there, and he had been offered something in Alabama…

Christmas that year was marked by a big celebration at Nick and Jeff's for all those that couldn't, or indeed wouldn't, go home to their families. Beats had volunteered to work that day in the MTA offices; he had just enough experience on the job now to be able to cope with the minor crises that could occur, and in any case, Elliott had also 'volunteered' to work the day shift at the Spotlight. Josh and Scott would be heading over to New Jersey to spend the day with the latter's parents. They no longer lived in Bergenfield, having decided to move further west to a smaller town away from the city. It was therefore safe for the two young men to go, knowing that there was no danger of a confrontation with the other three members of the Gilbert family.

Elliott had volunteered to work after he had been approached by Ollie Harwood. He had managed to secure the day off from the hospital, and was desperate to spend the whole day with Michelle, and that was only possible if Elliott stepped in. Ollie had also persuaded Thad to head to the city for the day, and he would have dinner with his brother and Michelle before heading over to join the party in the West Village. Ollie was not the greatest of cooks, but the dinner that he managed to provide was actually pretty decent, leaving Thad to ponder if his trash can was full with wrappings from Wholefoods, a fancy deli, or even from some grand restaurant. The main having been eaten, Ollie went into the kitchen to fetch the dessert; he came back with it, placed it on the table, and then got down on one knee in front of Michelle. His proposal might not have been the most romantic in the world, but it did not matter. Michelle said yes without a hesitation, and Thad was there to take the photo of the happy couple that would be put on Facebook as soon as Michelle had informed her parents. Thad was also secretly glad that she could see just how much her beloved Birdy approved too, as Wes stood at his side, grinning from ear to ear…

The spate of engagements did not go unnoticed amongst the younger generation. Flint found himself looking more and more often at the ring that his father had given him for Izzy. Then, one day early in January of 2018, he was caught doing so by Ethan. Flint made no attempt to hide the ring, instead handing it over to his roommate so that he could have a better look.

"It's beautiful. I am certain that Izzy will love it when the time is right for you to give it to her. As you might imagine, I am not that keen on the whole notion of weddings, but you and Izzy are so in love and you really compliment each other. You are a true partnership, and neither of you tries to exert any control over the other. I think that she will say yes as soon as you muster up the courage to propose, but I think that she'd probably prefer that you avoided the cliché dates like New Year, Christmas and Valentine's…" Flint nodded, knowing just how much Izzy hated the whole atmosphere surrounding those mass market events. "She is nearing the end of her course, isn't she? Another year after she finishes this one? I would propose this summer if I were you, as you both agreed not to get married until after she had graduated. That would give you a year to plan out the whole thing."

Flint chuckled, and said, "You mean that it would only be a year that I would have to deal with my mom trying to plan the whole thing? I think that prospect is what is putting me off. She won't like it that we aren't intending to head to Kansas to get married, and so the compromise will have to be that we will get married at a synagogue, not City Hall. The idea of all of the Warblers in a synagogue is kind of scary as well. I'm sure it will all be okay, but I need to start looking for a good one now. Maybe go a few times, get to know the Rabbi, that sort of thing. I'm not looking forward to that, if I'm honest. Going to the services at all will be hard enough given how long it's been, but what is worse, a single young man walking in will get all the mothers with unmarried daughters talking for a start."

"Well, I could come with you," said Ethan. "Confuse them and keep those women off your back until the truth is known,"

"You'd do that? Give up your Saturdays for me?"

"Yeah. You've done so much for me in the last couple of years that it is only right I return the favour," replied Ethan with a smile, which was instantly returned by Flint.

As the plans were made, their upstairs neighbour observed them. Beats could see that Flint and Ethan were getting closer, and that made him happy, if a little jealous. He knew that he was still Flint's best friend, but he saw a lot less of him, what with his work and his commitments with Elliott. They still had their secrets, and still shared little things that no-one else knew, but inevitably for Flint it was now often easier to talk to Ethan. When Beats first heard about the synagogue offer, he was a little put out that he hadn't been told first, but he knew in his heart that he would never have agreed to go with Flint. Organised religion in general did not sit too well with him. He knew he would have to go eventually for the wedding; after all, the one thing that had definitely emerged from it all was that Flint still wanted him to be his best man. He had begun to fear that he might be supplanted, or even have to share the task, but Flint had been quick to tell him otherwise. In the end, he would have to make a few trips to the synagogue nearer the time, but he would cope. He would do anything for his best friend…

Flint ended up finding his ideal place through a colleague at work. She had told him during a discussion about synagogues that her own rabbi had left her temple to head to the Village Temple on East 13th Street. She couldn't praise Rabbi Hirsch enough, and so Flint decided to head along to check things out for himself one evening after work. He was surprised at just how close the small synagogue was to his home and wondered albeit briefly why his mother had tried to get him to attend the Conservative Synagogue on Fifth Avenue, a much longer walk. He quickly concluded that the 'C' word had been an important factor.

He entered the building with a little trepidation, but ten minutes later he found himself having a coffee with the rabbi, an older woman who seemed to understand exactly where he was coming from the minute that he explained all of the issues. "This isn't the first time that I have had a bride and groom in your situation. Your young lady is from a very liberal family, but your mother is very traditional. Well here we can offer you the best of both worlds. I can put in all the touches that your mother would expect but still ensure that it is a day that you and your future wife will remember for all of the right reasons." Such was the presence of the lady before him that Flint decided there and then that he wanted her to officiate on his big day. He could easily attend services here from time to time, with no issues. Now he just had to talk to Izzy about what he had found out, and hope that she agreed with him.

Fortunately for him, Izzy had no objections to Flint finding a synagogue so that they could get married there in the future, as long as they still wanted to. The life of a doctor was not one which left much time for planning such things and she was glad that he had taken the initiative. She managed to make arrangements to go with him to his first service, both of them aware that it had been some considerable time since they had attended such a function. She was a bit surprised at first when Ethan joined them, but once he and Flint had explained their reasoning, she understood.

By the end of the service, she had to agree that he had chosen well. They had been greeted warmly by the majority of the congregation, although Izzy could tell she had upset a couple of the older women by existing in the new young man's life. However, Ethan was then suddenly the subject of their attentions, and he quickly made up stories of a non-existent wife that was working abroad, much to the amusement of his companions. The rabbi left them all feeling perfectly at home, and also had no issue with Ethan attending, even laughing when he assured her that he was a confirmed atheist. What he didn't like to admit, even to himself, was that the service had made him reconsider that position a little…

Flint could not resist the temptation afterwards to call his mom and let her know that he and Izzy had been to temple together, and after he had confirmed that they still weren't engaged, much to her disappointment, he let his mother talk to him about all things religious, answering as truthfully as he could, whilst not correcting the pronoun she used when asking about the rabbi. He could deal with that issue later…

So far 2018 was looking as if it would be a year filled with proposals and weddings, but it was also a year that would mark the end of an era for many of them. The vast majority of them were due to graduate, including Artie and Tina, whose courses had been longer than those of most of their peers. Then it would be off into the world of work for them all. Tina was already looking for a post in New York, and her success in that would mean that Mike would be moving into his own house in the West Village row that summer. Both he and his two roommates were still trying to ignore that fact, as they had become so used to having each other around. As had been the case with Beats and Flint, the close friends would not be that far apart afterwards, but the permanent addition of Tina to the mix would alter everything…

It was also a moment when Nick and Jeff had to start to consider the future for themselves as a couple. In just a few months, they would be finished with school. Nick would be looking for a job, determined to put all the training that he had been given to use, and trying to make an impact on the world for the better. For Jeff, there was less necessity to run straight into work; he had the diner, and he could spend time adding to his portfolio, as they had financial stability. His illustration work was also there to pay the bills, and that showed no hint of dying down. He knew that he would be the one at home for most time during the week, and he was quiet happy to be the one that carried out the majority of the chores as a result.

That situation also meant that he could quite easily be something else. He could potentially be the stay at home dad, taking care of the child that they had always talked about wanting. Jeff kept those thoughts to himself for the moment; Nick was busy with study all the time, and sometimes Jeff was lucky to even get a hug of an evening before his husband dozed off. Some people would have been upset by that, but Jeff was a realist, and knew that Nick was working hard to secure their future, and doing something that he felt so passionate about in the process. He could talk through the idea of having a child sooner, rather than later with him after graduation. In the meantime, he could start to consider who they could ask to be their surrogate…

For another of the circle of friends, 2018 was going to be the year in which their life would change dramatically, according to all the critics. Her vocal talents had not gone unnoticed in the world, and having lined up a string of hits on download, the record company decided that it was high time for Mercedes Jones to have her first big stadium tour. It would start in the south in the summer, move across to the east coast, conveniently arriving in New York in time for Julian's wedding, and eventually culminate at the Hollywood Bowl. It also included a date in Lima, at Mercedes' request, which would be quite the sensation for her home town.

To say that she was happy would have been quite an understatement; David was ecstatic for her, and showed that to everyone. This would be the tour that confirmed her as a major star, if the early ticket sales were anything to go by, with a complete sell out in New York within an hour of the date being announced, which lead to them having to add a second date at Madison Square Gardens. To play there was big, but the Hollywood Bowl was iconic, given all of the great artistes that had played there through the years. She began to assemble a crew, and to recruit backing dancers and singers. She briefly considered asking all of her friends from the New Directions, and indeed the Warblers, to come to L.A. to watch her perform at the Bowl, but Kurt had advised her against such a move, citing a whole plethora of reasons as to why she shouldn't. Mercedes did not question him as to why he was determinedly against her idea, nor did she notice the look of worry on his face the whole time he was making his case…


	76. Mr Harwood pulls it off

**Mr Harwood pulls it off...**

Before any of them realised it, Easter had come and gone, and those all important final exams loomed for many of them. The Spotlight was again robbed of a large number of its usual staff as they concentrated all their time on their studies. For those that were studying the artistic fields, the practical work was a lot easier in contrast to all of the theory and technique that had to be studied and recalled. It then had to be written about intelligently in exam papers and essays. Jeff found himself being eternally grateful that his husband had fallen in love with the seascapes painted by Turner; they had come up as one of the study topics for his finals, and he had a reference book about them to utilise at home, whilst his contemporaries had to share the same handful of textbooks and the various online resources at the library. Studying the artist so much inspired Jeff to head down to Port Jefferson one weekend on his own, when a late spring storm was forecast, to try his own hand at drawing the sea in its angry state. His image was no Turner, but it still captured the tumult of the waves, and was well received by his tutors, who had been encouraging all of the senior year students to leave their comfort zones. His seascape went well in that category with the detailed drawings he had done of plants.

For those at NYADA, there was an end of school performance to give, with marks not only for their actual performance on stage, but also for what they contributed behind the scenes. Theatrical history was also a major area of study, along with the evolution of the various genres, and the importance, or otherwise, of music, lighting and set design. It was by no means easy for any of them, but they helped each other through the tough areas, knowing full well that Carmen would be observing them at all times, either directly or through the staff. On top of that, Sebastian was still working three days, four shows a week. He was tired out by the end of it, not that he would ever admit it, as he knew that he had to put in the hard work and effort if he was to achieve his goals in life. If nothing else, that had been drilled into him by his father over the years. No matter how hard things got, there was not one single moment that he wished that he had stayed in accountancy as his father had wanted. To have done so would have driven him to distraction, despair and ultimately death…

As for Nick, he seemed to have vanished without a trace to all of them except Jeff. Even with cutting his days working at the Law Library to the bare minimum, his workload seem titanic. Every moment of every weekend was spent in writing essays and answering mock exam questions from past papers. As well as his usual classes and tutorial groups, he was also taking part in mock trials every two weeks, alternating roles from prosecution to defence, and on one occasion, even taking on the role of judge. He did more of that at home too, when he was supplied with all of the evidence that was given in an actual case and had to weigh it all up before providing a verdict. There was no right or wrong answer in those; he just had to back up his decision with evidence. His tutors were very pleased with him, rating him highly, but that just encouraged them to push him all the harder.

All of that left Nick feeling drained, and desperately missing his snuggle times with Jeff. He could not wait for the end of May, when he would finally be free to enjoy himself again, and had come to the decision that he would be taking the whole month of June off before he had to think about work and all the associated pressures. To that end, he had found a few moments to send an E-mail to François, to see if there was a chance that his parents might be out of town for any point in that month, and if they were, would he be willing to accommodate a pair of visitors. After all, he had promised to take his husband back to see all those painting at the Musee d'Orsay again one day, not to mention all those they had not seen at the Louvre. He said nothing about it to anyone else, leaving it to be a big surprise for his husband, in grateful thanks for being so understanding and supportive. Thus it was that both halves of Niff were keeping something secret from the other, but in both cases, it was nothing bad…

Over in Ohio, Thad was preparing his boys for their exams too. On top of that he was also preparing some of them for something even bigger. His second year group of Warblers had been bolstered by several new arrivals, including one that was, to his delight, the holy grail; something that had not been seen since an endearing spy had turned up in Thad's own junior year… A countertenor was a prize beyond compare to the Warblers, and young Conrad was cosseted by all of them. At Thad's urging, the boys had kept quiet about his existence on social media, and the first the world of show choir knew about him was when he wowed the judges with his performance at Sectionals. Even the alumni had been kept in the dark, which had lead to some awkward phone calls for Thad…

They had then gone on, with Conrad being supported by a supremely talented group of young men, to win Regionals so convincingly that Will Schuester had come over to congratulate Thad on his victory before the New Directions had even performed. Now for the first time in a generation, Nationals loomed for the boys from Dalton Academy, and it meant a trip to Boston on this occasion. Thad had immediately found himself being offered support by Mitch and Gabriel, the latter actually being prepared to give up his limited vacation time from work to help out. Thad just hoped that everybody's faith was not being misplaced. His priority had to be the grades of his boys in their exams after all; it would be nice to triumph, but he could not have that at the expense of their futures. Still, if they could somehow pull it off, it would be a massive feather in his cap, and he had a feeling that all of those connected to the Warblers, no matter how tenuously, would erupt with joy if they succeeded…

It had not been an easy time to prepare the boys for the contest that would shape their memories of their time at Dalton; events in Florida had shaken them all to the core, and the boys at Dalton had rallied to the cause of the brave students from that school at once without question, with the full support of the staff. They in turn had also been in full agreement that the President's suggestion that they should start to covertly carry a concealed weapon themselves as protection against a shooter was a non starter. As Dylan had put it succinctly in a staff meeting, what was there to stop a kid with a grudge attacking said teacher, taking their weapon, and then using it on their fellow pupils? Thad couldn't help but think that there might well also be some teachers that would use it themselves if they finally reached breaking point. Dalton Academy would stand firmly against such a move, and if any attempt was made to enforce the scheme, they would fight it to the bitter end...

Thad had of course kept all of the alumni he was closest to informed, but he did not expect to see any of them arrive in Boston. The world of work and the pressures of college took up so much of their time now, and he knew that the only reason Mitch and Gabriel would be present was because they actually lived in the city. Skylar had called him however to say that he might be able to put in an appearance at the second day of the event. The organisers had decided to split the show into two parts this year; an elimination round on the first day that would see each team perform two songs, and based on that they would be cut down to ten teams entering the final day. Those ten would then sing a further two songs for a new set of judges to ensure that no favouritism could carry over from the previous day. It was a less stressful way of doing things, Will Schuester had informed Thad, as the day had been so very long in the old shows.

Even so, with each team on the first day being given a performance time of 8 minutes maximum, it would still be a six hour long marathon of song and dance. The contest was scheduled to commence at 1pm prompt; the Warblers had drawn the 8th slot of the show, which meant they would be on at 2.10pm, given that a two minute changeover gap was factored in to the time scale. Thad had decided that this was a good place. Not on first, thus avoiding that pressure, but not so late in the show that nerves could have set in after seeing so many other performances, or worse still, hunger pangs could have developed. The results would be announced for 8.30pm, giving adequate time to prepare for the following day, win or lose. Skylar had told him that he would come on the second day, win or lose, as he could help to console the boys if the worst happened and they crashed out in the first round. Thad was grateful to him for that, and he couldn't help but think at that point that he would be a wonderful candidate to take over his position with the Warblers, should the worst ever happen, and he be forced to give up the role that he had inherited from Wes…

As it was, phones buzzed amongst the alumni that Saturday night with a very short message - 'Made the final ten!' It was greeted with a smile by all of them; they had been so pleased just to see the Warblers make it to the Nationals stage at all, but this was now so much bigger. There were quite a few regrets that night that they could not be there to see the actual event the following day, but then Trent sent out a reminder that the whole event was being streamed live on Facebook the following day, and so if they had a moment then they could at least watch their successors perform. He himself had a lot of work to do for Burt; a speech to write for Monday in protest at yet another of the President's ridiculous policy ideas. Most already agreed that he was the worst in the history of the nation, and what he had done with the tax system had only benefited his friends. Still, he would spare the time to watch Thad's boys perform, and then would watch with bated breath and fingers crossed to see who would triumph at the end.

Thad for his part had promised to confirm to all of them the Warblers' time slot on the second day the moment that he knew, so that those with very limited time could at least spare the eight minutes it would take to see their own team perform; to see his boys put on the show of their lives. He had saved the best of their performances for this moment, using the most technically difficult of their four pieces to wow the judges in the first round; it had been a risk, but it had paid off. Now he had to enforce an early bedtime on all of his boys, as they would be up early the following day; they had to head up to Harvard, where he had managed to find a convenient hall for them all to rehearse in, away from the competition. He knew that the competition was always cut throat, and having been told that they would be performing in sixth place, there was more of a risk from spying by the other teams, or even a spoiler from one of the first five if they knew what they were going to perform. It was unlikely, but it was not a risk he was prepared to take…

The second day of Nationals was scheduled to commence at 2pm; Thad had his boys begin to practice at 9am, but in a relaxed manner. They were not due to be on stage for another six hours after all, and he did not want to tire them out. He got them to rehearse the dance steps as he sang the songs they would be performing with the assistance of Mitch and Gabriel, so as to rest their voices. The boys themselves would only sing for the last hour, and then only singing each number twice; once on its own, and once with the choreography. Thad could see Wes watching as they did the latter, nodding in approval of what they were doing. At 11.30am prompt, they headed for lunch at a special venue; the diner that Wes had frequented whilst he lived in Harvard, and where Angela had reserved tables for them. The food had already been ordered, and so was served to them in a matter of minutes. It was all good, energy giving fare, designed to give them the sustenance that they needed to get through until after the results had been announced. Angela surprised Thad by putting on her coat and joining them for the return trip to the venue downtown; she had purchased herself a ticket for the audience the moment that she knew that the Warblers would be performing. She had a feeling that Wes would have wanted her to go and support his old choir and their coach, his boyfriend.

Back at the competition, they arrived to find Skylar waiting for them, and at his side, to everyone's surprise and delight, was David. He had flown in from L.A. at the last minute; he had volunteered to represent Google at a conference at M.I.T. the following day, and no-one had said that he couldn't fly in early. In any case, he was sure that his best bud would appreciate his support. That much was very true, and Thad was glad to have David's arm wrapped around his shoulders as he watched from the wings as his boys gave what he hoped would be a winning performance just after 3pm. In the audience the others watched in delight as they did, knowing full well that across the country, other alumni were watching this moment with the same delight and hope. The applause from the audience was thunderous after both of their songs, and they received a standing ovation, the first of the day, but that was only a part of the final result; in the end, it was the judging panel that would decide, and the thoughts of the crowd mattered very little. All that Thad could do as he looked across at the poker faces of the panel was hope that they might just have felt the same way about their performance as the ticket buying public had done…

After his boys had come off stage and move to the seats they had been allocated in the auditorium, Thad allowed himself a moment alone just to contemplate what had happened, at David's suggestion. He left the boys in the care of the alumni; after all, he had done all that he could to get them to this point, and the last ten at Nationals was further than the Warblers had been for two decades. He checked his phone and couldn't help but smile at the fact that his inbox was chock full with messages, and not just from his own erstwhile teammates. The ' _If they don't win I will demand that a Federal enquiry is launched!'_ message from Trent made him grin for a moment. Then there were all the messages from the rest of the faculty at Dalton, his brother and several of the New Directions. Not one of them was critical, and he couldn't help but feel that there were fingers crossed all over the country for them.

"You really managed to pull it out of the bag there, my little one," came a voice, and he smiled on looking up to see Wes sitting across from him, and beckoning him to come over and sit beside him, which he did. "The result today doesn't matter, not really. You have done far better than I ever did, and have made the case for a faculty advisor to be available to the Council at all times all the stronger. I always knew that you could do this; maybe if I had pushed you into the job of Head Warbler in your own senior year…"

"There is no way that I could have done what I did this year then Wessie. It was so hard to get those boys to this point, and that was with them doing exactly what I said, and sticking to the rules. Even if I had still had Blaine to count on, and the plan you had made with Principal Carmichael to get Kurt back to Dalton with a scholarship had been successful, it wouldn't have worked. If anything, it might have ended up as an even bigger disaster than it was, given that Sebastian would have been hitting on Blaine constantly, Kurt would have threatened to murder the meerkat all the time, and everyone else would have to have taken a side… No, the time wasn't right then. In any case, we haven't won, not yet anyway. Right now, there is probably another team killing it."

"I don't think that any team here could hold a candle to your performance, but I guess that you never know. Anyway, you should get back to them. I will come back at five for the moment that they put us all out of our misery and announce the result…" With that, Wes left, and Thad headed back to his choir, his presence greeted with cheers of delight. They had had a very good run, and now, even just to place would be an achievement…

At the appointed hour, the call went out for the top three choirs to return to the stage. Joyful Noizze came from a school in Utah; The Buchanan Tunesters came from a school in North Carolina; and then, after a pause which left them all trembling, the Warblers were invited back up on to the stage. As the boys and Thad made their way back to the stage, Skylar's phone began to vibrate, and he quietly answered the call, which turned out to be his three Warbler roommates on speakerphone.

"I can't believe it! They've placed!" whispered Seth.

"We had to call, because the suspense is killing us. We should have come too," added Colin.

At Skylar's side, Mitch was grinning at a message from Trent, full of his excitement at the prospect of a win. David smiled as Mitch showed it to him and a very quiet Gabriel, and wondered just how many other people were desperate for the announcement to be made….

"In Third Place, for a performance that was described as excellent, we have The Buchanan Tunesters!" There was the usual polite applause after the announcement as the team coach stepped up to accept the trophy.

On his phone, Skylar heard Edward saying "The Top Two! C'mon Warblers, we can do this!" which made him grin.

The atmosphere was charged, and on stage Thad was struggling to keep his emotions in check, whilst praying that his boys would remain dignified if the result was not in their favour….

"In First Place, for a performance our judges rated epic, and far exceeding expectations, we have…"

The announcer paused to heighten the tension, leaving them all frustrated, and Thad on the verge of screaming "Get on with it!"

"…from Westerville, Ohio…"

The rest of his words were drowned out by the sound of an audience erupting and of Thad's own boys screaming in delight. They had done it. For the first time in forty years, the Warblers had won Nationals.

In the audience Gabriel was screaming for joy, his arms wrapped around Mitch as the two of them bounced up and down like mad. David was hugging a crying Skylar as the phone in his hand emitted screeches of delight at the result from New York.

In the city itself, Jeff ignored all the instructions and flew into Nick's study without knocking. He needn't have worried about being told off though; Nick grabbed him the moment he entered, and swept him right off his feet in a hug.

Sebastian, taking off his make up after the Sunday matinee, whooped and punched the air, and his fellow Mormons, who all knew what he had been listening to online, were swift to offer their congratulations. Meanwhile at Dalton itself, Principal Lefevre was silent as her predecessor cried with sheer happiness.

Back in Boston, on the stage, Thad Harwood was shaking as he accepted the trophy, as his boys behaved in a most undapper fashion around him, jumping about for joy. It was the perfect way for his happy band of Warblers to end the year, and he knew that on their return the following day, the whole of Dalton would be celebrating with them…

Then their moment on the stage was over, and they were back in the now empty green room, joined moments later by four alumni that had tears of delight marking their cheeks. As Gabriel, Mitch and Skylar ran over to join the boys with the trophy, David made his way over to Thad, and pulled him into a hug. As he held him, he whispered the words "Wes will be so proud of you, and rightly so. You got the balance just right. You let the council run the show, but with your own input to avoid the trickier issues arising. You helped them to build up a repertoire that would set them apart from the rest, and realised, as no-one had before, that the choreography had to be as spot on as the vocals if you were to get to the top. You had your doubters and detractors at Dalton, but you've just proved them all wrong. These boys will remember this moment for the rest of their lives, when they are no longer young, and are stuck in dull jobs… As for next year, you'll still have Conrad and his fabulous voice, but then, his voice isn't the only strong one in the freshmen and sophomores, is it?"

"No, there are a few talents I have been quietly nurturing," Thad whispered in reply, just in case anyone was spying on them. "After all, everyone will try and find themselves a countertenor for next year; I hear on the grapevine that Vocal Adrenaline are already advertising discretely. Conrad will be important, but do you see that red head next to him; that is Boyd Harries. He has a wonderful baritone, and next year, we might go a little more soulful in our choices. Oh, and that guy with the blond mop of hair at the back? That is Todd Pawton, and he can give Beats a run for his money. He will be the official beatboxer next year. Forward planning will be the key to continued success, and I have a back up in mind for each of the last two. Conrad is irreplaceable, so there is a full ride scholarship deal waiting in the wings should his parents ever consider pulling him out of Dalton, paid for by Wes' money. He would approve, I hope; I will need to ask him later…"

"Yeah, I'm sure they will be around, all three of them, ready to celebrate with us… Speaking of which, we need to get to that restaurant as the boys will be starving," said David, before adding "Oh, and by the way, get the trophy back from Gabriel. He seems to be a little too attached to it…"

The night turned into one of total celebration. Thad did indeed find it hard to wrest the trophy back from Gabriel, and in the end he was forced to threaten the oldest former Warbler there with several rounds from Mr Bangy. It was a joyful group that went for their booked meal, but Thad as careful to remind them all that they were representing Dalton and so had to act with decorum at all times. As they left the competition venue, they were met by a crowd of wellwishers, and they stopped to chat with them for a moment. Angela was amongst them, and Thad asked her to join them at the restaurant. She agreed, and as he had surmised, with a lady present at the table the dapper Dalton boy image came right to the fore during the meal.

After dinner, it was back to their accommodation, and early to bed for the boys, given that they had a very early start in the morning. Gabriel and Mitch headed home, the former giving the trophy one long last wistful look before he left. Thad was confused by that, until David explained it to him. "Mitch told me that Gabriel's biggest ambition as a Warbler was to get his hands on that prize, no matter what it took. Never forget that we actually reached Nationals the year that he was Head Warbler, but when they woke up on the morning of the actual competition…"

David's prompt had reminded Thad of the story, which Wes had told him long ago, and so in a low voice he carried on where David left off. "The lead soloist and his back up both woke up with severe strep throat, and couldn't sing. They had to stay in the formation for the sake of numbers though, and just stand mouthing the words as unprepared voices sang their parts. As a result, they came more or less at the bottom in the results…. I remember that now, and it also explains why he handed me a bag with enough throat sweets and cough mixture to start a branch of Walgreens in it when he got here…" David nodded with a chuckle, then followed Thad back to his room, which he would share that night before his own early start in the direction of M.I.T.

An hour later, everyone was asleep, apart from Thad. He found himself wide awake and watching a sleeping David in the bed beside him. He had the feeling that there was something wrong, or soon would be with his best friend - and he did not like the feeling one little bit…

Next day though he forgot his worries, and was all smiles as the bus that had picked the Warblers up at the airport pulled up outside the main door to the school. A reception committee was waiting; the Chairman of the governors, along with a number of his colleagues, stood alongside the Carmichaels, Principal Lefevre, and a number of the staff, Jeff's cousin Dylan amongst them. Thad let the boys off the bus with the trophy first, knowing what awaited them; the great victory walk that every successful Dalton team made en route to the trophy cabinet. He watched from the bus door as his boys shook hands with people, Principal Carmichael volunteering to hold the trophy as they did so, out of the goodness of his heart…

His wife made him give it back, and then the boys walked in, greeted by deafening cheers, paper streamers and confetti. Thad followed slowly in their wake, a part of his heart wishing that this could have happened seven years ago, when Wes had been Head Warbler, and he and David as the other two councilmen could have walked proudly behind him. That had not been the case, but this was good enough for him. Now as he watched the trophy being placed beside the Tony Award he felt a great feeling of satisfaction, but realised that this was just the start of a new challenge. After all, in the history of the Warblers, the choir had never managed to retain the Nationals trophy for a second year…


	77. Real Life Begins

**Real Life Begins**

May of 2018 marked the end of an era for many of the friends; their days of formal education were drawing to a close in a flurry of work. Even with the organisational skills that most of them had developed over the years, the last few weeks had been hectic; as was often the case, time had managed to outwit them. April had been a month when it felt as if the younger generation of partners had left the city for those at the Spotlight diner. Mike appeared on two occasions to cover shifts that had been allocated to Jeff, working on his own day off from the City Ballet to help out his friend whilst he finished off a lot of last minute work. He was overheard telling Elliott that he had not seen Nick for a fortnight, and if it wasn't for the fact that he was living there, he suspected that Caleb might have starved to death, deprived of food and affection. He also made the shocking admission that shop bought cookies had appeared for the first time in his memory in the new house - and takeaway cartons.

Indeed, it was wildly rumoured that Nick was actually living at the Law Library in one of the private study rooms. It wasn't true, of course, but he might have fallen asleep there one night, waking up at 3am to find himself alone in the darkness. He had let himself out with his staff pass, taken a subway back home, which had not been an experience that he wished to repeat in a hurry, and finally climbed into bed next to his husband just before 4am. He had been woken again by his alarm clock an hour later, and after a quick bite of breakfast and a fast shower, he was heading back uptown on the subway just after 6am…

Those at NYADA were under no less pressure, dealing with a heady mixture of written work, performances and individual practical assessments on every discipline under the sun. Even Artie found himself caught up in the maelstrom of work, sitting exams and submitting the final cuts of his last films; the only consolation at that time was that he was sitting there editing them as the award he had won at that year's Sundance Film Festival for _Dalton Boys_ sat proudly in place on the shelf above his desk…

Then it was all over. The morning after his final exams, Nick stayed in bed until 10am, sound asleep until that time as his body caught up on the rest that it so badly needed. Jeff was already up and about by the time he stirred, the complete opposite of the usual pattern, and it had been his arrival in their bedroom with a breakfast tray that had finally stirred Nick back to wakefulness. He stretched himself leisurely first as Jeff stood and waited patiently, then once he had sat up in bed, his husband set the tray in front of him with a flourish. It was a simple enough repast of scrambled eggs and toast, but it had been made with care and love, and so it tasted like heaven. Jeff climbed back into bed beside Nick, sipping on a cup of tea, having already eaten when he woke up two hours earlier. He had concluded that today was as good a day as any to tell Nick what he had been thinking about non-stop for the last few weeks in his few spare moments. He snuggled up next to his husband as he ate, making Nick chuckle a little as he wondered what was on his mind. If it was that, then he would have no objections, as it had been a long time….

"Nicky?"

"Yes, my love?"

"I've been thinking…"

"Which is always a dangerous thing."

"Cheek! But I will forgive you for that statement as you are the love of my life and I adore you. The thing is, we are both finished college now, and you are going to be hired any day now and become the next big hot shot lawyer…"

"Hopefully…"

"There is no doubt about it in my mind. Anyway, so as you have insisted that I take time to concentrate on my art for now, that means I am going to be at home in the house all day, more or less, for a while. The only distraction I will have will be my shifts at the diner, and so, maybe this would be a good time to take the next big step…"

"The next step? And what would that be?"

"I think that we should have a baby Nicky. It is a good time, as we're both young. I will have the time to care for them being at home, and financially, we are sound. There is no reason whatsoever to wait."

Nick was silent for a moment, as he processed what Jeff had just said. They had talked about it before, and they both wanted to be a dad someday. They also both accepted that he would be the bio dad, as Jeff feared, irrationally of course, that the defective Clarington gene that had created his father and Hunter would somehow be passed on through him, and the last thing he wanted to do was to perpetuate that lineage. However, the idea of having a child now, just months after college had finished, was scary. True, a lot of what Jeff had pointed out was right, but it was a lifetime responsibility that he was talking about. He still hadn't managed to secure a position with any of the firms he had applied to. He had been offered a few roles, including one with the firm that Grace worked for, albeit in a different department. None of those were in the field he wanted to specialise in. Those jobs seemed to be very hard to find, and those that existed were low paid, if there was a salary attached at all. To be a father on top of all of that pressure…

"Unless of course you've changed your mind Nicky, and don't want to be a dad with me anymore."

Jeff's words broke into Nick's thoughts, and he looked across at his husband, and saw his best poker face looking right back at him. "Of course I haven't changed my mind, Jeffie! I still want to be a father, and I still want to raise that child with you at my side. You've just taken me by surprise, that's all. I can't say yes or no to the timing just now, because there is still so much that is uncertain in our future; I haven't got a job yet for a start. Then there is the whole process of finding a willing surrogate, and that will not be an easy one. She will have to be prefect in both our eyes in every single way…"

"I have been thinking about it, and I have an idea of who we could ask. The best thing is that we know her already," replied Jeff. "But we don't need to talk about that now, because you are right, I did kind of spring it on you… In the meantime, Mike is at work, Caleb is sound asleep, and we both have nowhere we need to be today. There is a certain something that we haven't done for what seems like forever…"

"Yes, there is, isn't there," said Nick with a wink, lifting the breakfast tray off his lap and placing it carefully on the bedside cabinet. "What say we remedy that situation right now…."

The following day would find Nick at a loose end. After so long with the constant pressure of college work upon him, he found that not having anything to read or write as a matter of urgency a strange state of affairs. Jeff had a shift at the Spotlight, and he had left the house with quite the spring in his step, helped in no little part by the fact that he had ended up spending nearly the whole of the previous day in bed with his husband… They had only left it when they realised two things; firstly, Mike would be home very soon, and secondly, there was a plaintive scratching and miaowing noise coming from the other side of the door, generated by a seriously disgruntled and hungry cat. Caleb had stalked off down the stairs the moment that they opened the door, his tail held high in disgust, pausing only to yowl at the top of the stairs before he headed back down. He had refused to be mollified by either of them, even after food and drink had been provided, and went on to sulk in high dudgeon until Mike had come home. Then he had run across the room to miaow at him in greeting, then had rubbed himself against Mike's legs, purring in contentment as the dancer looked at him in confusion.

"That cat is spoiled," stated Nick bluntly, and Jeff had to agree that at times, Caleb could be a complete brat.

The morning after saw them both forgiven to a degree, although when it came down to it, Mike did seem to be getting more than his usual share of love and affection, much to his own mortification. When Jeff had left, Mike decided that it was time to discuss a subject that he had been putting off for a while, but had now reached a pivotal moment; thankfully he had a morning off, and it was always easier to talk to Nick on his own first. "So, Nick, I have been thinking…."

"Oh, Lord, not you too!" sighed Nick, then as Mike just stared at him curiously, he laughed, and continued, "Jeff started a conversation with more or less the same phrase yesterday. Then he dropped a bit of a bombshell on me. I figure that you are about to do the same, and I am pretty certain that I know exactly what that is too. You are going to be moving out and into your own place."

"Yeah, that's it in a nutshell. Now that Tina is finished at Brown, she is looking for a job here in New York, and that shouldn't be a problem with her level of qualification. That means that it is time for me to take the big step, and set up home with my girlfriend at long last," said Mike, with just a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Well, Jeff did give you that place at the end of the row for a reason. You were never going to be staying with us forever. We will miss you being around, especially Caleb, but this day had to come along, and it's not as if you will be going far; you'll still be close by for babysitting duties…"

Mike's eyes widened at Nick's statement, and then with a nervous chuckle he said, "That won't be any time soon though, will it?"

"Well, Caleb will need someone he trusts to take care of him when we go away, and I am planning a little break for myself and Jeff before I find my self tied up with a job and all those responsibilities that come with that…" Nick paused, then decided that he had to tell someone, and Mike was the perfect person. "In the other sense, well that might be sooner than you think; that was the bombshell Jeff dropped on me yesterday. He asked me to think about starting a family now, as he thinks that this is the perfect time for us. Me, I'm not quite so sure…"

Mike nodded, then spoke. "It is a big step to take, that much is true, but the thing is that if you wait until absolutely everything is perfect before starting a family, you might never end up having kids. None of us know what the future holds after all; sometimes you just have to live in the moment and go with the flow. For what it is worth, I think that the two of you will be great dads; you will be the firm but fair one, whilst Jeff will be the creative one that's a bit of an eternal kid himself."

Nick smiled, and replied, "It's still a frightening idea Mike. I mean, being so responsible for another human being. Anyway, we need to find someone to act as a surrogate for us, and that will take a while. Just now I am going to relax, enjoy my leisure time for a few weeks, and then decide. Something like this can't be rushed into after all."

Having sworn Mike to silence, Nick headed out to do a big food shop, as he noted that the cupboards were more or less bare. He took the subway over to Brooklyn to pick up all the necessary essentials; everything he would need to whip up a huge batch of cookies, given that he felt shame on seeing the pack of _Chips Ahoy!_ Jeff had been forced to buy to satisfy his cravings, and something wholesome for this evening's dinner, to make up for all the takeout. He had taken his rucksack for the heavier goods, along with a number of reusable bags, all of which were full to the brim by the time he headed back to the subway, laden like a pack horse. As he waited for his train, he spotted just a little way down the platform a pair of guys, just a little bit older than himself and Jeff, one of whom was wearing a baby carrier. He watched as the two of them cooed over the child inside, and felt his heart swell. He could just picture himself and Jeff like that…

Once he was on the train, Nick knew that once he had found a job, he would tell Jeff that they should go ahead and try and find a surrogate. His husband had named someone yesterday, and although the name had been a bit of a surprise, what he had followed it up with had been true; they had offered to do it for someone else in the past. That did not in any way imply that they would be prepared to do it for them, as they were nowhere near as close… The fact was that he wanted a child of his own and if they only had one, that would be fine, much as he would have loved to have helped raise a child of Jeff's too… Yes, they were young, and people would try and talk them out of it, but his husband had a point, not that he would say anything to him just yet. After all, having a child would mean sacrifices and at least two decades of dedication.

The subject of children did not come up again for a week or so. Jeff had a lot of shifts to work at the Spotlight, which did come as a bit of a shock to him. He knew that the people that had covered for him, Sam and Santana during their last weeks at school needed holidays, but for some reason he seemed to be working far more than the other two put together. That was the case because of Nick; he had made the necessary calls, and having received the positive answer he had been hoping for, he had asked Michelle to arrange a vacation of just over two weeks for Jeff at the start of June. He had managed to find them good deals on flights, and had also done well on securing accommodations for the second part of their trip, having decided that they should see a bit more of the continent whilst they were there. That had left him a bit of money over from the budget he had set for a little treat…

That done, Nick had been left to await for the outcome of the interviews he had had with various law firms in the last few weeks, to see if any of them would actually be willing to offer him a position. In the end, he found himself with only three actual job offers, although the others had all been interested, just not in a position to be able to recruit him. The first offer he ruled out at once, as it was for a post in the property law department of the firm in question, and although he was fully conversant with all the ins and outs of that area of law, it was not what he wanted to do, even short term. The second offer was better, but it was only for a short term contract, not a permanent role. Even if it had been, he would have had second thoughts, given that there were rumours that the firm in question was considering its entire rights based legal operations to Washington DC, and he did not want to move.

That left the third option. It looked good on paper, and he had been promised that he would only be used for prosecution cases by the firm, and would not be forced to defend anyone that had breached the simple laws on rights. The drawbacks were that firstly, that was not down in black and white, and secondly, it was from the same firm that Grace worked for; he was not entirely convinced that such a thing might not throw up some issues in the longer term. At the end of the week, he took the bull by the horns, so to speak, and arranged to meet his sister for lunch. He told her about his predicament, but her reply was simple.

"I know that the idea of the two of us working together freaks you out, and to be honest it does the same for me. The thing is that we won't be really, just working in the same building. The department that you will be in is on the 7th floor; my department is on the 18th. Trust me when I tell you that we don't mix; each floor keeps itself to itself. The only downside that I can see in the whole thing is the guy you will ultimately be working under; he is one of the senior partners, and is known to all of us as being a bit of an asshole. Still, if you do your work, and do it as well as I know you can, you won't have any worries…."

Nick nodded, but now found that he was concerned about his boss. Still, he had coped with Hunter Clarington, and his dad, so he was used to dealing with that type. He accepted the offer that afternoon, with the caveat that he started in July…

For those that were fresh out of NYADA, fortunes were a little more mixed. Sam had auditioned for a number of roles as the end of his time at school approached, but he had not succeeded in getting past callbacks. Then, the day after school finished, he had been called up out of the blue by the director of the revival of _My Fair Lady_. He had auditioned for the show, and had been down to the last three, but had just missed out; now the man he had been beaten by had major issues, and his understudy was going on more often than not. They in their turn did not want the role full time, and so there was a vacancy… Within a week, the name Sam Evans was printed in the Playbill, and the week after, his parents, brother and sister found themselves seated in the audience of the show next to Burt and Carole as Sam gave it his all, and earned a large round of applause… What was even better was that he had also managed to attract the attention of the casting director of a proposed Broadway revival of the sixties musical _Hair_ …

Santana on the other hand had found her footsteps leading her back to Brooklyn, working once more as she had for the last few summers with the youth theatre project. She had decided that she would not audition for shows that spring as all the other seniors at NYADA did, relishing the idea of helping out with the kids again during the summer, and just enjoying some more time with her wife. She found that she loved the whole teaching aspect of the Brooklyn job, and that did not go unnoticed by the Dean of NYADA. Just after the end of term, Carmen asked Santana to come and see her, and to her surprise, she was offered a role amongst the staff in the school, on a rolling contract, so that she could still audition for her big Broadway break when she wished. After only a moment of consideration, Santana said yes.

Marley was also in luck. Her big dream had always been to be a singer on the radio, but such positions were limited in the modern age. Luck was with her though, and she found herself auditioning for a vocalist position with one of the best known performing orchestras in the city, who regularly gave broadcast concerts on the radio. Just before the end of the month, she received a letter which informed her that her dream had come true…

As for Sebastian, he too was living the dream. On the day he finished school, he had to hurry away to get to the theatre for his Friday night performance. On arriving at the stage door, he was told that he had to report to the director's office at once. He had no idea why, but he feared the worst. Instead, he was finally let in on the secret that the rest of the cast had known for the last three weeks. The current actor in the role of Elder Price had handed in his notice, and after consultation with all of the others, they had all agreed that there was only one of them that could fill the man's shoes… Once he got over the shock, he accepted the part. He made a quick call to Dave, his brother and his mom to tell them first hand his good news; the others found out from a post he made on Facebook; a simple photo of the Elder Price badge with no words at all, just a big smile emoji. They all knew what it meant, and they were all without exception delighted for him. The celebrations got all the greater when a couple of hours later, Mason revealed that he had been offered Sebastian's old role in swing, for the four performances a week, from the moment he took the lead…

For the official graduation ceremonies, a lot of family and friends came to town, and Nick and Jeff made arrangements to accommodate several of them, seeing as they had the space. They had a houseful themselves, with both the Sterlings and Elspeth in town, whilst Cooper and Grace provided space for Mrs Duval and her parents. Santana's mother and grandmother both came to the city, and although there was plenty of room in Bushwick, she had asked if they could provide a room for them to stay in in the West Village; Santana had cited her abuela's age and the difficulty of travelling on the congested 'L' train as her reasons for it, along with the presence of Rachel Berry in the loft. The two young men were not stupid, however, and quickly surmised that the real reason for the request was that her grandmother still had some issues with Santana and Brittany being together, and so it was easier for everyone if she did not have to see it every morning.

In the case of the Evans family, it was just far easier for them to stay in Manhattan, as it meant they could have their own space. As it was also the first time that Sam's younger siblings had been in the city, they also had a lot of sights to go and see, there was a lot of convenience in being at the heart of things. Marley's mom was staying with her daughter, Kitty having agreed to move in temporarily with Artie; his mom would be coming to the city too, but as his graduation was several days after that at NYADA, there was no clash, and Kitty would be back home before Mrs Abrams arrived in town.

As for Sebastian's maman, she had tried to reserve a hotel room, given that she knew how small Sebastian and Dave's spare room was. However, Julian had extended an invitation to come and stay with him in New Jersey, and she had accepted happily; all the old enmity between them having long since been forgotten. After all, it was thanks to her that he had his own mom back from the dead. All in all, the whole graduation season was a hectic one. It was soon over though, ending almost as soon as it began, in a blur of celebration, cheering and happy faces…

It was then time to face the reality of the world of work. Sebastian was now on the stage eight times a week, and at first his schedule was a punishing one. On his first official night as Elder Price, the critics were in the audience en masse, ready to pick apart the performance of the recent drama school graduate, even if he did already have a share in a Tony. That was bad enough, but when he was handed a note with an hour to go telling him that the regular Elder McKinley was not going to be in that night, he nearly freaked out. Reading on, he felt sick to the stomach when he saw that they had found a one night relief to replace him. However, when Mason strolled in ten minutes later in costume and pointed to his name badge, Sebastian went from stressed out to overjoyed. His presence would be a great help on his first official night in the role; true, he did kind of wish that Trent was also in the building… The actor that played the current Elder Cunningham was a good guy though, and they worked well together; the current Nabilungi was also highly skilled, so that was another relief.

When, with ten minutes to places, a bunch of flowers arrived, he blushed a little, then on reading the card was delighted to see that they had been sent by Jenny. When the door opened again two minutes later and the lady herself stepped in to tell him she was going to be in the audience, he had jumped out of his seat and hugged her. He was able to step out to his opening mark with total confidence, knowing that a whole gang of Warblers, along with his maman and brother, where in the crowd to support him. He was more than ready to show the world that his performance in the role before had not been a one night fluke… The glowing reviews that filled the media the next day were testament to his talents.

As all of this happened, Jeff was starting to feel concerned. He had a funny feeling that Nick was up to something behind his back. As theirs was a marriage built on the implicit understanding that there were to be no secrets or lies, this was an issue. When he overheard Michelle telling Nick over the phone one afternoon that she had sorted out some more extra shifts for Jeff, he was left confused and worried. He tried hard not to have the irrational thoughts, but they crept in anyway. He began to think that Nick might be cheating on him, and if he was, then that in his book was completely unforgivable. He was angry at himself for even thinking that of his husband, but all of the signs were there; phone calls that ended as he walked into the room, keeping him at work all day whilst Nick stayed at home, strange purchases being made on the bank statements, and worst of all, a brochure for a cattery being hidden away at the back of a drawer…

He let it go on for a week, and then he decided that enough was enough, and that for the sake of his own sanity, he had to confront his husband with the fact he knew he was up to something, and find out the truth, good or bad. On the night he intended for the showdown, he came home to find the whole house filled with the delicious aroma of beouf bourguignon, and the promise of Tarte Tartin for afters. It was as he ate the last morsel of pie on his plate that Nick spoke.

"Jeffie, there is something that I need to tell you…."

In Jeff's head, all the worst case scenarios began to play out one by one, and he was so distracted by them that he almost didn't hear Nick continue.

"We deserve a holiday; we are both going to be working hard all the time soon; and we might even have a baby to bring up in the near future too, so I decided to do something about a promise that I made to you four years ago…"

With that, he handed Jeff a sheet of paper, on which were printed out the details of their flight to Paris the following week…

Jeff was silent for a moment, then, much to Nick's shock, he said, "Oh, Nicky! I am so sorry…"

"Why on earth are you sorry? If you are worried that you won't be able to get the time off, then don't, because I have already booked it with Michelle; that is why you have been at work so much over the last few weeks. I thought that this would be a nice surprise…"

"It is, and I am so very pleased that we are going back, but the thing is, I overheard you talking to Michelle, and I thought a lot of things that I knew couldn't be true, but I still thought them…"

Nick looked confused for a minute, then suddenly it dawned on him what his husband was alluding to. "Well, that was a bit silly; you know that I would never, ever, ever cheat on you. My chest is tattooed with your name, and nobody else's. My heart belongs solely to you for all eternity."

"And mine belongs to you, but you have to admit, you were doing all of the things that people do do when they cheat. Secretive calls, trying to keep me away from home. Still, I guess I was being a bit of an idiot!"

Nick smiled. "Just a little, but you are my idiot, and I am so sorry that I did things that made you feel that way. It's all forgotten now in any case, and speaking of cases, we'd better start to think about packing. By the way, we're only spending a few days in Paris with François; after that, we are heading down to Rome, via Venice and Florence…"

"Italy!" squealed Jeff. "I have always wanted to go to Italy! Wait, does that mean I will be able to see…"

"The Sistine Chapel? It is all booked and sorted, along with a few other things. Whilst we are away, we can also discuss our thoughts on a surrogate, and how we are going to manage being fathers. It is quite a big responsibility that we are taking on; one that will last a lifetime. We will need to talk through all of our options; I mean, what if for some reason it turns out that you won't be at home after all? What do we do then?"

"I don't see any reason why I wouldn't be, Nicky, but I guess that we do need to talk about it. Then there are all the other things that we will need to consider; the whole question of schooling, and a college fund - and a name. We need to discuss a name for our child…."

Nick smiled, and nodded. He realised that this was what life was like when you became an adult; when all of a sudden you had big responsibilities not just to yourself, but to so many other people. It was scary, but he knew that with Jeff at his side, he could handle anything that life threw at him.


	78. Preparation and a Vacation

**Preparation and a Vacation.**

News of Nick and Jeff's impending return to Europe spread fast; Sebastian had to laugh as he realised just how good his old pal François had become at keeping secrets these days. He had always struggled to keep his mouth shut when he had been living in Paris. He was more than a little jealous of his two friends; his elevation to Elder Price meant that his time was being consumed at a great rate, and he would not be able to take a long break for the foreseeable future. Dave was busy too, so it wouldn't have been practical for them to take a long holiday anyway. He had still managed to book himself a couple of days off from the show - firstly so that he and Dave could spend a couple of nights at the beach house in Port Jefferson together; and secondly so that he could attend his half-brother's official and very public wedding to Isabelle. He would be glad when that had taken place, and there was no longer the risk that he would say something out of turn and reveal the truth. He had called Isabelle his sister-in-law when he was chatting with Jenny after his first night, but she had just looked at him curiously, before dismissing it as a premature slip of the tongue, fortunately.

The wedding was scheduled for the Monday after Nick and Jeff returned from Europe, with both of them invited to the nuptials, naturally. It was also two days after Mercedes would be playing Madison Square Gardens. Sebastian had been forced to decline her offer of a ticket for himself, knowing that he would be working, but Dave would be going in the company of Grace and Sam. In any case, Mercedes had agreed to sing at Julian and Isabelle's wedding, so he would hear her magnificent voice anyway. He knew that his nephew Peter was looking forward to that moment too; he would be coming of course, and would be staying with his mom at a hotel. Isabelle had had no qualms in inviting her to the ceremony, and to everyone's delight, she had accepted the opportunity to attend what was promising to be the big American wedding of the year; worldwide it had of course been eclipsed by the one between the Prince and the actress in Windsor…

That was all still to come; before it could happen, there were still any number of things that had to be done by both Julian and Isabelle to ensure that the big event went as smoothly as possible. With _Vogue's_ own photographers, and a number of other members of the press expected to be in attendance, Isabelle was very keen to ensure that absolutely everything was perfect, and as good as her real wedding day had been. The benefit of working for the world's leading fashion magazine was that she had access to the best stylists and designers, all of whom were only too happy to assist for the chance to get a few words in the right ears.

Her dress was stunning, and she had told everyone that it had been designed for her by a person that could only be described as her 'guardian angel.' Kurt had been insistent that he had to design it, and when she saw his sketches, she had to agree that it could be done by no-one else. The usual subterfuge had then ensued, and it had been enough to work; to convince people that it had merely been inspired by the KEH Collection.

The catering was sorted, and the venue was beautiful. She had of course snubbed the overtures of the Rainbow Room, conscious of what they had done to her future brother-in-law on his second wedding day. As for Julian, he had been more than relieved when the letter had arrived from his father to decline his kind invitation. It did upset him a little that neither of his parents would be there to see him marry officially, but the idea of the two of them being in the same room, and with photographers present; well that was a disaster waiting to happen. He wanted his wedding day to be remembered for the beauty of his bride, not the arrest of his father for bigamy. In any case, his dad was keeping a low profile these days, after the debacle with Nick's dad; plus he had to deal with the repair work that his new home in the Virgin Islands needed after the storms… His mom was a different kettle of fish, but he knew there could be no official photos released with her in them; all it would take would be for one person to recognise her…

Nick and Jeff's return to Europe promised to be very different in nature to their first visit. This time they were going as a married couple with no friends to keep them company - that was both a good and a bad thing. They would also be better able to avoid the pitfalls of their first sojourn, with a guarantee that there would be no repeat of the infamous incident with the special cake. They had both smiled politely when Santana had jokingly told them to be sure to stay away from all such confections this time, before agreeing to ask François if she had done anything outrageous on her honeymoon trip. They would also be leaving a far bigger home this time, with it being unattended for most of the day, and of course, they were also leaving behind a cat. Caleb hadn't even been thought of back in that summer, but this time he was Jeff's primary concern.

Mike was still living with them, as Tina would not be arriving in the city until July, so he knew that his little friend would be kept in the standard to which he had become accustomed first thing in the morning and last thing at night, but he would be left to fend for himself for the remainder of the day. Jeff had refused to even contemplate the notion of a cattery; no matter how wonderful they sounded in the brochure, he saw them as akin to the horrendous summer camps some kids ended up in. No matter how luxurious they looked, they could easily be run by cruel people that wanted to make the cats subservient and weak… Instead, Jeff headed to the house next door, and asked the six young men living there if between them someone could check up on Caleb at lunchtime at the very least; better yet, pop in and out during the day. They had to concede that there would always be at least one of them at home, and agreed to do as their landlord asked. With that settled, Caleb could remain in the house, as 'guard cat' as Jeff put it to Nick. Personally, Nick was of the opinion that Caleb would let anyone in if they brought treats and catnip…

As these things were being sorted out in NYC, over in L.A. David was preparing to head off on tour with Mercedes. The advantage of his job with Google was that he could work from home, or on the move, so it had been no problem to get the necessary three weeks off so that he could follow his girlfriend's tour through the south, centre and east of the country, with a brief diversion into Canada. Then it would be back home for her final show at the Hollywood Bowl. Her career had come on in leaps and bounds recently, and after that grand finale, she would have a couple of months before she embarked on a series of gigs in Australasia, the Far East and Europe. David would not be able to join her for that tour, but he was sure that she would be fine, as she had assembled an excellent team to look out for her. He had met the majority of them, and most had long experience in the business; others were new to the scene, but all of them had been chosen by her as they shared her drive and ambition. To say that she was still nervous about the tour would have been an understatement of the facts, but she knew that this was her big chance to show the world what she could do, given a microphone. She had met some of her living heroes over the last few months, and they had all assured her that the tour would be a doddle for her vocally; but it was still her first big one, and there was so much that could potentially go wrong if she wasn't careful. She had said as much to her tour manager, but he had just told her to relax, as he had everything in hand.

On that particular day, her manager told her to go and have lunch with David, and as he was working from home, he had told her to come over and he would make some. She had agreed, and they had just sat down at the table to eat when it happened. At first they paid it no heed, but then it intensified; books flew off shelves and a picture fell from the wall with a crash. The earthquake was the strongest that either of them had felt in their time living in the city, and it left them both a little fearful. In the aftermath, David walked from room to room, looking for damage; apart from two minor cracks in the walls, several pictures having fallen down, the bookcase needing to be restocked and a solitary tile having been dislodged from the roof, all was fine.

"Well, I don't know if that was a good or bad omen for the tour," said Mercedes when they sat at the table to eat again; David was thankful he had made a cold lunch.

"I think we can take it as a sign, yes," he replied, "that you will bring the house down in every city that you play in…"

Mercedes laughed, and then on a more serious note, said, "I think that it would be wise for all of us to brush up on our drill for a quake. It was drummed in to me daily when I first arrived, but now I have forgotten what the correct things are to do."

"I think that it is very much stay indoors to avoid being hit by flying debris, ideally in a strong part of the structure, such as a doorway. Then when it is safe, best to check for tsunami warnings, or for signs of one if near the ocean. Get to higher ground quickly if you see them," replied David. Mercedes nodded, then decided that she would ask him to have a chat with Jake and Unique about that, just in case another quake came along whilst they were out of town.

No-one really paid much attention to the earthquake that had hit L.A. at the end of May, it having done no major damage to the city. David did have his talk with Jake and Unique as he had promised Mercedes that he would before they left for the tour. He had wished that he had no need to do so, but he had heard from the older residents in the neighbourhood that quakes usually came along in pairs at the very least, and he did not want to feel guilty if one came along whilst he was out of town and something happened to his two roommates. He embarked on the tour with his girlfriend with an easy conscience, knowing full well that the gossip columns would pick up on his presence. Mercedes did not mind all the extra attention, even if some in the record company felt it might have been better to have kept him away, and give people the illusion that she was single. For her part, Mercedes told them that true fans of her voice would not care if she had a partner or not, and in any case, David was always in a separate room.

The fact was that he was as much of a part of her tour family as all the backing singers, dancers and technical crew. He was also a useful source of impartial advice when it came to how things should be set up for her shows. This was helpful as her nerves began to creep in; after all, the venues were all big and she was singing a lot of new material. Her first show however proved that she had no need to be worried, with the crowd cheering for more at the end, and the reviewers being exceptionally praising in their reports. As one of them stated, the music scene had a new star, a diva with a very special voice, who was set to sweep all else away when her true potential was finally realised…

On the same night as her first show, Nick and Jeff boarded their flight to Paris, travelling in premium economy. They might have a bit of money, Nick would be the first to say, but that didn't mean that they were prepared to pay through the nose for a few more inches of legroom and a slightly better meal. They both managed to get some sleep on the flight, and as a result they were bright eyed on their arrival in Paris. François did not come to meet them as they knew where they were going, and it gave him time to prepare them a proper welcome lunch. Their first day in the city was spent catching up on each other's news, and then meeting up with Luc and Jean-Marc in the evening. Even in Paris there was talk about _The Judging Angel_ , and Jeff found himself blushing quite often as his praises were sung by his old friends. François was equally pleased that he had kept the sketch that Jeff had drawn of him all those years ago, and he had now gone as far as to have it framed, so that he could always state that he had a Jeff Sterling-Duval original. That made Nick shake his head, although he did realise that all of those little sketches that his husband had created over the years would be worth money one day if his fame continued to grow.

The next three days were spent between the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay, admiring the vast collection of art that was shared between the two venues. Nick had come to be almost as appreciative of art as his husband, but he also took in all of the architectural features of the buildings. He therefore didn't mind how long they stayed in each gallery, plus he had the satisfaction of knowing that he had fulfilled his promise to his husband that they would return. On the third night he kept another promise, and they shared dinner at the restaurant high up on the Eiffel Tower, where both the setting and the food were perfect. Whilst they were in the city, they also had time to talk, and they agreed on the identity of the first person they would ask to be their surrogate, and on what they would wish to call their child. All of Nick's doubts had left him now, and he was more than ready to set the process in motion.

The next stage of their trip involved them travelling to Venice, and that was where Nick had spent a little money so that they could travel in style. He had not told Jeff quite how they would travel to the other city in Europe that claimed it was the most romantic, and he assumed they would be flying. So when Nick had told them that they would be going for a walk then dinner on their last night in the city, he had agreed with no inkling of what was going to happen. He was unaware that the moment that they left, François would be right behind them with their packed bags, hastening them across the city.

Jeff was still completely in the dark as they entered the Gare de L'Est, and he could only shake his head as Nick pointed out the train, and then hastened him over towards it. Jeff had to admit that it looked so grand, and he wondered when it was due to depart, and if he had time to draw a sketch. He was still thinking this as Nick walked up to the guard, and pulled out their passports and what looked suspiciously like tickets. Then as his mind started to wonder what was going on, François was suddenly there, with their luggage, and wishing them a safe trip…

"Nicky! Are we really going to be travelling on…" Jeff began, his voice high with excitement.

"The Orient Express? I decided that it was the best way to travel from Paris to Venice and would make for a memorable experience. That was one why I was so insistent that we packed before our walk, my love. François was in on the whole thing, and I think he is just a little jealous…" replied Nick.

"That is true; I mean, if you do not wish to go, Jeff, then I will take your place," said François jokingly.

"No chance, François! This is just… it's wonderful! Will there be a murder?" blurted out Jeff. There was a moment of silence, then they all laughed.

"I sincerely hope not," Nick responded with a smile. Then, having said their farewells to François, Nick took his husband's hand, and they walked back in time to a train that was redolent of the glamour of the world of the 1920s…

They were shown to their cabin on the train by a smartly uniformed steward; they found that whilst they had been saying their goodbyes to François, their cases had been brought to the cabin, and now waited there along with a bottle of champagne, and reservations for dinner at 8pm, just shortly after the train was due to depart from Paris. Seeing them made Jeff suddenly conscious of what he was wearing; he looked up and then whispered to his husband in a low voice, "I don't think that either of is properly dressed for dinner on this train, Nicky. I think that if we turn up dressed like this they will throw us out of the dining car, and possibly off the train altogether."

"Don't worry about that, my love," said Nick with a smile, "I already ensured that we would fit in perfectly." With that he stepped over to his case and extracted a suit bag from it. He opened it to reveal that he had packed their wedding suits, complete with the shirts and bowties. "This is also why I was so insistent that you packed a smart pair of shoes…"

"I did wonder about that, but then I thought it was because we were going to go and see all the paintings at the Vatican, and that they had a strict dress code. Of course, these suits are perfect, because they are from the period; now all we need to do is style our hair, and we will blend right in…"

They got changed quickly, fastening the studs on each other's collar as they had done on their wedding day, fixing bowties and then dealing with their hair, Nick's left shiny and in place with pomade, Jeff's tied back with a ribbon then given the same treatment on top. They finished just as the whistle was blown and the train began to steam out of the station, gathering speed quickly as it began its journey out of France in the direction of Italy. The steward then returned to announce that it was time for them to head to dinner, and as he left, he complemented them both on the standard of their dress. The same happened with the maitre'd as they arrived in the dining car, where they quickly saw that they were easily the youngest people on the passenger list. They settled at their table, and after exchanging warm greetings with the older couple sitting across the aisle, they awaited a meal that turned out to be quite a gastronomic feast. They were so absorbed in their meal and each other that they did not notice the two angels observing them from the door with a wistful look on their faces. After all, there was no Orient Express in heaven, and both Kurt and Blaine wished that they were sitting where their friends were now; the whole scenario just spoke of the kind of romance they loved…

After a good night's sleep in their bunks, managing to cope eventually with not being side by side, though that was largely down to Jeff's excitement at being given the top bunk, they headed back to the dining car for breakfast just as the train stopped in Innsbruck. To go to sleep in one country and wake up in another was quite special, and all the more so when you did so on such a historic train. Fortunately there had been no death in the night, no snowdrift to run into, and hence no need for a Belgian detective to come and interrogate them over breakfast. Whilst they ate, their cabin was made up again, and they returned to find that their bunks had been returned to seats. They took a seat by the window and watched as the landscape changed as the train journeyed on, changing from mountains to lowlands, and then finally, the train began to move slowly along a causeway that would take the train into the city of Venice.

On their arrival, the steward informed them that he had made arrangements for their bags to be transferred to their hotel near St Mark's Square, which meant that they were able to begin exploring at once. "I think that if I could, I would travel like this all the time," observed Jeff. "No hassle, no trying to find a taxi, or get on a bus or a train after retrieving your case from a carousel. It is wonderful…" Nick nodded, but knew that when he found out the cost, his husband would blanch at the thought of doing it all the time; it was okay for a treat though.

Of course, there were no taxis as such to catch outside the station in Venice; instead there were Vaparetto, heading to various places in the water based city. As ever, Nick had done his research and knew exactly which one they needed; he also knew that his husband would need to sketch the scene before him first, so he stood and took photos at his side as he waited, including a few candid shots of his husband at work. Eventually they were climbing on board one of the boats, and heading off through the canals into the city proper, its charms immediately entrancing the pair of them. The absence of cars, trucks and buses had allowed the city to retain its narrow streets and hence the tightly packed buildings that lined them, many of them unaltered at least from the outside from the time they were constructed. Jeff had taken Nick's camera and was shooting shot after shot, given that there was no time to stop and sketch on the water.

It took a short while to reach their destination, from where they could walk a short way and by using the Rialto Bridge would quickly reach St Mark's Square and their hotel. It was a slow walk though, as Nick had known it would be, but not just because every so often Jeff would want to pause and sketch something that caught his eye; here, Nick found himself pausing just to look from time to time. It was immediately apparent why the whole city was deemed worthy of heritage status, and that there was so much concern globally on the impact that rising sea levels would have on the city that was slowly sinking. He was grateful too that the large cruise ships that had once loomed over the city as they docked were no longer permitted to come so close. The city was built on a very human scale, and that was why it was so perfect.

When they finally emerged out onto the wide, busy piazza that was St Mark's Square, Nick's feet just stopped, and he found himself captivated, just standing and staring in awe at the scene.

"It is all so wonderful, Nicky!" whispered Jeff at his side. "I am so glad that we are here on our own together; it really is the most romantic place on earth. Paris has nothing on this!"

"Yeah, but we never tell François that," Nick replied, and taking his hand, Jeff nodded in solemn agreement.

Their hotel was just a short stroll from the bustle of the square. It was not a grand, luxurious five star affair; instead, Nick had chosen that they stay in a hotel with character. Having been built in the 16th century, it certainly had that in spades; from the moment that they walked in, they were greeted and treated with a level of warmth that was so often missing in more superior hotels. Their room was small, but it was well appointed and in the style of the city and the period. Their cases were waiting for them, and they unpacked quickly, before freshening up and heading out once more into the city. Nick had done his best and had managed to learn a little Italian, but he was glad to discover that the staff all spoke good English. They managed between them to get directions to a good restaurant for dinner, and to obtain the services of one of the staff to carefully press and repack their suits.

Then it was back out into the bustle of the city; they had timed it well, as it happened, as they reached the Bell Tower of St Mark's at a moment when there was only a short line. They headed up the stairs to take in the vista across the city, spread out below them on its many islands. There were no higher buildings to obstruct their view, and the views across to the mainland and down the Adriatic were clear in the brilliant sunshine. They took numerous photos before they headed back down to the square itself, where Jeff began to sketch the tower and the basilica behind it from a convenient spot. Nick had agreed to appear in the drawing, sitting and studying his guidebook in the calm of a traffic free city. With Jeff's sketch done, there was time to head inside the basilica itself, a building of such breathtaking beauty that it made them both smile broadly. It reminded them a little of the Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre, but the decoration of the centuries older building here was far superior.

"It all looks so fresh and new, but this building had been here since the time that the city was the main centre of trade and exploration in Europe," Jeff whispered, clearly in awe of what he saw. "This was here in the time of Marco Polo, and the Silk Road; this was here in the era of the great artists…"

"We often forget just how new all of our great buildings and monuments are back home. We think of something that dates back to the 18th century as old; there are some buildings here that date back nearly a millennium," replied Nick. "These are the monuments of a rich, prosperous merchant city; a Venice of the elite in a world of disjointed princely states. That money and power may have largely gone, but it has left such a cultural legacy to the following generations; historic buildings, great traditions, and a culture that is without equal elsewhere. But all of this is so fragile, so vulnerable to the whims of the sea…" It went without saying that as they made their way out, they made a generous donation to the restoration fund.

They ate a hearty dinner that night, experiencing Italian food in such a way as they had never seen it back home. Nick felt inspired just be reading the menu, and even more so as they ate. Jeff could almost hear the little wheels spinning in his husband's head, and anticipated that Italian food would be on the menu on many nights after they headed home. He was a little disappointed to discover that there was no Tiramisu on the dessert menu, but found that the Limoncello dessert he opted for instead was every bit as delicious. Nick had opted for the panna cotta, and in the end they swapped dessert plates. As they left the restaurant, the night was still light, and it gave them time for something else that was a quintessential part of any visit to Venice - a gondola trip. It was relaxing to lean back in the seats, side by side, as the gondolier moved the boat deftly along the canals. It was still a little strange to see just how much the canals were treated like roads, crossed by the myriad of little bridges…

By the time that they returned to their hotel, the sun had faded, and the moon and stars now illuminated the scene. It had been quite a day, starting in the luxury of what was probably the world's best known train, and ending now in a room in a hotel built on an island that was slowly sinking into the sea from which it had risen centuries before. As Jeff made use of the bathroom, Nick uploaded some of his pictures from his camera to Facebook, starting with one that the gondolier had obliged him by taking as they sat snuggled together in his boat. By the time he had loaded up his last image, the first had been liked by so many of their friends, often with a little jealous comment underneath. Flint however thanked him for helping him to decide that the city was the only place he would want to spend his honeymoon, whenever that was… Nick showed that comment to Jeff, and he had laughed, before agreeing wholeheartedly.

"This would be the perfect spot for a pair of honeymooners, and it is also a very long way from his mom…" he said. Nick had to concur on the latter; they were certainly a very long way from Kansas…

They spent the next two days exploring the relatively compact and immensely beautiful city. Jeff found that he was continually torn between stopping to draw the exterior of every building, or actually heading inside to admire the interior. In the end he started to ask Nick to take photos for him of the most interesting buildings, zooming in on certain details, thus capturing the scene at a moment in time. He could have those photos printed and blown up in scale, then use them to create his drawings of the city back home in New York. They explored the city's numerous churches, each different from the other, but all of them absolutely breathtaking and inspiring. As for the Ca'd'Oro, it was not just the most fascinating of buildings from the outside, but inside was a treasure trove of the best sculptures, bronzes and frescos created by the most famous artists the city had known. The Ca'Rezzonico, the museum dedicated to the Venice of the 18th century spoke to Nick, each room leaving him wreathed in smiles. The collections of the Accademia, covering the whole of the Venetian school of art, could have kept Jeff occupied for weeks on end, and it was no surprise to Nick when his husband emerged from the gift shop afterward with two hefty tomes detailing the entire collection.

The Palazzo Ducale, on St Mark's Square, was fascinating too, both in terms of its architecture and its history. They crossed the Bridge of Sighs, both now knowing why it was so called and began to find that the prospect of having to soon leave the wonderful city was a cause for sighs of their own. They also took a vaporetto out to the island of Murano, to visit the museum that showcased the glass that had been manufactured there over the centuries, particularly that which dated back to the 15th and 16th centuries, when the island had been the centre of glass making in Europe as a whole. Such was the beauty of the current pieces too that they decided to splurge and invest in a set of glasses, solely for special days, which they purchased and arranged to be sent directly back to New York. Of course, they also sought out masks, knowing all about the city's tradition of carnival, and the Commedia dell'Arte. They ended up with several masks, all of which they arranged to be sent home. They knew that at least one of them would be a perfect gift for Sebastian…


	79. Niff in Italy

**Niff in Italy**

They eventually left Venice with a heavy heart, but the train that they caught took them in just over two hours to the city of Florence, and their hearts were immediately lifted again. To walk out of the busy railway station to be confronted at once by the Santa Maria Novella was quite breathtaking, as once again the history of the city was all around them from the moment they arrived. Nick had chosen a hotel close to the station, so once more, after they had checked in and freshened up after the journey, they were back out and exploring the city within half an hour. Their route took them towards the River Arno, and a first view of one of the city's best known sights, the Ponte Vecchio. The bridge, lined with shops and houses, had been the only one in the city that had survived in the aftermath of the Second World War; Nick thought that might have been because no-one would have been willing to have ordered the destruction of something so unique and beautiful. He was more than happy to just stand and admire the view as Jeff made a sketch from the neighbouring bridge; he took his own pictures of the bridge and of the city's skyline as he waited.

Eventually they crossed the bridge itself, and headed into the heart of the city. Nick had done his homework and had discovered that the Uffizi Gallery had extended hours that evening. Thus it was much to Jeff's delight that they made their way inside the building that all of the guidebooks described as Italy's greatest art gallery. They wandered slowly from room to room, past paintings by artists whose names Jeff whispered with reverence and awe; Titian, Botticelli, Michelangelo and Caravaggio. He would stop from time to time and just stare at a particular painting and Nick would join him, appreciating the skill of the artists nearly five centuries ago; artists whose work had stood the test of time and still had the power to make people stop and stare. Nick was convinced that they were the last people to leave the gallery that night, sharing the task of carrying the plethora of books that Jeff had chosen. He would look through them at dinner that evening, so absorbed that Nick had to from time to time remind him to eat…

The following day saw them both up early again, and heading this time for the Duomo and the neighbouring Baptistry, which rose high above the heart of the city; both were decorated in a style that left them speechless. They explored the buildings, climbing up to the top of the dome to marvel at the view across the city in the morning sunshine, Nick's camera once more taking scores of pictures at his husband's request. Then it was time to head on to the Galleria dell'Accademia to see for themselves what was probably the best known sculpture in the world; Michelangelo's David. It was every bit as impressive as they had expected it to be, and Nick found himself standing beside it as Jeff made a quick sketch.

It was as they were heading out of that gallery that they almost collided with a couple heading into the room, talking quietly in English. It took both Nick and Jeff seconds to recognise the man; they had only seen him once before outside the Spotlight Diner on New Year's Eve, but they both recognised Albert Montgomery… There was a moment that he looked back at them, and both of them thought for a second that there was recognition in his eyes. Then it was past, and the woman that he was with was making profuse apologies on their behalf, saying how sorry she was that they had not been looking where they were going.

Nick immediately did the same in return, his manners as well schooled as ever. Of course, his American accent was recognised at once, and as always happens when two pairs of Americans meet abroad, as with any nationality, there was an immediate round of questions about where they came from, and what they did. That they were married brought big smiles from both Albert and his companion, but then two things happened that altered everything….The question "So where did you two meet?" was asked, in all innocence, by Albert's companion Celia….

"We met at school in Ohio," Jeff replied happily. "Nicky walked into the room at the start of my sophomore year at Dalton Academy, and as far as I was concerned, that was it. I knew he was my soulmate!" Nick said nothing at that point, but he noticed that at the mention of the school, the look on Albert's face changed. "Nick took a little bit longer to finally conclude that he was in love with me, but we got there in the end, and just over a year after we graduated, he made me Mr Sterling-Duval…"

"Wait, are you _**the**_ Jeff Sterling-Duval? The artist that drew _The Judging Angel_? We've seen images of your work online, and when we did, my boss here at the gallery said that you had to be one of the most talented artists of a generation! Would you mind if I went to fetch her as she would be thrilled to meet you?" Before Jeff could respond, Celia was off, nearly running back in the direction that she had just come from.

"You're Niff." The two husbands turned back to Albert, whose voice was low. He stood with his eyes downcast, and carried on, "Wes used to mention you all the time when he was at home, how the two of you needed to get your act together and admit how much you were in love… Celia doesn't know that I am certain that _The Judging Angel_ is a portrait of my late nephew… It is, isn't it?"

"Yes, when I decided to create it I did have Wes on my mind," said Jeff.

"We also know what you did for his sake; how you punished the others in your family for what they had done to him over the years, and what they had done to you for that matter," added Nick. "Would I be right in surmising that Celia was the girl that Randall drove away when you were at college?"

Albert shook his head, and chuckled. "Michelle told you guys everything then, or Thad for that matter… Yeah, Celia is that girl, and next month she will become my wife. It will be a very quiet affair, as her family don't approve of it, given my family history, and the only other person that knows I am here is Michelle. None of my other family members would be available to come anyway. I have invited her over, but she hasn't replied yet, not that I blame her… Look, could you do me a favour, and let her know that you met me, that I'm okay, and that I am about to become not just a husband, but a dad…"

"Wow, that's something! If Wes was still here, he would be so excited about the fact that he was getting a little cousin," Jeff blurted out.

Albert nodded, then in a whisper said "I still think that he is here; I'd swear that I have seen him sometimes, out of the corner of my eye. He is always the same, standing there, smiling at me. It's as if he is just watching over me… I never used to believe all that stuff about an afterlife, or angels, but now… I think that Wes would certainly be an angel, if they do exist. Anyway, I can hear Celia and her boss coming back. Don't tell her that you know all about me and my past, please. I don't know how she would handle that…"

The next ten minutes were spent with Jeff literally being fangirled, much to the amusement of Nick; Celia's boss had made a few phone calls before coming, and other staff from the gallery kept arriving, all of them anxious to meet the talented young American artist. Jeff found himself getting more embarrassed by the second as he posed for selfies with them, and even signed some autographs. For one of them he actually signed on the back of one of the postcards from the Met of his own work, which made him grin. Nick then asked if it would be possible for someone to take a picture of the two of them with Albert and Celia. The young lady's boss was only too happy to oblige, and just like that there was a record of the encounter for posterity.

Then it was all over. Celia had to hurry off and start work, but Albert hung back for a few more minutes. "It was nice to finally meet another couple of my nephew's boys; my only regret is that he was not here to make the introductions himself. What happened to him that day in Harvard was a tragedy; it should have been someone like Randall that died that way, not one of the good guys…"

"It was the day after our wedding, you know.. It broke us all for a while, but we ended up bouncing back, which was just what he would have wanted us to do," said Nick. "There will always be a Wes shaped hole in our hearts, especially for Thad and David, but we all know that we will see him again one day…"

"Wielding a gavel, with red and blue tipped wings?" said Albert with a smile. "I guess that you might, but as for me…"

"I wouldn't doubt that you will," replied Jeff. "You've done a lot to make amends for all the mistakes that you made under duress, and I know that if Wes has anything to do with it, you will see him again. The first thing he will do on that day is tell you just how proud he is of all that you've done for him in death."

Albert nodded, and then he blinked rapidly. He was sure that he had just seen Wes standing by the statue of David, and if he didn't have those darn wings like in the drawing…

At that point though he had to get on with his plans for the day, so after receiving the best wishes for the future from Nick and Jeff, Albert hurried off. Once he was out of sight, the two husbands just stood quietly and waited for what they knew was about to happen. "He was looking well," said the voice that they had expected to hear.

"Yes, he does seem to be a lot happier than he was when we glimpsed him as he walked out of the Spotlight on New Year's Eve," replied Nick quietly. "I guess that is what love can do to you…"

"It certainly always makes me happy," remarked Jeff, taking Nick's hand in his own as he spoke, and getting himself a smile that was a mirror of his own in return.

"He thinks that he sees you from time to time you know," whispered Nick, conscious that they were in a busy public place, where people nearby might overhear. "I mean, I take it that it is you, Wes, and he is not just witnessing the appearance of some random stranger?"

"It is, but he and I will never be able to converse with each other as the three of us are just now; nor will he ever be able to catch more than a fleeting glimpse of me. I will be attending his wedding next month though, and I will make sure that he catches sight of me as he leaves the building, having been made husband and wife with Celia. I am so pleased for him, as this is what he should have had years ago. I curse Randy for what he did to him. That is what fear does to you, it makes you miserable. Being a father, well I think that he will struggle with that at first, but I am confident that his daughter will want for nothing…" Nick and Jeff grinned at each other as they realised that Wes had inadvertently given away just how closely he had been watching over his brother and his future wife. "In any case, speaking of children, I want it put on record that although you are both still so young, I think that you will make excellent parents. As for your choice of surrogate, I think you have chosen well; but I think you should ask her sooner, rather than later to perform the role for you…"

After a chat with Wes, Nick and Jeff wandered on, leaving the gallery to stroll through the streets. Jeff knew of course that the gallery that they had just visited was part of the world's oldest art school, which had been welcoming students through its doors for over 450 years, but at the moment it was quiet as the students took their summer break. The fact that his drawing had been noticed by the people that worked here made him blush furiously, and yet he felt so proud at the same time…

They left the San Marco area behind, heading back past the Duomo as they walked in the direction of the Uffuzi once more. They stopped to have lunch at a café in the Piazza del Signoria, staying there long enough for Jeff to be able to sketch the juxtaposition of the buildings, and all the various statues in the square, which included a copy of the statue that they had just viewed in the gallery. Then, to Nick's surprise, Jeff eschewed another visit to the Uffuzi, instead grabbing his husband's guidebook and suggesting that they cross the Ponte Vecchio once more, and head instead to the Palazzo Pitti, which was full of yet more of the city's treasures. Nick was only too happy to oblige, and soon they were once again stood in a gallery, examining more paintings from a golden era of art. After that, they paused in the Boboli Gardens, where Jeff was happy to sketch the Oceanus Fountain, as Nick caught up with his Facebook page. He forwarded the picture of himself and Jeff with Albert and Celia to Michelle and Thad in private. He wondered how they would both react to that chance meeting…

The following day they made an excursion to another city that was just a short train ride away. Nick did not tell Jeff exactly where they were going until they arrived, and then there was only one place that he wanted to go. They made the climb to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, then headed back down to the piazza below, to allow Jeff to make a sketch of one of the most iconic buildings in the world. It had been a strange experience to stand on the floor of a building that sloped down towards the earth, as the walls did the same, but it was one neither would have missed.

On their arrival back in Florence in the late afternoon, they headed to the Cappella Brancacci, to view the glorious frescoes which had been created some 600 years earlier. Jeff was instantly in awe of the artistry, whilst Nick felt humbled that he was able to view something so beautiful first hand. They returned to the hotel eventually to pack, and then head out for dinner once more. They found a small restaurant at which they could take an outside seat, and thus see so much of the history all around them as they ate.

"If they ever asked you to come over here and lecture at the art school, I think that I could quite happily live here with you," mused Nick over dessert. "I mean, Paris is wonderful and Venice is marvellous, but this city manages to outshine them both in its own way."

"That isn't very likely to happen, Nicky," replied Jeff, "but your sentiments are appreciated as always. Of course, if they did happen to ask right now, I would have to decline in any case, as we need stability for our unborn child. Wes was right, as always; we do need to ask her, and soon. Maybe as soon as we get home…"

"It might be an idea to wait until after Mercedes' concert and Julian's wedding are over, but maybe the following day. We have to think though about what we do if she says no…"

"Then we move on to Plan B, although her partner is far more ferocious…"

Nick laughed, although now he couldn't help but wonder how their chosen surrogate's partner would react. Then he shook the thought from his head, and instead thought about the following day, and their journey to the place where all roads were supposed to lead - Rome.

Their journey to the Eternal City the following day on the train from Florence was a smooth and comfortable one, taking them swiftly southward through the sun drenched landscape. It seemed hard to think as they journeyed along that in just a few days time they would be boarding a plane that would take them back to New York. They had seen so much in the last few days, so much that had left Jeff inspired and Nick in sheer awe at the beauty of the world that had been created here. Now they were on their way to the city that had once been the capital of one of the greatest empires that the world had ever seen, and was still the centre point for a large proportion of the Christian faith. As the train drew into the station, Nick reminded Jeff as he had done before that he needed to look out for the traffic. He had heard that the drivers in Rome made those in Paris appear first rate, and worse still, this was a city that was teeming with motorbikes and mopeds too.

They took a taxi to their hotel, a journey which seemed to confirm everything that they had been told. Jeff emerged from the taxi at the hotel too shaken from the journey to even notice what was more or less across the street from their venue; it was only as he opened the shutters on the windows of their room that he let out a gasp, and turned to his husband, his face aglow. "That's the Colosseum! We are so close to it…" Nick nodded, and went to join his husband in staring out the window at the remains of a building that was almost two millennia old. The painting from the 15th Century had been impressive, but before them now was something so historic that it made your head hurt to think about all that those stones had witnessed.

It was long before they were in the remains themselves, exploring every inch of the Colosseum, marvelling at its scale and just how much it resembled the great sporting stadiums of the current day; it reminded them of the times they had gone with Sebastian to watch Dave play in so many ways, but they knew that here there had been no ball games; instead, man had been pitched against man, or animal for that matter, in a battle to the death. That bloody part of its history did nothing to detract from the grandeur of the place.

They then carried on to explore the two neighbouring areas where so much of the history of Rome had been preserved; the Forum and the Palatine. They strolled amongst the buildings, some of them in ruins, but others so miraculously well preserved given just when they had been constructed. From the paintings in the private quarters of the House of Livia, via the frescos in the House of Augustus, to the walls decorated with elaborate stucco in the Cryptoporticus, the Palatine showed that it had been home to the wealthiest of the citizens of ancient Rome; the seat of the Emperors.

The Forum of course was much more for show; a patchwork of ruined temples, arches and basilicas, all of which lead them to wonder just how grand it had been when the city had been in its heyday. Jeff paused to sketch the Arch of Septimus Severus, built in the relatively recent 203AD, whilst Nick took the chance to more closely examine the marble panels which depicted the military triumphs of the Imperial Army. He did not realise that Jeff was sketching him in the archway as he did so, with the intention of redrawing it on a larger scale when he returned home, with his husband suitably clad as a centurion or gladiator. Then they headed on to visit the House of the Vestal Virgins, thinking of the fate of the poor young women involved, some of whom were commemorated in the statues that still lined the central courtyard.

Their steps would finally lead them up the Capitoline Hill, passing the Temple of Jupiter, to stand in the Piazza del Campidoglio, on the geometric pavement that had been designed by Michelangelo himself. It was after 6pm now, but the museums were still open; Jeff chose to enter the Palazzo dei Conservatore, heading straight up to the art galleries on the second floor, where he was once again soon standing in silent awe in a gallery of paintings by Titian, Van Dyck and Caravaggio. They were left with very little time to explore the sculpture gallery down below, but managed to see some that made them smile and pause. One in particular, a sculpture in bronze of a boy trying to remove a thorn from his foot held Nick's attention for some reason; he stared at the Spinario, marvelling at the fact that it was from the 1st Century BC, and still looked so new and fresh. For once, it was Jeff's turn to drag his husband out of a closing gallery, apologising to the guards as he did so.

They headed back to the hotel after that, pausing at a restaurant to eat dinner, a feast of pasta with fresh meatballs, which tasted so much better than any they had every had back home. The restaurant also sold a huge range of dried pasta that could be taken away, and they paused to look at all the varieties. It was Jeff that spotted the label first, and pointed it out to Nick. He laughed, and thought the same thing as his husband at once. They purchased three packs of ziti, known as bridegroom's pasta due to its shape. They decided that Santana would howl with laughter when she saw it, but that it would also be an unusual gift to give to Julian Smythe on the evening of his wedding…

The following day saw them embark on a trip to the Panthenon, the best preserved of all of the ancient buildings in the city. Nick was once more in silent awe of a building that dated back to the 1st Century AD, appreciative of the fact that generations of people had stood in the spot that he was in now, from the Imperial Romans onwards. It had of course been altered since then internally, but the great temple that had been dedicated to all of the Gods was still a fascinating place to visit. They moved on, and their route took them past the Trevi Fountain, and suddenly in his head, Nick heard the tune from the old film; he began to hum it as Jeff admired the elaborate design and stopped to sketch it. Eventually he paused to just stare at his husband as he hummed increasingly loudly, getting smiles from passers by that recognised it for what it was. People did stop to throw a coin in the fountain as they stood there, and in the end, once he had finished his sketch, Jeff dug into his own pocket and threw three Euro coins into the waters.

"You only have to throw in one, you know," remarked Nick.

"I know," replied Jeff, "but as I have already found my true love, doing that was only for show…."

Their steps then brought them to the Piazza di Spagna, and the foot of the Spanish Steps, which they climbed up to eventually turn at the top and take in the vista across the city from outside the Trinità dei Monti church. From there they could see across the river to the place that they would be spending their afternoon. Nick paused to take photos whilst Jeff just drank it all in, knowing he could draw it from those pictures later.

The stopped for a spot of lunch at Babington's Tea Rooms, somewhere that was so quintessentially English inside that they thought for a moment that they had managed to find a hole in space and time and step right back to the United Kingdom. The food served there was not in the least Italian, but the English muffins were delicious, and just the thing that they both needed for a light lunch. This done, it was off again, across the Tevere to visit the city within the city, and probably the smallest sovereign state in the world, The Vatican City.

To cross the expanse of the Piazza San Pietro was a strange experience; whilst neither of them were very religious, they had both seen those brief news clips of the Pope celebrating Christmas by making an address to the faithful people that had assembled in the exact place they were now walking, from a balcony only feet away. As a result, it felt almost like they were walking through a church; the number of clergymen and nuns strolling around adding to that whole sensation.

Their first port of call once they had entered the galleries was the Raphael Rooms, a suite in which the frescos had been created in the 16th Century. Each of the four rooms had Jeff spellbound as he admired the paintings that had been executed five centuries before; images which still looked so fresh and vibrant. He knew that the great artist himself had died before the work had been completed, the task having been completed by his assistants. He did not envy them at all in the magnitude of the task that had confronted them. From those rooms it was only a short walk to the most well known of the rooms, and that which Jeff had been anticipating the most - The Sistine Chapel.

Afterwards, both of them would say that seeing the single room so elaborately decorated by Michelangelo had left both of them struck dumb from the moment that they stepped through the door. The richness of the décor had them both staring in awe, overwhelmed by the place. They stood side by side, open-mouthed, causing a minor obstruction, but the curators had seen it all before. As one of them remarked, the Pope himself could have walked up to those two and they would never have noticed. They certainly did not notice the draught from those angelic wings as they were joined by first Wes, then Kurt, Blaine and finally Finn. The latter had come under protest, but in the end he was the most reluctant of them all to leave. If Wes noticed that Nick was praying silently under his breath, he said nothing about it; he was in fact praying too, knowing that the prayers that he was saying would be required in the immediate future by some of his friends…

That evening, Nick and Jeff enjoyed a leisurely dinner, before just strolling through the streets, arm in arm, just taking in the atmosphere. They could see why people said 'See Rome and die', although Nick was quick to point out that technically it was Naples that the phrase had originally named. They still had one more day in the city, and a list of museums and churches that they still wished to see, but both were in total agreement about one thing; coming to see Italy had been the most excellent of ideas. Jeff had seen so many artistic treasures that he felt inspired like he never had before, and his sketch pad was full of drawings that he would develop once he was back in his studio in the West Village. More importantly, it had given them the chance to discuss the question of who to choose as a surrogate, and on that they were now decided. All that they could pray for now was that the lady in question would be willing to accept the role…


	80. The Wedding of the Year

**The Wedding of the Year.**

Whilst Nick and Jeff had been exploring Italy, life for those back in New York had continued at a fever pitch, as everything built up to what was being described in some circles as the 'Wedding of the Year'. It was certainly going to be a stylish one, given that it involved a _Vogue_ editor. Some had expressed a little bit of disappointment that she was not marrying a celebrity of some sort, but others pointed out that she was marrying for love and that was far more important thing in a world that was seemingly obsessed with celebrity. At least the celebrity obsessed people could content themselves with the fact that his brother was one of the rising stars of Broadway…

Naturally, all of the young ladies that had been invited to attend the wedding hinted at the legendary closet at the magazine, and in a moment of weakness, Isabelle had agreed to let them all in to see if they could find something suitable for such a glamorous event. That had lead promptly to accusations of sexism, and a threat from a number of the young men invited that they would head down to K-Mart for the shiniest, poorly cut, cheapest suits that they could find. In the end, the issue was resolved to everyone's satisfaction, and all would be making a suitably glamorous appearance, though as Sebastian himself said, they wouldn't really be interested in taking pictures of the nonentities when the bride and groom were going to look so fantastic. Of course, his smile was all the broader when he alone knew that they had actually been married for months already…

Before that, of course, there was another event for which they would all be gathering. New York was the last venue on Mercedes' tour before she headed to her big finale at the Hollywood Bowl. She had originally intended to invite them all to see her perform there - after all, the private jet that she had at her disposal could bring them all to L.A. for free - but Kurt had been most anxious that she did no such thing. He pointed out all of the many pitfalls of such an adventure, most of which were so minor that she had almost ignored all of his protestations. Almost. His face had seemed so strained as she kept ignoring him that it had left her just a little scared. It was almost as if he knew something that would occur and ruin her big night if they were all there. She dismissed such notions, but agreed to his points; after all, she would have David, Jake and Unique there in the crowd, and that was enough…

Though she was unaware of it, her change of heart suited most of her friends in any case. The idea of travelling right across the country and then back again for one night was daunting, although they would have done so if she had insisted. The tour had been a big success so far, with sell out crowds in every location. Along the way, some old friends had made an appearance. At her show in Dallas, Matt Rutherford had made an appearance at the dressing room door immediately after the show, in the company of his new and charming girlfriend. He made Mercedes promise not to mention her existence to Mike. He intended to introduce her to his oldest friend when they went to New York in a few weeks, at the latter's invitation, to be the first guests to stay with Mike and Tina in their new home together.

Her show was being held in Madison Square Gardens, and the one that the bulk of her friends would see her in was on Saturday; she had been supposed to have the night off on Friday, but such was the demand from her fans to see her that she had agreed to an extra show. She had been about to start that show just as a tired but very happy Niff arrived back in the West Village, to be greeted with his usual warmth by Mike, and with the usual degree of indifference by Caleb. He initially played the martyr, as was his habit, protesting at the fact that the two humans had deserted him without any warning for weeks. It had been no hardship for him really, given the propensity of his Uncle Mike to hand out treats all the time… Still, it didn't hurt to keep the other two humans in his house on their toes…

Mike had cooked one of his legendary Chinese feasts for them, knowing full well that all Nick would want to do after his lengthy flight was flop down onto his bed and sleep. Bags were left packed in the hall as the two arrivals fell upon the delicious array of food. Nick was quiet, having not managed to catch a moment of sleep on the plane, but Jeff more than made up for that with his animated conversation about the beauties of Rome and how Mike simply had to take Tina there one day. Nick eventually went to fetch his camera, so that Jeff could illustrate his chat, and Mike had to admit that it all looked so breathtakingly beautiful, especially Venice.

Eventually though, Jeff's chatter slowed and then stopped abruptly as he fell asleep mid-sentence. Mike couldn't help but giggle, particularly when he noticed that Nick was virtually asleep too. "I think that you two should go to bed," he said, and Nick, stirring for a moment, nodded. With help from Nick, Mike managed to get Jeff up to his bed; in five minutes the two travellers were sound asleep under a blanket on the top of their bed.

Back downstairs, Mike cleared the table, feeding scraps of leftover chicken and shrimp to a grateful Caleb. "It will all be back to normal around here tomorrow," he said with a grin to the little cat as he stroked him gently.

Caleb did not appear to acknowledge him, focused as he was on his food, but in reality, he was hoping that it would be. He liked the routine that his three humans brought with them. He very much hoped that what Mike said was true, but he had a sense that something was about to change very soon. He had heard Mike talking to the other two, and that girl of his; plus he had seen boxes upstairs. He knew there was going to be an upheaval of some sort very soon…

The following morning saw a refreshed Nick back in the kitchen, rustling up pancakes for breakfast, whilst also preparing a batch of fresh cookies to restore the usual Jeff levels to the cookie tins. He sincerely hoped that it hadn't just been Mike that had been eating them whilst they had been away, given the volume that was missing; he suspected that Artie and possibly Sam had been round to visit for a games night and they had been consumed then. He had to admit that he would actually miss them coming round when Mike moved to his own house in the next couple of weeks. He was also sure that he would have to send an occasional batch of cookies over to that house too; Tina was not much of a baker, and although Mike could prepare a batch of cookies himself at a push, he did not have the natural flair that Nick did…

Still, he wasn't sure if he would have the time to do so much baking as he did now once he was working full-time. His mind wandered briefly to the prospect of being an actual, fully fledged lawyer, sitting in his own office, helping out the little people when the big firms attacked… Except that that wouldn't be the case, at least not at first. No, he would be a menial assistant with his own cubicle, sharing the services of one secretary and one paralegal with half a dozen others, and generally doing the mundane little jobs for the big shots above him. Still, that was how it worked; you started small and built things up from there. At least he was not being expected to fight the big cases alone yet, or defend someone that was obviously guilty of a crime. That would be an absolute nightmare for him, what with his great belief in justice for the little people and his commitment to the truth at all times in all things. In his mind, if someone was guilty of the crime they had been accused of, then they had to pay the price, no question of it… The smell of a pancake burning brought him back to reality. He dealt with the burnt one, and started afresh. He was sure it would all be fine when he did have to do it, but for now, it was a worry…

He did not have time to dwell on the issue in any case; he and Jeff had something much more important on their mind. They had made an arrangement to go and see the woman that they were going to ask to be their surrogate at lunchtime. They had not actually told her why they wanted to see her specifically, and in some ways that did seem quite unfair and devious to Nick. Jeff had argued that if they did say why beforehand, it might prejudice the decision. Nick was much more of a realist than his husband at times, and he knew better than to think they would get an answer that day, unless that answer was a flat out no. He had already prepared himself for the fallout from that answer being given, and as they headed to the meeting, he carried in his jacket pocket half a dozen of Jeff's favourite cookies, a big bar of chocolate, and a pack of red vines. As they sat down opposite the lady in question, he kept his fingers crossed and hoped all went well…

An hour later and they were on their way back home again with the knowledge that the answer had not been an outright no. True, it had not been the emphatic yes that Jeff had been hoping for either, but things did seem quite hopeful. She had told them she would have to talk it over with her partner, which was natural, but she herself could see no major reason as to why not, particularly after Nick had pointed out the main reason why they had elected to ask her first. She asked them to leave it with her, and promised that she would give them an answer within a couple of weeks. For Jeff the prospect was daunting; this was going to be the longest fortnight of his life so far…

That night though all of their cares were forgotten at the concert. Mercedes was in fine voice and thrilled them all with her song choices; most of which were new to them, tracks from her soon to be released second album, including some that she had written herself and one which David had actually written for her. He was there in the midst of them all, and although he had listened to her set several times now in cities across the country, he never tired of listening to the woman that he one day had high hopes of starting a family with. When the crowd cheered her time after time, his heart felt full and wonderful. The only clouds on his horizon were the prospect of those months when she was away on her world tour - there was no way that Google would let him have months off to fly around the globe with her, and he would miss her so much - and secondly, he felt that there was something, somewhere that was just off kilter; as if there was a fault in the world….

He had imagined at first that the prospect of heading back home the following week would have assuaged that, but if anything, that knowledge now seemed to make things worse. He had kept those uncertainties to himself though; Mercedes had enough to worry about of her own, and he didn't want to worry anyone else for something that was so trivial and stupid. Still, he was sure as he sat there that night in Madison Square Garden, Thad knew that there was something on his mind that was making him uneasy. Being the good friend that he was, Thad did not push David to tell him what was going on, but he felt that an angelic intervention in the situation might be no bad thing. After all, Thad always felt better when he confided all of his worries and problems in Wes, and even the latter's death had not altered that situation.

The day after the concert saw them all assembled together once more to celebrate the marriage of Julian and Isabelle. The latter was being dressed for the day by the best stylists that the city had to offer, all anxious to be part of one of the biggest weddings of the year; she might not have been all that famous, but her big day would be covered heavily by the magazine for which she worked. As for Julian, he found himself getting ready for the big event at Cooper's house in Murray Hill; it had been offered as a base as Sebastian's basement home was just too small, at least in the opinion of Grace, to prepare the groom for his day. He was quite calm and almost blasé about it all, to the surprise of everyone; it was left to Sebastian, dressed in the most immaculate and well made of morning suits, to flap and stress.

His eyes had almost popped out of his head earlier when Nick and Jeff had arrived and handed him the Ziti pasta to give to his brother; he had eyed it curiously and then had paled when they told him it was nicknamed bridegroom's pasta as it was shaped like a… Whilst his two friends had smirked, Sebastian had been slightly horrified, until he realised that Julian was in the room, and was now laughing his head off at the idea, and was quite positive that Isabelle would laugh nearly as much when he showed it to her.

Nick and Jeff, like most of the other Warblers, were dressed for the day in their formal uniforms, as they had agreed to Isabelle's request that they sing, and would also back Mercedes later at the reception, as a special favour to David, not that anyone was really too upset about being asked to back one of the biggest stars in music at the moment. David himself was not in uniform, but in a smart suit like Sebastian; he knew that he would be photographed later at the side of his famous girlfriend, and they both agreed he had to look the part.

Outside the sun was shining, and the whole world actually seemed quite calm, for once. Her preparations all now completed, Isabelle asked those assembled around her for a few minutes in her own, and they complied, thinking that it was so that she could gather her thoughts. Naturally, she had wanted everyone out of the room so that she could ask Kurt to come in and pass his judgement on her ensemble. His smile as he entered the room was all that she needed to know that in his opinion, she was perfect. His parting words only made her smile all the more - "It's much better than what you were wearing up in Vermont when you married him the first time…" She had known that he would know, of course, but it was still nice to have that suspicion confirmed by the man himself.

The ceremony passed off without a single hitch. The cameras of the paparazzi captured every moment, from the moment that Isabelle arrived in the vintage car outside the venue to the actual second that she and Julian were declared to be husband and wife, much to the jubilation of the assembled guests. The Warblers had outdone themselves, with the help of some of the New Directions, and everyone would later say that Mercedes had almost stolen the day from the bride with the intensity of her performance. Warm congratulations were shared, the first coming from Cooper and Rachel, both of whom had to rush off after the wedding to their respective afternoon shows. Sebastian had no such worries, but he did have a best man's speech to deliver…

He had written and then rewritten his speech for days, but in the end he had decided, after a little friendly advice from Wes, to take with him just a few short notes and speak entirely from the heart, off the cuff. He was still nervous as the day went on, but when the moment finally came, he knew suddenly what he could do to make sure everyone remembered his words. He stood up, and sang the start of his speech to a set of notes that was familiar to most of them - _"Hello! My name's Sebastian Smythe, and I would like to share with you the most amazing speech…"_ \- earning himself a whole lot of laughter right from the off. Those laughs calmed down the last nerves that were lurking inside him, and he was able to handle the remainder of his speech with no issues at all. He even managed to avoid the dubious territory of off-colour jokes that often dominated such speeches, constantly being aware of the presence of his nephew and his mother. He sat down at the end to a round of applause, and a whisper of "Well done!" from a friendly angel at his back…

The initial part of the reception had of course been very refined; everyone was on their very best behaviour whilst the press and Isabelle's boss, Ms Wintour, had been present. Thad had warned the Warblers beforehand that he would be keeping a very tight eye on them all; the last thing he wanted was that one of his friends would show themselves up in front of so many important people. Unlike so many other first dances at weddings they had all attended, here the first one was a waltz, to one of the great classic tunes; as Julian glided around the floor in absolute perfection, Sebastian silently mouthed his gratitude to Mike, who had once again worked his magic, and had turned Julian from a man with two left feet into one that gave at least the impression that he knew what he was doing. There was a lot of dancing, as all of the main people in the wedding party took turns to dance with each other, then selected guests.

Sebastian managed to earn himself more laughs when instead of taking his new sister-in-law for a spin around the floor, he grabbed his brother instead, allowing Julian to lead him once round the floor before convention meant he returned for Isabelle. As the day wore on, Sebastian found himself in the company of Claire, Peter's mother. They were both watching as Isabelle let Peter take her round the floor, earning themselves a lot of 'awws' from around the room.

"She is really lovely," Claire stated. "I was worried when he told me he was getting married, and I thought that she might be a bit of a snob, but she is so down to earth, and has been so kind. Julian has made a good choice there, and thankfully, she and Peter like each other, which is a massive bonus."

"Yeah," Sebastian replied. "There is nothing worse than a wicked stepmother, and trust me, I know all about that."

"That is the last thing that she is. She is more the fairy godmother in this tale. In fact, I would go as far as saying that should anything happen to me, I would be more than happy to know that she was there, because she would love my boy just as much as I do."

Sebastian regarded Claire for a moment after her words, then shook his head. "Well, that is academic, as such things are highly unlikely… However, I do agree that she would be there. After all, she already has one child to look after with Jules; what difference would a second one make…?" Claire laughed at those words, but suddenly for no explicable reason, Sebastian felt uneasy. He hoped to God that she had not just predicted an event they now didn't foresee, as he was quite certain that it would turn everything on its head if she was no longer around.

With the wedding over, the happy couple set off the following day on their honeymoon. They boarded the _Queen Mary_ for a voyage across the Atlantic in style, following that with a few days in London before heading for a few more in Paris. In a scene reminiscent of the liner departures of old, Sebastian and Peter found themselves on the quayside, waving furiously, as a band played and streamers and confetti fell around them, filling the air. Before the 'newlyweds' had boarded the vessel to sail off across the ocean, Julian had spent longer than usual hugging his son, telling him just how much he loved him and that he had to keep himself safe until he returned home, probably laden with gifts. He had already handed his son a book to read all about Europe, and promised he would tell him all about it when he got back.

Peter replied that he loved his father every bit as much, and he loved Isabelle too; he also said that he would be safe as he knew all of the rules and drills they went through for safety at school. Then he announced "Of course, mom and I went through all of the safety drills last week just before we left; she said that we needed a reminder." That phrase gave Julian cause to pause for a moment, and he did not know why. There was nothing to be done though, as at that moment the ship's horn blew, signalling that it was time for him to board with his wife. He pulled his son and his brother into one final hug each, and then headed aboard, dismissing the fear he felt as nerves about the crossing; after all, he had seen _Titanic_ …

Sebastian and Peter waited until the liner was almost out of sight before they turned round and headed back in the direction of the hotel where Peter had been staying with his mom for the wedding. It wasn't that far to walk, and they strolled along, happily chatting. Then Peter said, "Uncle Bazzy, have you ever been in an earthquake?"

"No, I haven't, at least not yet. Why do you ask; have you?" Sebastian replied with a faint smile.

"There was a little one just the day before we left, and it was scary, but I did all the drill as I was supposed to, and everyone said that I had done really well."

"Well, if it ever does happen again, you make sure and do exactly what you did that time, okay," replied Sebastian. He stopped, and pulled Peter into a hug, not knowing quite why he had the urge to. "Promise me that you will always do the things that grown ups have told you to in a situation like that. I didn't always when I was younger, and I ended up in trouble a few times. When you are older, and I mean a lot older, then I will tell you all about that…"

That night Peter and Claire joined David and Mercedes on the record company's jet for the flight back to L.A. Claire had demurred at first, but Mercedes had pointed out that first of all, the more people the plane carried, the better it was for the environment. There were seats available, and it was silly for her to pay for flights back when they could go free. Then of course Peter had found out about the offer, and he had been so excited about the prospect of flying in a private jet with a big star that she had been unable to say no. Sebastian did not have time to go with them to the airport to say goodbye, as he had to be on stage, so he had said his farewells in town. He had hugged Claire first, which left her bemused, and then told her to take care of herself and her boy. Then he had enfolded Peter to his chest for a very long time, leaving the boy a little startled, but happy nonetheless…

Then they were gone. As the taxi pulled away, Dave guided his husband back inside, and spoke. "Okay, so that was pretty full on, Sebby. You do realise that they are only going back to L.A., not the dark side of the moon?" He meant the words as a joke, but he stopped as Sebastian looked up and he saw that he had tears running down his face.

"I know, but…there is something nagging away at me, something that made me want to offer to let them stay here for a few more days; even just have Peter stay here for a little longer. I know that would be horrendously impractical, given that we both have work, but… I have a horrible feeling that there is something not right about all of this, something off with the world, and honestly, I am afraid I might not see them again…"

Then Sebastian began to sob, and Dave rushed over to take him into his arms. This was seriously out of character for his husband; he never let things bother him like this. All he could do was hold him, and hope that all of his fears would be misplaced…


	81. The Shake Up Part I

_Just a quick note to my regular readers about my posting schedule over the next few weeks. As I will be away from home, I intend to post on Thursday next, followed by Wednesday. Hopefully it will be normal after that. If I can post next Sunday, then I will..._

 **The Shake Up Part I**

The week immediately after Julian and Isabelle's wedding passed quickly. Sebastian managed to get past his fears, largely because he had so much on at work that he had no time to dwell on what might happen in the future. Julian too was able to dismiss his worries, as he enjoyed the high life on a transatlantic voyage; he had to agree that it really was the best way to cross over to Europe when Isabelle said it. True, there were still little moments when his blood ran cold for a second, but both he and his wife, whom he had confided in, agreed that it was just a minor worry. Then again, they had not been told that just an hour before Mercedes jet had touched down in the city, L.A. had been shaken by another quake, although it was dismissed as just another earth tremor, and no cause for concern. For most of the inhabitants the view was the correct one; after all, the city had so many from time to time that it was no longer a cause for concern…

The week had been a busy one for Mercedes, as she prepared for the culmination of her first big national tour. She was after all going to be performing in her dream venue before a sell out crowd at the Hollywood Bowl. She had rested for a few days after getting back to the city she thought of now as home, catching up on life there and just spending quality time with David alone. They both enjoyed it, but then on the Friday of that week it was time to face the inevitable and head back to work. They made the trip together out to the Hollywood Bowl, so that she could check up first hand that the set was being assembled correctly, and that all of her costumes, props and personal effects were in place in her dressing room.

When she arrived at the Bowl with David at her side, the place was a hive of activity, her entire entourage engaged in work to ensure that everything was perfect. She saw that her dancers and her backing singers were also there, rehearsing on stage in a set that was already built and ready. To her eye it all looked spot on, and she took a moment to stand there at the microphone stand centre stage, close her eyes, and just imagine what the place would be like the following day, with the crowd assembled before her and all shouting her name… When she did open her eyes once more, all she could see out in the auditorium area was David. To her delight, she saw that he was in the middle of a conversation with Wes, who hadn't been around as much as usual in the last few weeks…

David had been sitting in a seat, quietly contemplating the set from his position when Wes had suddenly materialised at his side. The stage at the Bowl was very different to that at the other venues that Mercedes had played, and so the whole set had been configured as a result in a very different way - and to his untrained eye, it just did not sit right…

"You're right, it does not look quite as perfect as it has done until now, but it does still look magnificent, at least from here, close to the stage. It might of course look very different to those that are seated right up at the back," mused Wes as he landed next to his oldest friend.

"You might have a good point there," David conceded, "and of course to Mercedes, those people are every bit as important, if not more so, than those seated down here at the front, that have paid the big bucks for the privilege. I should take a stroll up there and just check it out."

"You probably should, yes," Wes replied, "and tell that beautiful girlfriend of yours to take five minutes and head up there with you; she has plenty of time to get things right for her big show."

His last words were delivered in a tone that made David pause and stare for a moment, wondering why he seemed to be so determined that Mercedes should head up there with him. As ever, David bowed to what his friend was suggesting, and made his way over to the stage to speak to the love of his life. He did not see what was going on behind him as he did so; did not see Wes glancing with horror at his watch, or the looks of frustration and heartache he was giving to both of them as she tried to stay where she was… It was just as he was about to lose his cool, to blurt something out that she suddenly looked right at him, and then, whether it was because of something in his face or not, she changed her mind, and climbed down from the stage. She shouted to the others where she was going, and ignored the smutty comments that some of them made about why she was heading up there. What did strike them both as odd was the fact that as they made their way back through the ranks of seats, away from the stage, Wes simply smiled, and then vanished without a word of a goodbye…

Across town, Jake and Unique were both in the sitting room of the house that they shared with David; the former was playing a computer game, whilst the latter was reading a new and thrilling novel.

Not far away, Peter Smythe was in his bedroom, reading all about London in the book that his father had given him before he had left. Downstairs, his mom and grandparents were discussing a proposed trip up to Washington State the following week to visit family.

Back at the Bowl, David and Mercedes had finally reached the point behind the very last row of seats, an area clear of trees, and were now looking back down at the stage. Both had to admit that from up here, it certainly did not look as perfect as it had done from the front rows. They began to discuss what they should change…

Later, the scientists would say that the earthquake that struck Los Angeles at that moment, measuring nearly 10 on the Richter Scale, was actually the strongest earthquake to hit anywhere in the world in living memory.

As the tremor built up in violence, both Jake and Unique concluded suddenly that the advice that it was best to stay inside was wrong on this particular occasion. As they half ran, half stumbled from the house, they grabbed for their most important documents, stored in boxes at David's insistence, and grabbed his too from his room. On instinct whilst he did so, Jake also grabbed the framed photo that Thad had left him when he had moved out and headed back east. Then they were out on the lawn, which was rippling like a stormy ocean. The look they both saw on each other's face at that moment was enough to tell them that they both thought that this was hell on earth…

Nearby a young boy abandoned his new book on the top of his bed, and half rolled, half dived underneath it, grabbing for his favourite toy as he did so. As the crashing noises around him grew, so did the sounds of screaming and yelling, and suddenly, clearly amongst the whole cacophony of sound he heard someone yell out his name. He could not go to his mom, he had to stay where he was, where it was safest, and then the bright room suddenly went dark as the floor and walls seemed to collapse around him…

At the Bowl, the initial tremor had seemed like nothing special, but then at once it was as if the whole world was shifting below David and Mercedes, the ground almost becoming liquid in character. Mercedes suddenly found herself knocked off her feet and flung down on the ground face first; it had not been the earthquake that had caused it, but her companion, who then flung himself on top of her, trying to protect her as the earth moved in a terrifying, unnatural way. They could hear crashing; a great rending noise as if the world was being torn asunder. There were human screams, growing in intensity, but then, just as quickly as they began, they fell silent…

As the whole city shook, all that the residents had ever known was at risk from a wave of destruction. Across the metropolis, clocks juddered to a halt at the moment the worst came, recording for ever that it had all happened at 7:13pm…

Across on the east coast, hundreds of miles away, the heart of a young Broadway star was suddenly troubled, for no apparent reason….

A teacher in an Ohio school found that his mind was suddenly screaming in warning that something, somewhere, was very, very wrong…

On an ocean liner, a honeymooner suddenly sat bolt upright in bed, gasping for air and drenched in sweat, his new wife waking up next to him and wondering what was so wrong…

Meanwhile, high above them all, four angels crossed their fingers, and hoped. Then they got themselves ready for the work that would occupy their every waking moment for the next few weeks; assisting an overwhelmed California section…

For all those that were present in the City of Angels at the moment that the earthquake struck, the shaking seemed to carry on for hours on end, never seemingly reducing in intensity; if anything, it seemed to worsen as the time went on. It would later be revealed to them all that the quake itself lasted for just less than a minute, but it had been a devastating and fatal one.

Up at the Hollywood Bowl, David's first reaction as the ground began to move was that it was just another tremor, and he had not been unduly concerned as the ground began to shake. As the shaking had become more and more violent though, he quickly realised that he had got that wrong, and this was not going to be a run of the mill event. Sure, there had been a reasonably substantial quake during his freshman year at UCLA, and it had been quite the wake up call for himself and Thad. That quake was nothing now in comparison to what was unfolding. He became acutely aware of his surroundings all of a sudden, looking out for any danger overhead, but with a start he noticed that here there wasn't anything at all; in fact, he and Mercedes were standing in the one place in the entire area where there was nothing that could fall upon them. It would be staying upright themselves that would be the issue, and he guessed that if they fell without warning, they could easily wind up being hurt… With that thought in his head, he had pushed Mercedes to the ground, face first, and then, just in case of flying debris, he lay on top of her, shielding her head with his body as he placed his hands over his own. His first priority was protecting the woman that he loved and cared for with all his heart. The ground beneath them was bucking and swaying now, and he found it hard to maintain his position. His ears were being assailed by the sound of crashing as the world around the was being torn apart; as everything began to disintegrate. The noise drowned out most of the screaming. To his horror he realised that as the shaking went on, the screaming lessened and then stopped; and in his mind, that could mean only one thing…

His heart immediately ached for the people that they had left behind, back on the stage. He had become so familiar with all of them in the course of the last few weeks and was on first name terms with so many of them. The majority of them were fairly young, and every bit as excited to be out on the road performing as Mercedes had been. They had families, friends and partners, all of whom would be left devastated by their demise, if indeed what he was surmising had taken place. Then again, if those people had also been here in the city… It was so lucky that they had been here, out of harm's way…

'And that is entirely thanks to Wes,' he suddenly thought. He got it now; why Wes had been so insistent that they come up here to check things out. He had known that this was coming, and had made a life-saving suggestion to his best friend. It was not an intervention per se, as he had been considering heading up here at some point. But if it hadn't been for Wes, would he have come up here at the right moment? Would he have brought Mercedes with him? He silently thanked God for his angelic friends, and just hoped that Wes would not end up in trouble for what he had done. He wondered if someone had made a similar visit to Jake and Unique… He hoped beyond all hope that those two were safe; the whole of his house could be reduced to a pile of rubble, just as long as those two were alive, and not badly hurt…

It was then that he came back to reality; then that he noticed that the world was no longer moving beneath him like the swell of a stormy ocean. The air was no longer filled with the sound of things being torn apart; instead there was an eerie silence, punctuated only by the sound of his own breathing, and that of another human being. That latter was a comfort, but the lack of cries for help from elsewhere was not… He slid of Mercedes gingerly, and then just lay by her side for a moment. "Mercedes, are you okay," he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. There was silence for a terrible moment, and he thought the worst, until there came words that filled his heart with a little joy once more.

"I think so, although being body slammed into the ground face first isn't exactly the best or most romantic of things in the world… I get why you did it though, and I am glad that you did. I just laid here and prayed to everyone that would listen for it all to end…"

"I did as well. I think Wes…"

"He knew," replied Mercedes. "Couldn't come right out and say it, but he knew. When I think about it, Kurt and Blaine were acting strangely too last time I saw them… And this must be why Kurt was so insistent that I didn't ask everyone to come here to see me perform; he had to keep as many people he cared about out of danger as he could. We'll have to thank them, but I have a feeling that might have to wait a while; they'll be busy for days…"

"Yeah," said David with a shiver. "This was no ordinary quake; that was the big one, the one they've predicted and feared here for decades. I think there will be a lot of people that have just earned their wings…"

There was silence then as they both just lay there and contemplated what he had just said. Then Mercedes announced, "Well, we can't lie here forever. We need to get up and see if anyone needs our help, and then we need to get out of here. I want to go home, back to Ohio - and right now, I might just stay there forever. First, we need to check on the others…" She paused, seeing that whilst she was talking, David had risen to his feet, and had turned to face the Bowl. His face was strained, so grim at what it was that he could see. Mercedes could guess what he was seeing, and it broke her heart. She wasn't sure if she was strong enough to face it herself…

David found it impossible to speak. Not less than 5 minutes earlier, he and Mercedes had walked up here from the iconic stage; through all of the rows of seating to stand here, looking down at the venue as it nestled amongst the trees. It was all gone. The stage was nothing more than a mangled pile of rubble, all traces of the actual set for the show gone. Those on it, or working around it had been given no opportunity to escape when disaster struck. The sloping seating had slid forward down the hill towards it, as the earth below it had slipped, and that had begun just feet from where they had been lying. As for the trees, they had more or less all been felled, the few that still stood having been gouged apart, looking as if someone had taken a giant axe to them and reduced them to matchwood. He had seen many disaster movies over the years, not to mention the harrowing TV footage of places elsewhere that had been devastated by natural disasters, but there was nothing that could prepare you for the harsh reality of it actually happening to you. Nothing at all…

"It's bad, isn't it?" came Mercedes' voice into his consciousness. "It had to be, with the way that the ground was moving, but I am guessing…"

"It's all gone. All of it. The whole world has been turned upside down. What makes it worse is the silence. You get so as you never notice the background hum of the city as it goes along, but now… There's no traffic noise, no sirens, no voices…"

"Well, we can't be the only people left alive in the city; that isn't an option," responded Mercedes forcefully. "Do we need to go down to the stage, or…"

"I don't think it would be worth it. Even if by some miracle someone has made it through the quake, and survived the collapse of everything that was there on top of them, they would be so badly hurt, and there is nothing that we could realistically do for them to help…" David stopped, as he had to wipe tears out of his eyes, then he held out a hand to Mercedes to help her to her feet. "We do need to head towards my place and see what has happened there though. It would be nice to just head out of the city right now, and it is so tempting, but promises were made. It isn't our fault, but we did say that we would take care of them, and even if…"

"We have to go and see for ourselves, one way or the other," answered Mercedes. She had made it to her feet, but was keeping her back firmly to the stage, not trusting herself not to fall apart if she looked down there. She was grateful that she had been wearing sneakers for the rehearsal; after all, they would have a long walk back to the western side of the city, and to whatever remained of the house that David had called home for so long…

It was not an easy walk by any means. The access road to the Bowl was littered with fallen trees, and cracked and shattered in many spots. Water was running down part of it from a fractured main, but the flow was starting to dwindle; after all, the pumps that drove the water had failed as the quake cut off the electricity supply. There were also downed electricity and telephone cables to contend with too, the former sparking at one point, a sign that not all of the power was out. The roads and streets that they walked along as the sun began to set over the ocean were no longer lined with smart houses or apartment blocks, but large piles of rubble instead, some of it strewn over the streets themselves. There was a strong smell of gas in some parts, and in others there were fires burning out of control. And yes, there were bodies; people that had been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and had not stood a chance…

They walked on, hand in hand. They found a hardware store on one street, the building largely intact but deserted. David had made Mercedes wait outside as he climbed through the smashed display window into the store itself, quickly locating torches and batteries; they knew after all that even the few street lamps that were still standing would not light that night. They came across a diner not much further on, and spotted a refrigerated cabinet that still somehow had cans of soda and bottles of water in it; and also a quantity of wrapped sandwiches. They ate, glad of the food and drink, sitting on a bench that was twisted out of shape, but still had surface that they could sit on reasonably comfortably. It was whilst they were there that David suddenly had a thought, and he headed back to the hardware store. He discovered that it did have a section with camping goods; he collected four rucksacks, sleeping bags, a camping stove, with the necessary gas canisters, plates, cutlery, a kettle and mugs. He was going to leave money for the proprietor, but then he spotted an arm sticking out from a collapsed area of the shelving, and he knew that it would be pointless…

Along the way they also felt aftershocks, none of them that strong thankfully, but still so disconcerting to them both. As the sun finally set in the west, they were still some way from home; they decided to keep on going, moving along in the light of a single torch beam, ignoring the orange glow behind them that came from the centre of the city, which seemed to have been consumed in a massive fire. They had looked back at first, but the combination of missing landmark buildings and the towering infernos that were the skyscrapers that had survived was just too much to stomach. Both of them could only think of Jake and Unique though, praying that they were okay, but getting more worried about what they would find as they passed more and more destruction.

It was almost midnight when they finally reached the last street corner on their journey, and were at the start of the long street that passed by David's front door. It was there that they got a massive surprise; there was a cell phone mast there, and although it was twisted and hanging down, it still had on the red lights that indicated it had power. It took them a few moments though to comprehend what that might mean; it might mean that they would get a signal…

Mercedes did not have her phone with her; she had left it in her bag when she had gone up to the back of the auditorium with David, and it was now crushed along with everything else that had been inside it. David was able to pull his out of his pocket though, and turn it on, glad that he always kept it charged and used a battery saving mode. To his delight, he saw that he had bars; not many, but enough. The problem now was exactly who he should call. It was just before 11pm in the remains of the city, which made it just before 2am on the east coast where the majority of his friends and his mother lived. She was still his first thought though, but just as quickly he dismissed the notion. Waking her up now would do nothing more than worry her to death, and to do so was pointless. There was also no point in calling up the emergency numbers stored in his phone; there did not appear to be any kind of emergency services in L.A. anymore.

Then he knew who to call; the person that had told him that he could call him any time, day or night, and he would always answer. He pressed the speed dial code for them, and crossed his fingers as the number was contacted, and as the call was connected. The sound of it ringing on the other side of the country, normally such a mundane occurrence was now the greatest sound ever. Then it stopped, and a very sleepy sounding voice said "David!? You do recall perchance what time it is here?"

"Thad, you need to listen, as I might not have long. The big one has come. Everything is gone. I am okay, and so is Mercedes, but we aren't sure about Jake and Unique yet."

There was the shortest of pauses, and then a much more awake Thad said, "The big one! Holy hell… Okay, I get it. What can I do?"

"Call my mom, let her know I am okay; get her to call the Jones' too. Keep your phone on. As soon as I know about the others, I will call you again, okay?"

"Right, I will do, but David, what about Sebastian's nephew? Could you check on him too?"

David suddenly remembered that he and his family existed, and instinctively replied "I will do. Right, talk later Thaddie." He hung up before his friend could reply. Turning to Mercedes, he said, "Peter Smythe. We need to check up on him and his mom too. They live so close to me, and I'd plain forgotten…"

"I'd forgotten about them too," confessed Mercedes, in a quiet voice. "But yes, we have to check on them too. If anything has happened to them…" She said no more. David pocketed his phone, and the two of them set off again, walking the last few yards to the place that he had called home…

At Dalton, Thad had been unable to just return to his bed; he was now in his sitting room, scanning the news channels. To his surprise, there was no mention whatsoever of the quake on any of them. He found that strange at first, given the way that news was so instantly given in the modern age, but then he realised why; things had to be so bad over in Los Angeles that they did not want to worry those on the east coast in the small hours of the morning. He decided that he would leave making the promised call to Mrs Thompson until a better hour; in fact, he would go and actually tell her the news face to face. He shook his head at the prospect, then went online to see if there was any news available on there. Naturally enough there was nothing, although he did notice one thing. The website of the Los Angeles Times was offline, as were the majority of the Hollywood based blogs. That was confirmation that something major had happened in the city…

It was those showbiz pages that made him realise that there was someone else that he should contact; someone else that was blissfully unaware and deserved an early warning of what had occurred. He had a feeling that there would be no need to call up Puck to let him know about Jake, as the military were probably the only group that had been made aware, as they would be drafted in from across the country to help with the rescue effort. Sebastian though would be as much in the dark as everyone else, and it unthinkable to Thad that he should find out from the television news in the morning when he was aware of what was going on right now. It would also give him a chance he hoped to contact Julian, and break the news to him, a task he did not envy him. He checked the clock, and noticed it was fast approaching 3am. He dialled the number, and braced himself for a string of expletives from the other end of the line…

Sebastian was sitting as it happened in the living room of his home in Murray Hill at that moment, as he had been unable to sleep. Something had started to worry him as he left the theatre, and that uneasy feeling had not yet abated. He had decided that there was no point in even trying to sleep, and rather than disturb his husband, he had come to sit in the other room and try and work out what was so wrong.

When his phone began to ring, it was a shock, and when he saw who it was that was calling, he hesitated to answer it at all. He knew instinctively that Thad was not calling for a pleasant chat, not at this time of night. His phone did not stop ringing, and so in the end he picked it up with a shaking hand. "What's happened Thad? Something has to have, or there is no way you'd be calling me at this time of night…"

"Yeah…so, are you sitting down?"

"Just tell me Thad…"

"David just called me; they've had an earthquake in L.A. - and he says that it was the big one…"

Thad got no further; Sebastian's quick brain put two and two together, and suddenly he knew exactly why he had been so troubled all night. Peter was there, in that old wooden house, which wouldn't have stood a chance in a big quake… He did not even know he had dropped the phone and was screaming in agony until Dave rushed in and grabbed him. He fell into his husband's arms and sobbed, not even able to tell his questioning husband why he was doing so. Seeing the phone on the floor, Dave picked it up, and then Thad repeated the message to him in a tearful voice. Dave managed to get as far as thanking him and hanging up before he too burst into floods of tears at the thought of what might have happened to that poor little boy…

Eventually Dave realised that Sebastian was no longer crying, and that his screams of pain and anguish had stopped. He was still however trembling like a leaf in his arms. He guided him back to the chair in which he had been sitting before Thad had called and sat next to him, holding his hands gently in his own. "Sebby," Dave began, "I know that this is no comfort, but there is nothing that we can do about this. Thad told me that he has asked David to go and check things out, and we both know that is exactly what he will do. Until we discover what he finds in L.A., all we can do here is cross our fingers and pray. Peter is a sensible kid, he's smart, and you told me that he knew exactly what to do in a situation like this."

"Knowing what he needed to do is one thing; but in the actual event, will he have done those things? I've had an uneasy feeling about something for hours; I knew that somewhere, someone I love had just seen things go very badly wrong. Now that I know why I felt like that, it's worse!" sighed Sebastian. "It's worse, because now I have to make another call. After all, the _Queen Mary_ is due to dock in Southampton today, and so that makes them five hours ahead. Jules will be awake, and he can't find out something like this from a news broadcast."

"Sebby, there is nothing on the news…"

"Not yet, but there will be soon enough, and then… I can't have him finding out from the BBC that his son has been caught up in a huge natural disaster, not when I know, because I would never be able to forgive myself for not saying anything. If the worst has… I have to tell him. I don't have a choice. I have to…"

It took a glass of brandy before Sebastian could actually bring himself to dial the number that his brother had supplied him with for emergencies whilst he was on board the ship. At first, he thought that he had dialled incorrectly, as there was nothing but a stony silence on the line, but eventually the call connected, the result of the wonders of modern satellite technology. He heard the phone at the other end ring for what seemed like hours before it was eventually answered by an operator. Then he was but through to his brother, who answered with a cautious greeting; after all, there was no caller display at his end.

"Jules, it's me. Is Isabelle with you?" began Sebastian.

"She's here, yeah - and the fact that you asked that, and you're calling already has me worried. What is it Sebastian? What has happened?" replied Julian.

"Can I quickly say hi to my sister-in-law first?"

"Look, I will put the call on speakerphone! My love, it's my little brother, and he doesn't think you are here; could you say something for me?"

Isabelle spoke, and Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief that at least he wasn't alone. "Right, okay…this is so hard…there's no easy way… Thad just called me; he had a call from David Thompson. Jules, the big one that everyone feared has happened. According to David, L.A. is a pile of rubble…"

The silence that followed his words was the longest of Sebastian's life so far. It was broken by a half strangled cry of "Peter!"

"David is going to go and check up on him, okay. I just… It's not even on the television yet, which in this day and age means that it must be very bad, and someone is censoring the story right now…"

"We will be on the first flight back we can get," replied Isabelle, in a tearful voice. "Julian's fainted…" she added, which did nothing to soothe Sebastian. "Thank you for calling; it can't have been easy for you. If you hear anything…"

"I will call, good or…"

"It will be good," interjected Isabelle forcefully. "It has to be…"

"Yeah," said Sebastian, praying with all of his heart that it would be…


	82. The Shake Up Part II

**The Shake Up Part II**

When David had called Thad, he had been less than half a mile from home. He could normally cover that short distance in a few minutes, but as he and Mercedes finally reached his block, a glance at his watch told him that it had taken him three times as long. There had been so much debris to climb over, so many things to pretend that he wasn't seeing. The neat orderly neighbourhood that he had left that morning was almost totally wiped out, the houses that had seemed so substantial then being reduced to little more than heaps of rubble. He blocked out the sight of the handful of bodies that he could actually see, and hoped that Mercedes was able to do the same. The thing that haunted him most was not those remains, but the fact that in the whole course of their walk from the Bowl, they had not seen or heard another living soul. They had seen other living beings though, with wings like their friends, engaged in their essential task. If they even saw two living humans in the midst of the devastation, they did not acknowledge them; nor, focussed solely on getting home, did they attempt to speak to them. After all, each one they saw meant another death.

Now as he neared home, David realised that his footsteps had begun to slow and falter; his mind was saying that given all that he had witnessed so far, it might be better not to go on and confirm what he now feared so much. In his mind he could almost imagine arriving at the house just in time to witness Kurt and Blaine coming for the souls of his two roommates... It would be easy just to pretend that they had been there and checked…

"We can't," came a voice, and he realised that he had spoken his thoughts out loud. "We will have to look everyone else in the face after this, and I can't lie to Puck. I just can't."

David nodded at Mercedes, then rallied himself, building up the courage to walk those last few yards to arrive at his home. The first thing he realised to his horror was that there had been a fire, and his house was charred as well as collapsed. The fire was still burning on one spot in the middle of the lawn. To his absolute delight, he saw that there were two wingless figures sitting by that blaze…

Jake and Unique had not had the easiest of times from the moment that they had run out of the house in terror as the quake had struck, disobeying all of the official advice in doing so. They had always been told to remain indoors and shelter under a strong part of the structure, such as a doorframe. At first, they thought that they had made the biggest mistake of their lives. Having made it to the centre of the lawn with difficulty, so that they would be clear of falling trees and street lamps, they were both flung to the ground as the earth started to roar up and down below them. Jake instinctively crawled towards Unique, grabbing her hand, grateful to feel its warmth even as it trembled with fear. The shaking seemed to be getting worse moment by moment, and with it the sound of crashing as all around them the world was ripped apart. Jake found himself praying, and knew that Unique was doing the same.

Then there was a horrendous groaning noise, followed almost immediately by an explosion and a sudden burst of heat. At that moment, Jake began to feel that this was the end, that they were not making it out alive; but then, the ground stopped moving so violently underneath him, and although the crashing carried on, the shaking ceased as abruptly as it had begun. How long the two of them lay there on the lawn, in silence, they would never know; they were unwilling to get up in case it all started up again. Eventually, with caution, Jake lifted his head; one look at the scene before his eyes made him want to close them and not open them again, hoping it was just a trick of the imagination. But he knew, in his heart, that it was all too real. He managed to raise himself up on all fours, before gently helping Unique up too, then just sitting there, stunned and dazed, as they drank in the new reality around them.

It was Unique that broke the silence. "We did the right thing. If we had stayed in the house…"

Jake nodded, his eyes once more viewing what amounted to the complete destruction of his life. How much of the house had still been standing at the moment that the electricity pylon had crashed onto it, crushing all that remained under its weight as it did so, was academic. The sparks from the severed cables had ignited a fireball which had immediately engulfed the entire property. Even if they had managed to survive the house falling on them, they would have been incinerated moments later by the flames. They hadn't been, but he knew in his heart that the bulk of their neighbours had not been so lucky. They were not that close to any of them, just greeting them as they passed in the street, but he just had a horrible feeling that they were alone in the area at the moment. There were no calls for help, or of other people's names; no sound of anyone digging frantically in the ruins of their homes. On top of that, there's was not the only house that was being consumed by fire.

"What should we do, Jake? My first instinct is to get the hell out of town, but…"

"David and Mercedes; we need to find out what has happened to them," said Jake, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He noticed that the screen was cracked, no doubt when he had been thrown to the ground. It still switched on though, but were the bars would normally be he saw the words _No Service_. He tried to make an emergency call, but that too was impossible; all of the networks were down. He sighed, then spoke again. "As I see it, we have two options. We head towards the Bowl and try and find them, or we stay here, in the knowledge that they will head here to check on us if they are still…"

"Don't say it!" gasped Unique. "I vote we stay here, at least until tomorrow. If we go walking off, we could miss them on the way. They will come here, because of the promise they made to us, and to Puck. We make ourselves as comfortable as we can, and wait."

"Until tomorrow; if they aren't back by lunchtime tomorrow, then we head out," replied Jake. With a little reluctance, Unique agreed to his plan.

It was Jake that decided that they should build the fire in the middle of the lawn, and did so for two reasons; firstly, he knew that it could get cold at night, even at this time of year, and there was no potential shelter to retreat into; and secondly, it would provide them with light, given that the power was gone. It was easy to gather the wood that they needed from the destroyed trees that now littered the neighbourhood. Another stroke of luck was that although Jake's car had been crushed at the front by a falling tree, the back was okay; he could still access the trunk and retrieve the small tool kit he kept for emergencies. Inside it he had a small axe, which allowed them to chop up the larger chunks of wood. He also kept an emergency stash of food and water in the trunk, and that was equally welcome. In the course of his scavenging for wood, Jake had come across one of the neighbours, but it had been far too late to help them…

He had said nothing to Unique, not wishing to upset her any more than he had to. It was the total silence that had descended on the city that made things worse; not even the birds were singing, all having abandoned the city in fear. As the sun set on the City of Angels, the night fell, and soon it was pitch black outside the glow of their fire. The nickname for the city was never more apt than now; try as hard as they might, they could not stop thinking about all the friends that they had potentially lost in a few moments of mayhem. Unique fell asleep in the end, leaning on Jake, but he was determined to stay awake as long as he could. In his head he hoped that his brother was already on his way with the rest of the air force. He mused on that for a while, until he was disturbed by a noise, as someone's foot disturbed the rubble…

Jake would later confess that his first reaction on hearing that movement was to grab for his axe; the city had its moments of lawlessness. It appeared that the usual forces of law and order had ceased to exist, and he would now have to defend himself against anyone that made to attack. In the darkness of the ruined city, unlit in a way it had never been in generations, it was only at the last moment as his hands tightened around the handle of the axe that he was able to distinguish who it was. To suddenly see those two familiar faces filled his heart with a joy that was unparalleled in his lifetime; it was the confirmation that in the face of such devastation, at least two of the people that he thought of as friends had made it. He leapt up from his spot, jolting Unique into wakefulness. Moments later all four were in a tight group hug, relief filling all of them. No-one said that they had been thinking the worst, but they all knew it had to have crossed each others minds.

As Unique and Mercedes settled down by the fire, David took Jake off to one side to talk to him. "It's the whole city that is like this; not one corner seems untouched by a wave of devastation. On our way here we didn't seen one other living soul; certainly none of the emergency workers that should be teeming on the ground just now. We did see…" David stopped and shivered, and Jake placed a hand on his shoulder, knowing full well what he was talking about.

"I know; I saw a few around here too, whilst I was gathering the wood for the fire. And angels; dozens of them... Look, I think that as soon as the sun rises, we need to head out of here. Puck always told me that if this happened, I should head to a certain spot, and that is exactly where I propose we should go."

David nodded. "I agree, and Puck will have knowledge that makes his judgement better than ours. However, there is something that we have to do first. Believe it or not, the cellphone tower up at the very top of the street is still working, just, and so I was able to make a call to Thad. He reminded me of something, and so there is somewhere I have to go first thing; someone I have to check on, although to be honest, given all that I have seen, I don't hold out much hope. I have promised to head a few blocks over, and go and see what had happened to Sebastian's nephew…"

Jake sucked air in through his teeth, then sighed. "You're right, he lives… David, judging by all that we have seen, I would say that the chances he has made it at very, very slim. If I recall, his home was an old one, and looked a little ramshackle. It was just wood, and that will just have gone in seconds. On top of that, there have been fires…"

"I know, I know, but I promised that I would look. I owe that much to Sebastian. What if by some miracle he has made it, and I don't go, and he ends up dying, scared and alone? No, it won't take me all that long to go over, and at least then I will be able to look Seb in the face…"

"Okay, but there is no way you are going alone."

"I'm not prepared to risk…"

"And I am not prepared to face the others if I let you go alone, and there is a big aftershock, and you don't make it back."

"I say that we all go together," said Mercedes, startling them. "There is no way that I am letting you out of my sight, David Thompson. I have lost far too many other people today, and I am not going to lose you."

"And that goes for me too," added Unique. "We go as a group, or not at all."

David suddenly felt so torn between his duty to his Warbler brother and his duty to protect the three people in front of him. Part of him now wished that he had said nothing to Jake; that he had just waited until they were all asleep, and then left a note and headed out alone. Now, he had no other option that to agree to their frankly dangerous demands…

They all agreed that there was no point in adding to the danger, and that they should wait until sunrise to head over; they should all attempt to get some rest. The lawn was not exactly comfortable to lie on, but it was safe, and they all soon dozed off. It still seemed like only seconds later that the light of the early morning woke them all up. The fire was still burning somehow, and they had food and water left for breakfast from the items David and Mercedes had scavenged the night before, but it was a poor substitute for coffee and pancakes. Then it was time to go, to leave what had once been such a happy home, with nothing but the three prepared grab bags. David had not yet opened his, and did not know that there was an extra item in it.

The walk to the house where Peter Smythe, his mother and grandparents lived should not have on a normal morning have taken more than ten minutes at a leisurely stroll. It took almost ten times as long that morning, as they negotiated the fallen debris, a torrent of water running from a burst water pipe, and a section of road that had now been folded almost vertical. They passed the little convenience store they had all used at one time or another, and saw that it had partially collapsed. Unfortunately, it was the area where the clerk had been stationed that had been crushed almost flat. The windows were all shattered, and they could see all of those supplies just waiting in there…

With a good selection of practical foodstuffs, they carried on, to discover what they had all been expecting. The house was just a pile of broken and shattered wood, with no obvious signs of life. David felt his heart rip in two the moment he viewed it, and pictured the look on Sebastian's face as he had to break the news to him; worse still, he could see Julian's face too as he told him that his only child was dead. Mercedes was in tears at his side, and the other two just averted their eyes from the spot, trying to blank it out. All of their effort had been for nothing it seemed…

And then he heard it.

A tiny, faint noise. A whimper of fear…

"David, we need to go. We have to get out of here. That hillside up above the house looks like it could give way at any moment. If there is an aftershock, and we all know that is highly likely, then it will go, and if we are here…" began Jake quietly, placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"I heard something. I think that he is alive under all that. I heard him," David replied.

"David, I know you want him to be, but how can he be? The whole house is in bits, and at the back there is a huge boulder, that has crushed one corner totally flat…" said Jake.

"I heard something, and if we all could just be quiet for a second, maybe we would all be able to hear it!" David barked back.

Jake looked at David as if he was mad after his sudden outburst; Mercedes just shook her head sadly, whilst Unique stared at her shoes - and then it came again, and this time they all heard it. It was faint, but it was unmistakeably a whimper. Mercedes gasped, as Jake and Unique at her side started in horror. David meanwhile just thanked whatever God had heard him and let the noise come once more.

Resisting the temptation to say that he had told them so, knowing they all already felt guilty, he shouted "Peter! Peter Smythe! It's your Uncle Bazzy's friend, David. If you can hear me, say something back!"

The silence that followed seemed to last an eternity, but in reality it was no more than a few seconds before a small voice said, "Hello! Is that really someone?"

"Yes honey, it's David and Mercedes Jones. You were at your dad's wedding…"

"…and you sang. Please help me! I'm stuck and I can't get out!"

"Where are you stuck?" asked David.

"Under my bed. When the earthquake came, I remembered what we were told at school, and as I was upstairs and the house was moving so much, I just hid under the bed…but then everything fell down, and now I can't get back out. I didn't think anyone was coming, because I shouted for help, but nobody came…"

Outside on the street they all heard the note of despair in his voice, the tears that had come or would do soon. However, the task that they now faced was a daunting one to say the least. Somewhere under a pile of broken wood, smashed tiles and mangled pipework was a small boy, the nephew of a friend. They could not leave him now, having raised his hopes, as they would never be able to forgive themselves, but where on earth did they begin?

It was Mercedes that realised that they needed to narrow things down. "Okay, Peter. Is your bedroom at the front or the back of the house?"

"It was at the back," came his response, sounding so final and resigned.

"On the left or the right if you were standing in the street?" she continued; the others looked at her questioningly, given that the right hand side of the house was squashed flat by the boulder. "He doesn't need to know about that just yet," she whispered, as he replied it was on the left. Carefully, David and Jake made their way around the remains of the house, taking care not to stand on any wires, or on broken glass. It looked as if Peter had been very lucky indeed, as the mound of debris was not much higher than a bed's height, and that was also a positive for them. "Okay Peter, was your bed near the windows, or the middle of the house?" Mercedes continued.

"The middle…"

"Right, Jake, we need to see if we can lift that big piece of roof over there up without disturbing anything else; maybe it would be better just to remove it tile by tile to be sure…" said David. Jake nodded, and began to help him in removing the tiles from a panel of the roof that was still more or less intact, and lying right across the spot where they reckoned that Peter's bed would lie.

They were soon joined in their work by Mercedes and Unique, all working to lift tiles, rafters and boarding as they tried to reveal the topside of the ceiling that had crashed down. All the time that they worked they continued to chat to the young boy below them, silently cheering as he told them it didn't seem so dark anymore, and then he yelled that he could see light. The four friends paused in their task, and saw it; the hole in the broken ceiling, no more than six inches across.

"That is where the light is coming in; we need to make that wider, but very carefully," said David, and then he asked, "Peter, is the light coming in at your feet, or your head?"

"Kind of in the middle."

"Is your head facing towards the outside, or the inside of the house?" David asked next.

There was a pause, and then Peter replied, "The outside…"

"Okay, so we are going to start breaking through the ceiling so that we can get you out, but I need you to turn your face away from the light, so that if we make splinters and dust, it doesn't get in your eyes, okay?"

"Okay, David, I'm turning now…"

David gave it a moment, then motioning to the others, they all began to use what they had to break the thick plasterboard. In the case of all of them except Jake, that was a broken bit of rafter; Jake was able to use the axe from his tool box to hack away at it. In the end, it did not take them as long as they had feared to break it away, but doing so revealed that their job was not as simple as they had thought. They could see the bed now, sitting there on the remains of the upper floor. What they had not bargained for was that the rest of the floor in the room would have caved in, and had plummeted along with a whole heap of debris into a basement level they had not anticipated…

Jake and David exchanged a worried glance, both of them knowing what this meant; it was no longer going to be a simple case of getting Peter to crawl out of his hiding place, and then lifting him up to the surface. They had to somehow figure out how to provide him with a temporary platform which he could move onto when he crawled free. The concept was simple, but the problem was that there was nothing of any substance left that could support such a platform… "Darn it all!" whispered David, anxious that Peter should not hear his despair. "How the heck do we sort this one out?"

"If we had a rope, then we could lower it down to him, get him to tie it securely around himself, then haul him up and out; but we don't, there is no time to start looking for one, and in any case, he might not tie a secure enough knot," replied Jake in equally quiet tones. He fell silent, then began to do the math in his head. The hole that had now been revealed was deep, but the actual drop from the top of the debris to the remaining floor under the bed was only about four feet at most. Suddenly it came to him; it was a mad idea, stupid in the extreme, but it might well be the only possible solution…

"Okay, so I have an idea, and hear me out before you dismiss it out of hand. If you guys lowered me into the hole head first, I would be in a position where I could grab onto that remaining piece of floor; I could then guide Peter to climb up using my body as a ladder, so to speak. You guys could help pull him up as he climbs me, or he could cling tightly onto me and you pull us both back up. I know that it sounds stupid, and dangerous, and totally mad, but I think that it is the only way that we can do this. I am volunteering myself as I am the lightest of us all, the most flexible, and I'm strong. It is worth all the risk to get him out."

David just looked at him wide eyed, and shook his head. "You're right, it is mad, but you are also right in saying it's the only way to get him out with a rope or an actual ladder. My concern is that is anything then happens to you, Puck will never forgive me for it."

"You're forgetting that if the worst does happen, I will be an angel, and I will be able to go and tell him that it was all my idea, and my fault. David, we don't have time to dither on this; let's get started, and get Peter out of there."

The next two minutes were spent with David dealing with strenuous objections from both Mercedes and Unique, whilst Jake remained at the hole, introducing himself to Peter; he told him very simply what had happened to his bedroom floor, and that he was going to need to be very brave in a minute or two, and trust him and David. Peter was very quiet for a moment after that, but then responded that he was scared, but that he trusted them not to hurt him. Then it was time. Jake emptied his pockets, and then with the other three holding tightly on to his ankles, he began to slowly inch his way over the debris and down into the hole that they had made. He had to move along on his back, to ensure that he would be face to face with the young man that he was going to rescue. In the back of his mind as he did so was a prayer that there would not be an aftershock now, because he knew that it would be fatal for him at least, and probably for the others too…

Then he was on eye level with the underside of the bed, and he saw a pair of wide green eyes staring back at him from a face that was blackened with dust; the tracks of his tears made all the more visible as a result. "Hey, Peter. So, this is what happens next. I am going to lower myself down just a little bit further, so that I can get a good grip onto the edge of the floor. Once I say go, you need to crawl out from under your bed, and climb up my body slowly and carefully. I am strong enough to take your weight on me, and the others have a firm grip on me up top."

"Do I climb right up, Mr Jake?"

"You can if you think that you can manage it, but if you don't want to then just say, and the others will pull the pair of us back to the surface whilst you cling onto me, okay?"

"Okay…" replied Peter, a waver of uncertainty in his voice.

Up above, the three on the surface braced themselves for the increase in weight as Jake lowered himself that little bit further. Then he told Peter that it was time for him to start crawling out. Looking over the edge, they all saw a pair of dirty hands emerge, then pause.

"It's okay, honey, we will not let you fall. Just keep on going, and use Jake as a ladder to climb up like he said," said Mercedes, sensing that nerves had got the better of the young boy. Her reassuring words were enough to get two arms and then a head to appear. As they all braced themselves and prayed it would work, Peter did what they had hoped. He held tightly on to Jake's sides, and began to wriggle his way up oh so carefully. His body appeared inch by inch from below the bed that had saved him from certain death in the destruction of yesterday's quake. They all felt relief on the surface when his feet finally appeared, thankfully clad in sensible shoes, and he continued his slow progress upwards.

Unique then spoke up. "If you two keep a firm hold on Jake, I will pull him up and out, then we can all pull Jake back out."

"Agreed," said David. Mercedes nodded, and they both braced themselves all the more. Unique leant over the edge and grabbed for Peter's hands; she held them tightly in her own, and then began to gently pull the boy towards her and into the light of day. With that extra bit of momentum, it was no time at all before he was out, and sitting on the roof beside them, his eyes screwed up against the sudden brightness of the daylight after so long in the dark. Unique had left him, and headed back to assist in the other task; getting her friend back out. They did so at a gentle pace, allowing Jake to steer his way through the remnants of what had once been Peter's world. There were no hitches on the way, and soon he too was back up on the surface, his clothes now filthy from being dragged through the dusty remains of what had once been a safe home.

Jake did not emerge from the hole empty handed. As he had passed by the bed on his way down, he had noticed that Peter had a toy rabbit clutched in his hand; it had been abandoned as he had needed both hands to climb out. Realising that the toy had to be significant to the boy, Jake had reached out as he was being pulled back up and grabbed it, clutching it tightly in his left hand; if the toy had been important enough to be taken under the bed to safety, then it deserved to be saved. Then, as he was being pulled past the bed, he noticed two items that were lodged on the edge of it, held on by the plaster; a book, and an old photograph album. He made a swift decision; he grabbed the book with his right hand first, then transferred it to lie on his chest, held in place by his chin; then he grabbed the photo album too and held it in his right hand as he carried on upwards. Having his hands full made the trip back to the surface a little more interesting to say the least, and earned him a raised eyebrow or three as he was pulled clear. After all, he could easily have ended up being hurt in the process of grabbing them…

All thoughts of scolding him were abandoned though when they heard a squeal of delight from Peter, who had been silent up until that point. Jake got to his feet and solemnly handed over the toy, which the boy instantly clutched to his chest. "Thanks for saving Roger too, Mr Jake," came a small voice. "My grandpa bought him for me…" His voice faltered then for a moment, before going on sadly "My mommy and grandparents were down in the kitchen. I heard then screaming and yelling, and then there was a big crash… I know that they are gone, but they will have gone to heaven, won't they?"

"I am sure that they will have done, honey," replied Mercedes, blinking back her tears at the matter of fact way that Peter had spoken. "I have some friends, Kurt, Blaine, Finn and Wes, and they are all angels; I am sure that they will be taking care of them…"

"I hope so. I loved them all so very much…" said Peter sadly. Around him the others stood silent, contemplating the horrifying final moments of those three lives. The only good thing that they could take from it all was that the boulder's size meant that when it hit, their deaths would have been instant.

Eventually they all knew what they had to do. Mercedes took Peter's hand, and they began the walk back to David's home, or what was left of it; they had to get away from the crumbling hillside and cliffs. Despite the fact that they had a smaller person with them now, the walk back was quicker, as they knew where the hazards were. It wasn't long until they were back at the house, but they did not stop, just kept walking, heading towards the centre of the city, from where they would continue to the place that Puck had told them to go, south and east of downtown.

They were just approaching the mobile phone mast that had enabled David to call Thad, and where he hoped to be able to repeat the call to let him know the news about Peter, when they all felt it. The ground began to move once more. They all flung themselves to the ground, trying to shield each other as the aftershock began to grow in intensity. Around them came the sound of the debris shifting, of the last few remnants of standing walls giving way and crashing down on the other remains. Then in the distance came an even more terrifying noise; a sound like an approaching train, or thunder. They all instinctively guessed what it was. Sure enough, when the earth stopped moving again, and they got back to their feet, a glance back to where they had been showed them that the hillside on which Peter's home had stood was gone, the moving earth and rock taking everything that had been there down and over the cliff edge into the sea below.

It was a sobering thought for them all. If they had taken longer, then they would still have been there, and there would have been nothing any of them could have done to escape the collapse; no way to outrun the wall of earth and rock. Thanking their lucky stars, they got up and moved on, discovering that the aftershock had destroyed the mobile phone mast. With no way now to contact the outside world, all that they could do was keep on walking, heading to the place from which they hoped a rescue could be made…


	83. The Shake Up Part III

**The Shake Up Part III**

The news of the earthquake in L.A. had finally hit the news channels at 7am on the east coast. Sebastian had still been awake, unable to even contemplate the idea of sleeping as he worried about the safety of a small boy that meant so much to him and Julian. Isabelle had called a little earlier to say that she had spoken to the captain of the ship, and explained the situation to him. In the face of the news blackout, he had not believed her at first, but then he had made a few calls of his own. A taxi was soon organised that would take them from the dockside straight to the railway station in Southampton, from where they had been able to catch a fast train into London. It had then been a series of complicated connections, but in the end, they had reached Heathrow. She finished by telling him that they had secured seats on a flight that would arrive at JFK at 17.20, thanks to Isabelle using all the clout that a job at _Vogue_ gave her. They would head straight to his place when they arrived.

As Sebastian watched the news report, the bare handful of grainy images that were available, shot by amateurs, left him feeling sick to the pit of his stomach, mainly because those images tended to cut out abruptly… How anyone could possibly have survived such destruction was beyond him, and his hopes began to fade. He didn't hear the knocking on the front door, and the first that he knew of Cooper's presence was when the older man wrapped an arm round his shoulders and pulled him close. That was also the moment that Sebastian realised that he was crying again, as he had been on and off since the news had been given to him by Thad.

"I told Dave to call in for you. There is no way whatsoever that you can do two shows today. Mason says that he will go in instead, and offer his services if it leaves them short. I know the adage is the show must go on, but there are times when that is just a load of bunkum," said Cooper. Sebastian nodded, knowing that he was right; until he knew, one way or the other, nothing else in the world mattered…

Cooper was just the first of many people that would arrive in Murray Hill that morning as the news spread of the disaster. The next to appear on the doorstep where the other two members of the four musketeers that resided in New York, Nick and Jeff; they were unshaven, half dressed and untidy, having abandoned their house as soon as they had heard the news on the television. Their own initial thoughts had not just been for Peter, but David as well, not having checked their phones before that point to see what was going on in the world. It was only in the cab over that Nick had finally switched on his phone, and had seen the message that Thad had sent out in the early hours of the morning, after he had called Sebastian; the message that said he had talked to David, and that he was okay, but they all needed to pray that he would manage to escape the ruined city unscathed.

Cooper headed back upstairs after they arrived, after a quick chat with Nick about the whole situation. As for Jeff, he had instantly made his way to the sofa to sit at Sebastian's side; he had not said a word, just taken his hand in his own. When Cooper left, Nick did not immediately join them, but headed to the kitchen where he found Dave; having called the theatre, he was now calling his own coach, to tell him that there was no way that he could come in and play that day, and the reason why. His call over, Nick asked "How are you holding up? This has got to be tough on you too…"

"Honestly, I have been better, but I don't matter in all of this. My priority has to be Sebby. If the news is bad, and you have seen the pictures I take it…well, I think his whole world will cave in. He loves that kid so much, and if he is gone, he will never forgive himself for not insisting that he stay in New York as he wanted him to; his mother would only let him if Sebastian was going to be here all the time, and he couldn't be with work, so he will think it was his fault. Then there is the fact that he will never forgive Kurt, Blaine, Finn and Wes for not warning him of the danger, however obliquely, and trust me, that will not be good at all…"

Nick nodded, but remembered now something that David had said to him which he had not taken much notice of at the time; that Mercedes had wanted them all to come to see her show not in New York, but in L.A. Kurt had vetoed that strongly; that had been this weekend, and they would all have been there if he hadn't. To Nick, that was proof that they had known it was coming, so surely they would not have let Peter go back if he was going to be harmed… He decided to say nothing, just in case he was wrong; after all, he didn't want to provide more fuel for a fire full of hate if the worst had occurred…

All of Sebastian's friends ended up abandoning their plans for the day if they possibly could; they had all met Peter, and he had captured each and every one of their hearts. They all felt the horror of the situation keenly, and it had to be so much worse for his uncle and his father. On top of that, they all had concern for the four others that were caught up in the disaster. They all knew from Thad that David and Mercedes had been okay, although there was no guarantee that was still the case; but there was no news either of Jake and Unique. To the shock of most, it was Kitty that was hit the hardest by that, losing it over the idea that they could be seriously hurt, or worse. Artie tried his best to comfort her and was soon joined in that by Marley and Ryder, her two closest contemporaries. The former seemed to have inherited Kitty's usual forthright manner, refusing to even contemplate the fact that the worst could have taken place. All that left both Artie and Ryder thinking that if the bad news did come, she would be the first one to fall completely apart…

Just before one in the afternoon in Murray Hill, with a message from Trent to say that he was on his way freshly arrived on Nick's phone, there came a knock on the front door, announcing another arrival. Dave knew by then that Eloise was on her way from Montreal, with another concerned grandmother at her side, but it was still far too early for it to be them. He opened the door anyway, and on seeing who it was, he nodded and allowed the visitor in. As they walked into the sitting room, Nick and Jeff quickly moved out of the way, thus letting Sebastian's 'Auntie' Bette to sit down by his side.

On seeing her, Sebastian looked surprised; she just said "Where else would I be when you need me, my darling boy?" Then she pulled him into a hug, and he found that his tears were falling once more.

She was the one that finally persuaded him that he needed to eat, as no-one else had been able to do. As she put it, he would be no use to anyone when the time came if he was starved. He reluctantly agreed that she had a point, and Nick had headed into the unfamiliar kitchen to grill some bacon and scramble eggs, Jeff dashing out to buy some bagels that they could put it on. Nick prepared enough for everyone, and they were all pleased to see Sebastian devour his once the first mouthful had been taken.

If they were all honest, it was the waiting that was killing them all; the not knowing. Nick hoped that David would call Thad back at the first possible opportunity; after all, by now it was 11.30 on the west coast, and he would certainly have made the trip to Peter's home as soon as daylight had come…

No sooner had that thought entered his head than all hell broke loose. A breaking news banner suddenly appeared on the silenced television. The very sight of the word aftershock made Nick's blood freeze in his veins, as he pictured his friends having to cope with yet another earthquake in such a short length of time. The footage on the screen was being live streamed from a news helicopter that had flown down from San Francisco, and it made his eyes widen in horror. The picture on screen showed the remains of an entire neighbourhood slide down into the ocean as the whole hillside collapsed in a wave of earth and rock…

He heard Bette gasp in horror as the young man sitting beside her fainted clean away, landing in her lap. It was Dave that informed them all that the area that had just been named on screen was the area that Peter lived in.

Suddenly the full enormity of what they had just witnessed hit home. Potentially David, Mercedes and the others had been there with Peter at that moment. They had all just possibly witnessed the moment that five people that they knew had died…

It was that realisation that set Jeff crying and had him immediately throwing himself into Nick's arms, as he too felt his eyes grow moist. His heart broke as he like all of them imagined the worst; instinctively he suddenly thought of Thad, and what he had to be going through at that moment. After all, he had been the one that had reminded David that he should go and check on Peter; if his best friend was now dead as a consequence of that trip…

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden outburst of screaming as Sebastian came round, and the first thing that he saw was a repeat of the moment the earth gave way on the television screen. Then he was on his feet, looking to all intents and purposes as if he was about to fly across the room and smash the television screen. Dave leapt to his feet to grab him and try to restrain him, but found himself struggling to control his more or less hysterical husband….

Then there was the sound of flesh hitting flesh; and suddenly there was a silent, stunned Sebastian, a startled Dave, and a certain leading lady nursing her hand. Sebastian allowed himself to be guided back to his seat, and she took her own next to him once again. As Dave moved over to switch off the television, she took both his hands in hers, and spoke. "I make no apologies whatsoever for slapping you, my boy. You were hysterical, and that kind of behaviour does not fix or help anything. It does nothing to alter the circumstances in which we find ourselves. But I need you to listen, and I need you to then think. Your friend David, or the General as I still find myself thinking of him as, was going to search for your nephew. How far is it from his home to young Peter's?"

"About ten minutes," came a whispered reply.

"Okay, so sunrise in L.A. is around about 6am at this time of year; they will have been sleeping outside, so it would have woken them up. They would have started out straight away, knowing the importance of their mission. Even with the amount of destruction that we have been told of, I would doubt it would have been much later than 7am by the time he reached there by my reckoning. One way or another, I doubt it would have taken much more than 3 hours to assess and deal with the situation; to perform a rescue and get clear away. By my rough calculations, they would have been clear of the area by the time that aftershock came…"

Around the room there was silence as they all did the math in their heads. It did seem right, and it gave them a glimmer of hope; until it was confirmed one way or another though, they would worry. What they needed more than anything now was a sign…

The moment that the world was shown that the disaster had taken a new and horrifying turn was witnessed by everyone close to those concerned. In the West Village, Beats, Ethan and Flint had made their way to the house occupied by the younger former Warblers, and they had all seen the moment live on television as the others had. There were tears all round as they all instantly feared the worst. David had been safe, but now that there had been such a big aftershock, and the fact that he was supposed to be near the area that had collapsed meant that the chances he was no longer safe had just multiplied. Nearby, Kitty had lapsed into silence after seeing the footage, and that made Artie all the more concerned; he almost wanted her to be standing there, screaming irrationally at the television. Catatonia did not suit his fiancée at all.

Across town, Michelle had watched as the mood amongst her staff darkened with the news coming from the west coast. Her own eyes were continually drawn to the drawing of Mercedes that Jeff had done on their first night as owners, and she was seriously concerned about how all of them would cope if such a great talent had been lost at such a young age. On the Great White Way, the news came out as the interval came in the matinee shows, and if the break that day was just a little longer than normal, then nobody minded that much. After all, there were friends of so many of the cast and crew of those performances that worked in L.A. As for the cast of _Book of Mormon_ , all they could think about was Sebastian and the little boy they had all been introduced to a week ago. It all just seemed too cruel if his short existence had just been snuffed out…

In Ohio, Thad was glad that as he had been about to leave to go and visit Mrs Thompson, he had been stopped by Edith Carmichael; she had insisted that he go and pick her up, and bring her back to Dalton, where she would have extra support. When he got to her home, he found that she had been desperately calling her son's cellphone since she had heard the news, and each and every time that the recording told her that her call could not be connected, she had grown a little more fearful. Reluctantly she had agreed to head back to Dalton with Thad, calmed only a little by the fact that he had actually spoken to her boy since the quake; Thad knew that she, like him, would not rest easy until he was actually back with them.

When the footage of the aftershock was shown on TV, they had both watched in grief and horror. Then, whilst Mrs Thompson had been comforted by Edith, he had run from the house; his initial plan to run all the way to Wes' memorial had been thwarted by the fact that his legs had given way, and he had had to settle for a bench in a quiet spot in the grounds; to sit there and sob his heart out. In his mind he had known that Aaron Carmichael would follow him, and sit by his side; would pull him close to him and let him weep, telling him that none of it was his fault. Thad knew that it was though, at least in part. David had only potentially been in that part of the city because of something he had said. He longed for an angel to appear, to tell him that it was all okay, but he knew that they wouldn't appear, as they would be so, so busy… His only hope was that David would manage to call again, but given that there had been such a lack of signal before the second quake, the chances were that now there would be none at all; in that case, the call he longed for would be a long time coming…

By the time that four o'clock came round, Sebastian was tired out; he had not slept, and his head was in chaos as his mind pictured all of the horrific scenarios that could have claimed the lives of his nephew and his family, not to mention his friends. All that he had to cling to for hope was that one spot of light in the darkness that had been provided for them by Bette; her simple arithmetic that suggested that they would have left the area and been clear when the aftershock caused it all to slip into the ocean. At his side, Nick and Jeff were trying to be as upbeat as possible, whilst avoiding the biggest cliché in the book - no news is good news. Dave had left just a short while before to head to JFK to meet the flight from London, as things would be bad enough for Julian and Isabelle as it was, without being confronted by the news of the aftershock on arrival. All of those gathered in Murray Hill hoped that before he arrived back, there would be a call, or even just a text message from L.A.; just something to confirm that they were all still breathing.

Bette had left at the same time as Dave, as she had things to do, but she had given Nick her number, and told him to call her the minute they knew anything - and promised she would come back in any case. He had agreed to do just that, and then after hugging Sebastian, she had left. So when the knock came on the door just after four, they all wondered who it was; Jeff went to answer it, and found Trent and Rory on the threshold. The former rushed straight into the sitting room, and pulled Sebastian into a hug without saying a single word; it was returned gratefully by a young man that was now cried out, with not a single tear left to shed.

Rory meanwhile put his head round the door and beckoned to Nick, who got up and followed the young Irishman into the kitchen, where Jeff had headed to make coffee for the new arrivals. Rory pulled out his laptop, and after fiddling with a few buttons, pulled up a video and pressed play. "We've seen this," sighed Nick, as the video from the news programme came up on screen. "We ended up putting the television off to save Sebastian any more heartache."

"I know, but it was Trent that noticed something. In the film of the aftermath, when the drone camera they were using swoops over the area to show the extent of the destruction…" Rory paused, then did the same with the video as the damaged area was on the far left hand side of the screen. "Look carefully at the top right hand corner of the screen. Based on what he has been told, Trent has the street you can just see there down as the road outside David's place. Tell me what you see when I zoom in and press play again." Nick and Jeff both stared at the spot as Rory zoomed in and pressed play once more. The picture was very fuzzy, and not at all clear, but they both suddenly saw five blobs; five blobs of different sizes that were moving out of shot. "It might not be them, but it is certainly a sign of human life, of that Trent is certain. All we can do is hope that it is who we desperately want it to be…"

"The big question is - do we show this to Sebastian, or not?" whispered Jeff, earning him a look from the other two. "I mean, five blobs means five people, but what five? David and Mercedes, and who? What if one of them isn't Peter, or what if it isn't them at all? Do we give him false hope, just to have him shattered later? Isn't that crueller than not knowing at all?"

"I see your point," admitted Rory, "but if we say nothing and he finds out later…"

Nick was about to speak when they all realised that the choice had been taken from them; Sebastian came barrelling into the room and grabbed the laptop, and stared at the screen, looking at the blobs. "It's them! I know it is! And that one is much smaller than the others, so that has to be Peter! It is them…but there should be more than five…what about his family, or did Jake and Unique… But no, that is Peter. I know it in my heart!"

Nick glanced over to the doorway then and his eyes met those of Trent, who was now standing in the doorway; eyes which wondered if he had done the right thing in speaking to Sebastian, now that he had seen the way his friend had reacted…

* * *

By that time over in L.A., the five survivors had covered a reasonable distance from the area in which they had all lived, and which now seemed so vulnerable to the whims of the earth beneath it. As they walked, climbed and scrambled along, they saw no other visible signs of life. The few streets that had managed to survive relatively unscathed themselves were littered with the vehicles that people had abandoned in their panic as the world began to collapse around them. They had enjoyed lunch sitting on the seats of an empty city bus, in which some bags of shopping had been left the night before. Those bags yielded them bread, salami and fruit, all of which made a very pleasant change from the protein bars and chips that they had consumed since the world had gone to hell. There were juice boxes too, and it was just nice to be out of the glare of the midday sun just for a while.

The ignition key was still in place in the bus, and a part of them all longed just to be able to turn it, start the motor, and drive off, but that was impractical in the extreme. The road was cracked and damaged, and the abandoned cars would mean they would be lucky to get a few feet without crashing. After a rest, they walked on, knowing that they would have to skirt round the very heart of the city. The tall buildings that had once marked that point were no longer standing on the skyline, suggesting an impressive pile of debris to climb over; an impossible sea of mangled ruins blocking every turn. That, and the fact there was still smoke rising from there in a huge plume. That decision did however afford them their first strokes of luck; they turned the corner to find an almost undamaged grocery store, which contained more food than they could possibly salvage, and then, right beside it, two rickshaws, which had been overturned, but were undamaged and usable. Those cycle rickshaws were a viable option, as they could weave their way through the damage. It looked as if they would be able to save their feet for a little while in any case…

The rickshaws turned out to be the best discovery that they could have made. Their pace had been relatively slow up until that point; the legs of a small boy were short, and got tired quickly after all. Now he was settled in one of the rickshaw's seats, fast asleep with Mercedes keeping a close watch on him as David pedalled them along, steering his way through streets that would once have been congested with traffic, but were now devoid of any movement other than their own. The quake had obviously made driving any vehicle an impossible task, and the people that had been in the now abandoned vehicles had fled on foot; to safety, they hoped. In his heart David knew that the chances were that many of them would have sought refuge in the surrounding buildings, feeling that they would be safer there than out on the streets, were falling debris would be a constant threat to life and limb. Tragically, that would not have been a wise decision in the circumstances…

Behind him, Jake followed on with great care, watching every turn that David made as he wove through the remains of what had once been a vibrant neighbourhood. He could not believe that they were the only survivors from a city of this size, but it was possible that they were the last to be heading out in search of rescue and assistance. He guessed that they were also the only people that were not heading in the direction of Andrews Air Force base, across the hills in the valley to the north of the city. He had been curious as to why Puck had not suggested that they go there, and his brother had pointed out to him all of the issues with it. It was itself in an earthquake prone area; it was accessible by a pass through the hills, a pass which was likely to be blocked or damaged by the earth's movement; and finally there was the question of the sheer numbers of people that would converge there, stretching the authorities ability to respond to the very limits. No, Puck had decided it would be far safer for them to head instead to a smaller base on the south side of the city; the base at March. He would then ensure that when he was sent on a rescue mission, he would make it his first and only port of call…

* * *

Thad had been right when the news first broke to him in David's call; Puck was already aware of the situation, and had been long before permission was finally granted to any of the news media to break the story to the rest of the world. The red alert siren had roused them all from their beds, and after a few moments of confusion as to what was going on - everyone was so nervous about North Korea after all, and there had been that incident in Hawaii… Thankfully, neither of the madmen had pressed that red button of indeterminate size; they all knew that whether it was Kim or Donald that did it first, the results would be the same. It was a relief to most when they were told it was an earthquake, but when they were told where, Puck felt his blood run cold. This was his worst nightmare, but now he had to play it cool and keep a poker face. The rules were simple after all; if anyone had family or close friends in L.A., then they would be relegated to just sitting at the base, covering the day to day normal duties, to ensure that their emotions would not overwhelm good judgement on the rescue mission.

To that end, Puck had mentioned to no-one that his brother was in the city; it was a white lie as far as he was concerned, not one that could lead him into disciplinary trouble with his bosses in the future. Ignoring his own feelings of anxiety, he threw himself into the preparation work that was needed to commence the rescue mission. It was even less easy to stay detached as the full scale of the disaster became clear to them. It was much worse than anyone had ever modelled for, with the result that there was no control on the ground at all at the moment. All the local authorities and services were out of action; there was no contact with the city, as all communication networks were out. As a result, all of the co-ordination had to be done remotely, and that was inevitably giving rise to delay.

Puck had given Jake advice based on the plans that they had been shown in one of the training sessions they undertook. However, when the time came for Puck's squadron to be given details of their deployment, he found to his horror that those plans had been thrown out, and a new set put in in their place. The decision had been made that in the circumstances, all of the rescue effort would be concentrated on Edwards. It now looked as if his advice had sent his brother and his friends on a wild goose chase, and it took all of his willpower not to say anything. If he did speak out, then he would be condemned to sit on the sidelines, and would probably be disciplined after it was all over for lying. If he didn't, he was putting their lives in peril. All he could do was remain silent and hope that once he was on the ground, or as near as he could be, he would be able to change things and take a trip to March on his own initiative, thus ensuring that rescue would come to them all.

In New York by then, Sebastian found himself dealing with another terrible moment in the worst 24 hours of his life so far. He had been secretly dreading the return of his brother, as it meant that he would have to deal with his grief as well as his own. His pain would be all the stronger too; a father worrying for his only child, caught up in a disaster that had been entirely wrought by mother nature. If Sebastian felt guilt, then he knew that Julian would feel it twenty fold, cursing himself for not taking his son with him to Europe, as he had been considering at one point; after all, he and Isabelle had had their honeymoon. His wife had had no issue with it either, but in the end…

When the cab bringing him back pulled up in Murray Hill, Sebastian was waiting on the sidewalk, having been sent a text by Dave that they were turning into the street. He stood not knowing what to expect; he feared recrimination, that his brother would somehow blame it all on him, despite the fact that he had been just as powerless to prevent it all. As he stepped out of the cab, Sebastian thought that his brother seemed to have aged twenty years overnight, so haggard did he look. Even Isabelle seemed nowhere near as put together as usual. All Sebastian could do was step forward and enfold his big brother in his arms, and hold him close as he broke down, sobbing for the little boy that he could so easily have lost…


	84. The Shake Up Part IV

**The Shake Up Part IV**

Even with the advantage of the rickshaws, the process of getting through the ruined city of Los Angeles was painfully slow. The road surfaces were cracked, and in some cases wide open, rendering any sort of meaningful speed impossible. If that was not bad enough in itself, not all of the roads were actually fully passable, and that was not always immediately apparent as they started along them. This lead to them having to double back, or even carry the rickshaw, down or up as the case might be, in places where the road had lifted or fallen away. Then there were the slow streams of water and sewage from the burst pipes; they knew that they had to have flowed in torrents at first, but now, a day after the event, they had all but ceased to move. As they moved through the city, they quickly noticed what landmarks had gone, the Hollywood sign for a start. They were also silence as they headed from street to street, no-one in the mood for chatter as they were chastened by the sight of ruined hospitals and public buildings, and of the fires that still burnt ferociously; in one place, several blocks had been reduced to little more than charred ruins.

At first they had hoped to see flashing red and blue lights around each corner, or a crowd of rescue workers, signs that the city's organisations were still working. Instead the only evidence of the emergency services they saw were crushed vehicles, in many cases buried under the rubble of the buildings that had once housed them and the people that used them. It seemed that all of the construction over the years that had been boasted of as 'earthquake proof' was no match whatsoever for the big one; in fact, it seemed that it was the older buildings that had fared best as the ground had shaken beneath them. The course that they were taking brought them past the apartment building that Mercedes had called home; all that was left of it was a huge pile of smoking rubble. That sight made her thank God that the earthquake had not come in the middle of the night; had it done so, she would not have stood a chance…

As the sun began to set, they had covered a good deal of ground in the direction of the base that Puck had sent them to. The fading light meant that it was not safe to carry on; it was hard enough navigating in the bright light of day, but in darkness it would be impossible. They found that luck was once more on their side as David made the decision that they had to stop. They turned a corner to find themselves outside a supermarket, set back from the road in a parking lot, with a city bus parked right outside. Across the street a fire still raged in a row of stores, most of them now totally gutted by the blaze. It was in many ways the ideal spot in which to stop. The bus could be opened, and it would provide them with shelter for the night; even the hard bus seats would be better to sleep on than the ground. The supermarket looked to be at least partially intact, and would be worthy of exploring, to see if it could yield then more food. More importantly, the fire would provide them with the heat source that would allow them to cook a hot meal.

Thus they sat down that night to eat hot dogs, albeit in slightly stale buns, with instant mashed potatoes and baked apples, the latter cooked in the glowing embers of what had once been a thriving row of businesses. Water was heated in a saucepan liberated from the store, and mugs of hot chocolate were eventually served up, much to everyone's satisfaction. Then as the skies turned black, they all retreated into the bus, settling down as comfortably as they could on the hard seats. Mercedes had found some towels in the supermarket, and had folded them to act as makeshift pillows. As it was summer, they did not need to worry about covers, as the nights were merely cooler, not cold, and also quite short. Peter had fallen asleep almost at once, clutching his bunny tightly to his chest, and David draped his jacket over him protectively. Once he had dozed off, Mercedes allowed herself to relax, and she swiftly fell into slumbers, Unique following her. However, neither David or Jake found it easy to doze. It had been a traumatic 24 hours, and it wasn't over yet by any means. They still had to navigate the rest of the way to the air base, and then there was the one thing that they both realised was missing, but did not wish to voice. They had heard no sound of any form of rescue plane or helicopter, and by now they would have expected to hear several. They both knew what the other was thinking, but said nothing, not wanting to bring the reality to the fore by acknowledging it…

It was dark by now on the bus, apart from a faint red glow. They assumed at first that it was from the fire, but it did not alter in intensity as flames would do. Eventually David got up from the seat he was lying on and went to look out of the window to try and see what it was. It didn't take him long to see it; a bulb glowing red on the top of a pole above the supermarket… With a gasp, he quickly put two and two together. It was not just a pole, but the remnants of a cellphone mast; it had to have a battery of some kind giving it emergency power, thus keeping the light on - and maybe, just maybe… He pulled out his phone and saw a solitary bar; in a second he had speed dialled Thad, not caring about the fact it was 2am in Ohio.

The call seemed to take an age to connect, and then the phone rang for a lifetime, but eventually it stopped, and a groggy voice said "Ello?"

"Thaddie, it's me."

On the other end, the voice was immediately more alert. "David, okay, so are you all okay?"

"Yeah, all five of us. We are heading out of the city now. Tell Sebastian Peter is okay."

"I will do. Take care."

"We will. See you later." David hung up, and turned back round to see Jake smiling at him. Now at least someone knew that they were alive.

In Ohio, Thad also didn't care what time it was. He immediately called up Sebastian, and was unsurprised that his call was answered in a heartbeat. There was no voice on the other end, so he spoke. "David just called. All five of them are okay."

"Five…you said five?"

"Yes, Sebastian. Peter is with them. They are heading out of L.A. as quickly as they can…"

Thad stopped then, conscious that Sebastian was no longer listening, and had probably dropped the phone. He was too busy screaming at the top of his voice. "Jules! They've got him! Peter is alive!"

The hours leading up to Thad's early morning call had been tense in the Karofsky-Smythe household to say the least. After they had met on the side walk, it had been several minutes before the two brothers had actually made it inside the house, the two of them crying on the sidewalk and not caring one iota about who saw them doing so. Dave had taken Isabelle into the house, where she had been escorted into the living room by Trent; she then found herself staring at the TV footage, and trying her best to convince herself that the smallest of those blobs might be her new stepson. She had told Trent that she did not think that it was wise for Julian to see it though, unless it had already been mentioned to him by Sebastian. He had also made the same decision though, and although there was no way that they could prevent Julian from watching the news channels, they could try and ensure that he did not see that particular moment; as luck would have it, the majority of the channels had also decided that to keep that footage on repeat was in bad taste.

As the light of day faded and the night drew in, all of them began to feel a desperate need for news of any sort; just something that let them know what was going on. Neither of the Smythe brothers would eat, not even prepared to nibble on one of the batch of cookies that Nick had prepared in an attempt to tempt them to do so; they did however consume coffee as if it was going out of fashion. Neither could they bear to try and sleep, not when their minds would be filled by nightmarish images in which a small boy would be the focus…

It was at around 10pm that Nick and Jeff finally headed home, taking Trent and Rory with them. There was nothing that any of them could do around the house that would possibly help, and they all agreed that they needed to try and get some rest, just in case the following day brought fresh horrors. As promised, Bette had called up just a little before then to see if there was any fresh news, and vowed that she would come back in the morning, a gesture that meant so much to them all. Isabelle too had support from her employer, with Ms Wintour herself calling up to tell her to take all the time she needed in the circumstances. As the four young men took their leave, a taxi arrived, finally bringing Eloise and Julian's mom to Murray Hill, after delay after delay en route from Canada. Mothers had embraced their sons, and more tears had been shed as a result. As she watched, Isabelle could not help but wonder in how many other homes around the world such scenes were taking place as the world came to terms with what had happened…

When the call came just after 2am, Sebastian had still been wide awake, sustained by cup after cup of strong espresso coffee; Julian had just moments earlier headed to the kitchen to refresh their cups. Dave was dozing on the sofa, whilst Isabelle was trying to sleep in the master bedroom; in the guest room, two mothers lay in a wakeful sleep. Seeing the word 'Thad' on the caller display had never stirred Sebastian's emotions quite as much as that night, and he was quick to answer, praying for the good news that they all wanted and hoped for. He heard nothing that the Head Warbler said after he told him that Peter was with David. It felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders as he screamed out to his brother. He heard the crash of two coffee cups as they fell to the floor in the kitchen, and then the sound of rushing feet, before he had his arms full of his brother. They were both crying again, but this time they were tears of joy.

Dave was on his feet by then, guessing that something good had happened, as did the three ladies as they rushed in at all the shouting. There were a few moments of confused celebration before they all took a seat, and Sebastian repeated word for word what Thad had told him; then he grabbed his phone again, and was not surprised to discover that his friend had ended the call.

"He said all five of them?" said Eloise. "If one of them is Peter, and the other four are we assume your friends, then we have to ask what has happened to Peter's mother…" Her words caused the room to fall silent again, the joy they felt now tempered by a new reality.

"If he has lost his mom, his grandparents, all his friends…" began Sebastian sadly.

"Then he is going to need all the love and affection that we can give him," Isabelle stated. "It won't be easy for him to be a survivor, particularly if…"

"He is alive, and that fact is what we have to focus on for now," said Julian. "He is going to need his dad, his stepmom, his uncles…"

"We all love him, so very much," responded Isabelle, taking her husband's hands in her own. For her part, she was worried about how he would react to having her as a stepmom; and also about the fact that he wasn't out of danger yet…

Sebastian managed to persuade his brother that it was not a good idea to try and phone David directly after that. It was late after all, and he had no idea how much battery David had left, or even if the signal would still be there. Isabelle then used all her powers on him to make him head to bed, pointing out that he would be no use when his son arrived in the city if he was exhausted from lack of sleep. He had to reluctantly concur, and so he headed off with her, followed by the two older women. That left Dave on his own with Sebastian.

"Of course, they're not out of the woods yet," Sebastian whispered to his husband the moment that his brother was safely out of earshot. "I am certain that Isabelle knows that too, but she doesn't want to raise that point in front of Jules. I just wish that I knew exactly where it was that they were heading. I know that it is somewhere that Puck told Jake to go, but that's it!"

"So call him up and ask," said Dave. "Sure it's late, and he might not be able to answer, but then again, he might. Or we could try Quinn; he might have said something to her that he wouldn't tell us."

In the end, it was Dave that called the number that they had for Puck; getting no reply, he sent a text message instead. That was more fruitful, and yielded a reply in just a few minutes.

' _Not able to answer my phone. Thanks for letting me know they're alive, I was worried sick. I told then to go to the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County.'_

On being given the name, Sebastian immediately did a quick search on Google, then sighed as he checked the results. "It is over 80 miles from Peter and David's neighbourhood! If they are walking, and I am pretty sure that driving will be out of the question, it might well take them days to get there, particularly as they will have to go at Peter's pace. I don't know how Jules is going to bear all the waiting…"

At his side, Dave could not think that the waiting would be every bit as hard for Peter's Uncle Bazzy…

That night everyone managed to get some sleep, albeit fitfully in some cases, on both sides of the country. In New York, everyone woke up early, with the exception of Sebastian; after nearly two days with no sleep, his body demanded rest, and he was left to snore by everyone, his welfare being their only concern. After all, by the end of the day yesterday he had deep bags under his eyes, and to all of them he had looked ill. His maman resolved that when he did finally wake up, she would make him eat a proper meal - and if he attempted to refuse, she would feed him herself by force if she had to, as a mother was surely entitled to do. Julian's mother and Isabelle had also used the same harsh treatment on him. As they had both pointed out, they knew now that Peter was alive, that he was with a group of people that would safeguard him from danger and harm, and by now the armed forces were on their way; they had said so on breakfast television.

In the West Village, all of those residing in a row of houses had woken to find a text from Thad on their phones, informing them that David had called, and that everyone, including Peter, was safe. That news lead to a happier tone for the day; they would remain concerned until they saw all of them in the flesh, but at least the worst had to be over now. Artie knew that Puck would not rest until he knew that his brother was safe, and Mercedes too for that matter. He only doubt in his mind was whether the air force would actually let him go into the area if they knew he had family and friends there; they might well say it was a conflict of interest. He quickly quelled that by reminding himself that Puck was smart enough not to have mentioned his connections to the city; that assumption was naturally correct…

On the other side of the nation, David had woken up just as soon as the sun had shown itself, rising over the rubble of what had once been one of the best known cities in the world. He stretched carefully, stiff from a night trying to sleep on a hard bus seat, then quietly headed out to stand and survey the area around him. He could hear birdsong that morning, and it made him smile, but was only a reminder of just how much had changed in a short space of time. Normally the noise of the city would have drowned out those birds; now there was nothing else. There were no planes droning overhead as they headed into LAX, no roaring traffic congesting the roads, no sign of human life other than his friends…

"It's frightening, isn't it?" said Jake, and David nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden appearance of his friend.

"Yeah, it is…when you think of how many people would normally be here right now in the city… It's like being in a computer game, or one of those crazy apocalyptic films."

"Only there is no heading back to replay the level; no closing credits or a big name hero," replied Jake thoughtfully. "Anyway, we have breakfast first, and then we pack up and carry on towards March base. You know, when Puck told me that was where we should go, it never seemed quite so far away as it does now. Then it was just over an hour by car, but now…"

"If we didn't have the rickshaws, we would be in big trouble. Thanks to them, I would guess we might be just over halfway there. I doubt that Peter would have been able to walk the distance required at any pace, and if the rest of us had been forced to take turns carrying him, then we would have all been tired sooner, and that would have slowed us down all the more," said David, and Jake nodded in response. "I can only imagine what it must be like for Sebastian and his brother right now; I imagine Seb is stressed out, and as for Julian - well I can only guess at how much it must hurt to imagine that your only child is dead. I don't think you can truly realise that until you have kids of your own."

"I am guessing that our own parents will be stressing out too, and our friends, even although they will all know from Thad that we are alive."

"They will, but I don't think that any of them will be able to stop worrying until we are physically back with them," replied David. Suddenly he thought about what this must be putting his own mother through; she had lost one son already after all. He dismissed the thought quickly though; for her sake, he had to concentrate on staying safe…

That was still the number one priority as they set off again after breakfast. They went at a sensible pace, keeping their wits about them, scanning the road ahead for holes and drops, the roadside for potential hazards. Peter was another concern for them all. With the trauma of rescue over, he had now had time to think, and his thought had naturally turned to his mom and his grandparents, now lost forever to the ocean, along with everything that he had ever really known. Mercedes sat at his side, watching as his face shifted from curiosity to grief in the blink of an eye as some little thing reminded him. All she could think was that he was definitely going to require counselling after they got out of here; heck, they all would. In some ways the victims were the lucky ones in this scenario…

A stroke of luck found them on a stretch of highway that was relatively intact, and headed in the right direction, and that allowed them to make far faster progress than they had up until now. David guessed that there was still little chance that they would make their destination before night fell once more, but they would be within a short distance. To all of them now the base meant one thing - escape. It meant freedom from the chaos of a ruined city, and the chance to return to a degree of normality in their lives, if indeed that would ever be possible for them to have again. After all, they would suffer from nightmares about what they had seen for weeks, if not months, to come…

There were moments when they had to halt their progress as the ground beneath their feet shook once more in another aftershock, making it an impossible task for a moment to cycle, and causing the rubble around them to move again. Such things would once have left them all feeling traumatised, but in the world that they now inhabited, such circumstances were the new normal. The smell of smoke filled the air, and plumes of it rose menacingly from various points on the horizon. All that they could hope was that the March base was not one of those places that was burning.

They stopped for lunch at a diner that seemed to have defied all of the odds; from the outside at least it had seemed remarkably intact, with no damage other than a few cracks to the exterior. Inside of course it was a different story; there were fixtures that had fallen over, not to mention food that had now been sitting out in the open for a couple of days, which with no refrigeration was starting to rot. There was a moment when they all half expected to come across at least one body somewhere, but there was no trace of either staff or customers; that lead them all to hope for the first time in a while that someone else had survived all of the chaos and might have made it out.

They could not use the stoves to cook as the gas and electric were out, but they did all take advantage of the one facility that was by some miracle still functional, thanks presumably to a substantial water tank somewhere in the building. Once again they raided the food stores, using what was still fresh and edible to make sandwiches, allowing them to conserve the stores they had gathered at the supermarket for another mealtime. They did not linger inside for long though; they feared that a fresh aftershock could come along at any moment and destabilise the building, burying them all underneath it, with no-one around to rescue them.

As dusk came they were a mere five miles from the base, but they decided that it was not worth the risk to carry on in the dark, when pitfalls would be invisible in the black. There was no abandoned bus to sleep in that night, but as luck would have it they did come across a furnishing store, and set up camp in its parking lot; it was not a bad place to sleep, particularly once they had managed to liberate two mattresses and a pile of blankets and pillows, and made themselves a large impromptu bed. Nonetheless as they all settled down to sleep that night, there was one thing that had David worried. They were so close to the base and yet there was no noise from any kind of rescue activity. It had Jake worried too; he trusted that Puck would do his best, but it wasn't up to him. If those in authority had changed the plans at the last minute, his brother would be more or less helpless, and would not be able to reasonably disobey them…

His brother was not that far away at that precise moment. He had been moved to a forward post in Denver, Colorado; other units were now in place in Nevada, Oregon and Utah, groups of men that had been closer when the call went out and the nationwide mobilisation had begun. Puck's lie that he had no-one that he was close to in the city had been accepted without dispute, but as he sat and waited for action, he almost wished that it hadn't been. Just as Jake surmised, a new set of plans had been drawn up by the high command, a set of plans which concentrated every resource on Edwards Base. The fact that the base in question was closer to the homes of many of the richer members of Los Angeles society, and near pockets of voters that had strongly packed the current President was nothing to do with that decision at all, of course.

Now as Puck scanned the plans, he was devastated to find that all reference to the March Reserve Base had been removed. In his frustration, his first instinct had been to go and protest in the strongest possible terms, but then he realised that he couldn't do so. If he did, it might well indicate that he had some sort of connection in the city, which in turn would indicate that he had lied to his superiors. That would lead to trouble for him, and even less hope for his brother and his friends. Still, he was a pilot and he had been assigned a helicopter to fly. That could develop an emergency situation of some kind which would need to be urgently checked out, and if that happened as he was near the March base… If he then discovered a group of civilians there, then it would be his duty to effect their rescue at the time. If he was subsequently punished for doing so, he would accept it without reservation. It would be a price worth paying to save his brother and his friends.

Across on the other side of the country that night, anxious relatives still awaited news, as did close friends. Mrs Thompson had now been joined at Dalton by the Jones family, all concerned for the young couple. Thad had been astonished to hear from his friend's mom that Mr Thompson was actually on his way to Ohio, so concerned was he for his wife and surviving son. This was the first time to his knowledge that the man in question had been back since events in Alabama all those years ago. He understood why Mr Thompson had stayed away, as the guilt he felt over what had happened to Simon had consumed him. Now the possibility of losing his other son had spurred him to return, and Thad was all for that, just as long as David was okay.

That was still an unconfirmed commodity though. There had been reports of aftershocks all day, and images of massive fires burning out of control. All that any of those waiting could do was pray that their friends and family would be alright and make it out. All they could do was hope that Mother Nature had finished wreaking her wrath on California, and that after fires, mudslides and earthquakes, all disasters were finally out of the way…


	85. The Shake Up Part V

**The Shake Up Part V**

Monday morning finally came, and in New York, normality had to intervene for most. Work had to be attended to as normal, and at the usual time. Beats, Flint and Ethan were all at their respective desks by 8am. The latter found himself dealing with an exceptionally busy day, thankful that none of the companies that his bank had investments in were located in that part of California, although he knew that there were parts of his parents firm, Mackenzie Inc, located in Los Angeles. Just along the road, the stock exchange on Wall Street was in turmoil from the second the opening bell sounded; the shares of many of the technology firms were in virtual freefall, given that in many cases they no longer had research facilities that were functional, and in many cases, they no longer had much of a staff…

The younger Warblers all had to head to their own jobs too, and that included Jeff, who had to head to the Spotlight, his holiday time over. Trent had been given leave by Burt to stay in the city in the circumstances, and so he kept Nick company, the latter having another week before he started work. Neither of them wanted to cross town to see Sebastian, conscious that he had a house full of people anyway.

In Ohio, Thad attempted to get back to his lesson planning and his other summer jobs, but his mind kept straying to thoughts of how his best friend was faring on the other side of the country, where the city he had spent four years in was changed beyond all recognition. Then he thought of Wes, tied up with the huge task of helping to process the thousands of victims of what they were now being told was the worst earthquake in recorded history. The scientists had predicted at the start of the year that there would be a huge quake at some point that year, but no-one had imagined that it would hit the United States. Those same scientists were also not rushing out to say that they had warned people, not in the face of such an overwhelming calamity. Even the President had stopped his inane Twitter messages, the rumour being that he was totally swamped by the crisis, and he had been shifted to one side, to allow others with more experience to take over the management of the Federal response to the disaster.

On the West Coast, none of this was known to David as the first shafts of daylight woke him that morning. He stretched himself awake, and suddenly realised just how bad he now smelt as he did so; how his face was itching thanks to the unaccustomed stubble; and how tired he felt, even after several hours of sleep. "Please let there be someone at the base," he thought, as he glanced over at the four people still sleeping around him. "I wish that you could be with me right now Wes, just to encourage me. I know you must be busy, but even just to see you for a minute would be good…"

There was no sign of him of course; in fact, Wes did not even hear his friends plea, so tied up was he with work, his mind full of processing, his brain dealing with the fact that the numbers of people that had been processed so far had now reached six figures. What made matters worse was that Elizabeth had just informed him a few minutes earlier that they were to ready themselves for a further influx in just a few hours time…

After breakfast, the five survivors set off again, making good progress towards their ultimate destination. The roads were fractured and abandoned, but there were fewer big obstacles here than they had encountered before. Then the base came in sight, and what they saw left them with mixed emotions. They had reached the point from where Puck had stated they would be rescued, but it was no more occupied than anywhere else they had passed en route. The gates were unattended, and the runway was empty, although on a positive note, the buildings seemed to be relatively intact. They were just about to head in when the ground beneath their feet started to move again. They all quickly realised that this was no small aftershock either; this was something that felt every bit as bad as the last two big ones…

Across the nation, indeed the world, viewers were watching a live report from Edwards Air Force base, the presenter describing the relief effort that had commenced and the scenes on the ground to the show's anchors back in New York. Then the young woman's voice faltered and stopped as the ground below her feet began to move in an alarming fashion. As the quake grew in intensity, the world around her quickly descended into chaos; she fell to the ground, as did the camera crew, but the live broadcast kept going as the camera operator continued to film. Thus he captured the moments that the main centre of the relief effort, where thousands of people had headed to for an escape to safety, was reduced itself to the same piles of rubble as the city they had fled; the epicentre of the new quake was in the valley itself, not far from the base. Unknown to anyone then was that the main escape route from the city, which was crowded with survivors, was suddenly hit by a series of landslides and collapses, trapping many and burying more.

In Murray Hill, the broadcast had been on, Julian and Sebastian glued to the screen. As events unfolded, the room was suddenly filled with such screaming that Dave and Eloise rushed in, thinking that murder had to be taking place; on seeing what was going on, they realised that the noise was well and truly justified. Nick and Trent were also watching in stunned silence, until they both suddenly burst into tears. At the Spotlight, Jeff was rooted to the spot as he watched, and then without warning, he fell in a dead faint to the floor. Across the city, the Warblers found all their hopes torn asunder as events occurred, and as for Kitty, it was all just too much to bear.

At Dalton, a stunned Thad just watched and prayed, begging each and every God that might be listening to help. It couldn't be the end, not now, not when their was light at the end of the tunnel. His best friend couldn't just have died….

Everything happened in slow motion for those that found them caught up in the third big quake as it hit Riverside County. Instinct told them it would be best to abandon the rickshaws that had brought them this far, head over to the grass verge at the side of the road, and throw themselves prostrate upon it. On reaching there, David had thrown himself over Peter, to protect him from any flying debris, whilst Mercedes lay at his side, praying for it all to be over soon. Jake and Unique had also made for the safety of that stretch of ground, but just as he reached it, a sudden lurch of the earth sent Jake sprawling over the kerb, and as a result, his landing was a lot heavier than the others. All that they could do was try and ride out the quake, fingers crossed that this was the last one they would have to endure, and that the buildings and runway of the March base would not be damaged any more than they already were. Eventually the tremor ceased, almost abruptly, and once again the cacophony of destruction was silenced, and the birdsong could once again be heard.

"Please make it stop! Please make it stop!" a small voice was saying repeatedly, and David carefully lifted himself back off Peter, his own mind echoing the small boy's sentiments. Two had been bad enough, but this was one too many. He almost hoped that when they got into the base they would find a plane or a helicopter in there; and that he would be able to hot wire it. Sure he had never flown any kind of aircraft before, but how hard could it be? It would be massively risky, but then in his mind at that moment, so was staying here and waiting… Peter had got back on his feet by now, and was in Mercedes' arms, and pretending that he wasn't crying…

Then Unique spoke. "David, Jake isn't waking up… I think he's hit his head…"

In a flash David was over at the younger man's side, checking almost by instinct to see that he had a pulse. Boy was he so glad when he found one that was good and strong. He reached across to where Jake's bag was lying, opened it up, and pulled out his water bottle. He splashed a little of the precious resource on his friend's face as Unique watched in concern, blinking back tears…

It took a moment but Jake's eyes slowly opened, then his lips parted to let out a groan, his face forming a grimace as he did so. "My head feels like something heavy slammed into it," he muttered, and then he tried to lift himself up - and screamed in agony. It was only then that David and Unique noticed that his left foot was lying at a strange angle. It quickly became the focus of their attention, and David gently felt it, realising that it was badly swollen. He gingerly tried to move Jake's foot back to a more normal position, and he managed to do so, but not without eliciting a chorus of squeals from the younger man. There was no doubt about it in their minds; his ankle was probably broken, at least very badly sprained. That there was undoubtedly damage to tendons and ligaments from the jerky nature of his fall. There was no way that he was going to be able to walk on it in the immediate future.

What concerned both David and Unique more was the fact that they could not get him expert attention swiftly, and such a delay might change the entire course of Jake's future. He was a dancer after all, and that was what he lived for; if his foot did not mend then he could be saying goodbye to his career and the one thing he lived for. Such concerns were for later; for now, they just had to be glad that they had so little distance left to cover to reach the base, and that surely there had to be some sort of medical facility in there. If nothing else, they would be able to find painkillers to give Jake some form of relief from his agony…

They might have been close, but it took a while to get there. The quake had rendered their faithful rickshaws useless; the middle of the road had been torn apart, and one had landed in the base of a huge chasm that had appeared, twisted out of shape. The other was intact, but was on the other side of the deep gulf, and they had no means of dragging it back to their side. So they had to walk, Mercedes leading the way with Peter's hand clutching hers, and carrying her own bag and Jake's; behind them, David and Unique carried their own bags, with Jake in between them, his arms round their necks as he hopped along on his good foot. He was trying his best to keep smiling, but his mind was full of turmoil and unanswered questions. Where was Puck and the rescue crews that he had promised? Would his foot be left badly damaged, made worse by the delayed treatment? And worst of all, would there be another earthquake, because frankly he was done with all of that now…

Once they had entered the base, it did not take them long at all to identify the medical room, although sorting through all the packets of drugs that now lay scattered across the floor did take a while. Unique had insisted that she went in alone, not willing to risk anyone else just in case there was another aftershock. Leaving Peter in the care of Jake, David and Mercedes ventured into a barracks building, and managed to carry out some chairs and bedding, which meant Jake could be more comfortable than when he was sprawled on the ground.

Further exploration found David find something even better - a tent. However, the process of pitching the large tent gave Jake and Peter a distraction, and something to howl with laughter at; it was total farce watching the other three struggle with the poles, and then the canvas that went over them. Eventually though the tent was erected, giving them valuable shade from the heat of the sun. Jake and Peter were moved inside it, and then David and Unique set about finding the mess hall, and liberating food from it. All that any of them needed now was a sign that help was actually coming; even the distant noise of an aircraft would buoy up their flagging spirits. However, the skies remained stubbornly empty, the only thing visible in them the smoke from the still raging fires. Eventually, partially just to pass the time, David and Unique started to move lighter bits of rubble to the side of the runway, and used them to spell out three letters; SOS. That way, if anyone did fly past, they would be able to see that someone was there and needed help…

In the control room of Buckley Air Force Base, just outside of Denver, the base commander had watched the television in silent horror as before his eyes the base at Edwards had fallen apart. He could see the communications staff pale as they lost all lines of contact to the other base; one call had been open as the quake struck, and it had ended abruptly moments after the air was filled with a scream of pure terror… For all of them there was the realisation that colleagues in the service had just been seriously injured, or worse; that the base at Edwards had just been taken out of commission for the foreseeable future; and that all the resources that had already been assigned there would need to be replaced. After a moment they all snapped back into action, as their training had taught them to; flights that were already in the air en route to Edwards were contacted and rerouted to another destination, or to return to their start point. New plans would have to be consulted, ones which had the contingency that Edwards was not available. It quickly became apparent that if such plans did exist then they were not that reasonably accessible.

Not that far away, Puck had watched the same footage in silence, not wanting to think too much about what he was seeing, what it meant for his brother and his friends. He took care not to let his emotions show. If they found out now about Jake and the others, then at best he would be forced to take a back seat and just watch as others did the work; at worst, he would find himself in trouble with the military police. After all, he had lied to get here… As the minutes passed, he began to realise one thing; if Edwards was gone, or even just restricted, then it meant that March had to come back into play, and that had to be the one good thing in all of this, at least to his mind.

It was just over an hour later when Puck's commanding officer, Colonel Kelly, walked into the room with the intention of grabbing himself a coffee. He was paler than Puck had ever seen him, his face lined and his brow furrowed. There had still been no mention of new orders, and to a casual and cruel observer it would appear that at the moment there were a lot of headless chickens in command… As the man sat down and proceeded to stare blankly ahead, Puck decided that he had nothing to lose in just going for it and speaking out. After all, what was the worst that could happen from him making a sensible suggestion? "Sir, may I talk to you for a moment?"

"Puckerman, this is not exactly the best time for a general chat. Things are to be frank, dire. We have lost a lot of resources at Edwards, a lot of good men, and unfortunately a lot of civilians too…"

"I understand that sir, and that is actually what I wish to talk to you about. I recall in training that there was another plan drawn up for this eventuality in Los Angeles; a plan that mentioned use of another base, in Riverside County if I remember…"

"March Reserve Base? Yes, it was the go to point for this situation once, but that was some time ago. The thing is that there were cutbacks, and March was downgraded as part of them several years ago, with everything concentrated on Edwards. I thought at the time it was stupid, and now I have been proven correct. A great error was made by the people in charge…"

"But March would still be serviceable though, sir? Still with the potential to serve as a base for this mission even now?"

"It was, but given all that has happened, there is no guarantee that it would be in any fit state to do so now…"

"Has anyone actually checked that out? If not, I would be more than happy to volunteer for any mission to ascertain the status of the base. I just feel so useless sitting here in safety when there are thousands of people that need our help. After all, what possible harm could such a mission do?"

"Well, until now it hasn't been considered, but I think you actually have a point in that it should happen… I think that those in charge would actually be grateful for any idea that could give hope to everyone right now. I guess there would be no harm in asking them to consider it." Colonel Kelly got up, and headed for the door, then turned round at the threshold. "Well, don't just sit there, Puckerman! It's your idea, so you should tell them…"

It turned out that the Colonel had been right; those in charge were desperate for any scheme that could bring hope, and so a reconnaissance sortie was proposed at once. The Colonel was to be in overall charge of the mission, but Puck was to pilot the single helicopter that would be sent, the rest of the crew being chosen from the rest of their unit. Initially the helicopter that was to be sent was a small one, much to Puck's horror, but then one of the others had suggested that they should take a larger one, as there might well be civilians in the area that were in need of immediate rescue. It would also let them take supplies to allow some of them to remain at March as a forward position, should it be okay. Puck silently thanked the woman who would be his co-pilot for her suggestion…

With permission granted, they were airborne within twenty minutes. The course that had been plotted for them was one that had them initially heading south west, to a stop at Luke Air Force base near Phoenix, Arizona, where they would refuel and pick up further supplies. They flew as fast as they could, Puck keeping his mind focussed on where he was heading, and not on the worst he could find when he got there. He did not know what he would do if he got there to find the place deserted, with no trace of those he cared for. If the base was okay, then that left hope, but if not, then it was a disaster. He knew from Thad that they had made it through the first two big quakes, but if they had failed to survive the final one… well, he wasn't even going to consider that.

The stop at Luke took far too long for his liking, but eventually they were headed west again. Again Puck concentrated on his flight path, heading towards the shining Pacific ocean in the distance, flying over a landscape that was starting to show signs of damage the further west they flew. Then there were the plumes of smoke rising high into the skies above the city his brother had called home. All he could do now was hope and pray that they had made it through, and that as he brought the helicopter into land, he would see them all there, waiting for him…

The day had passed uneventfully in the March base; once the tent had been erected and they had eaten lunch, there was nothing left to do but sit, wait and hope. They were not too badly off after all; they had food, water and now shelter. They had made a signal of sorts that would let people know that they were there. They all knew that Puck would make every effort to come himself or send someone here, as he had promised. The only thorn in the side for them all was the state of Jake's ankle. They had decided after a lengthy debate that they would not remove his boot, and had bandaged his ankle up tightly over his footwear, making use of the supplies in the medical room. He was still in a lot of pain, despite the painkillers that they had given him; he was putting on a brave face, but the three older members of the small group could see straight through it. They all knew that he was worried about his future, and what effect his injury might have on that. Every hour that passed without Jake receiving expert treatment was a potential risk to his dancing career, and they all knew it.

As the afternoon wore on, Peter eventually fell asleep on a cot they had dragged out of one of the barracks, and shortly after that, Mercedes had joined him on her own. Unique took a seat beside Jake, and tried to distract him with idle chatter, and to some extent her plan was working. As for David, he decided to take a walk around all the buildings that made up the core of the base to see what was intact; he harboured hopes that he might come across a working telephone or a cellphone signal, but he knew that was reserved for his wildest dreams. He was more likely to stumble across the Holy Grail… He did discover a facilities block where everything still worked, including the showers; the temptation to throw off his torn and dirty clothes and just stand there and let the water run over him, even though it would be cold, was great. He managed to resist by reminding himself that there were no towels. It was as he walked slowly back to the tent that he heard a sound…

He dismissed it as just so much wishful thinking at first, too long standing out in the sun. He had been waiting to hear that sound for so long that now his brain was allowing him to imagine the low drone of a helicopter. Then he turned his eyes to the east, and he saw it; just the smallest of black specks in the sky, on the horizon but coming ever closer. He watched in spellbound amazement for a moment, then as the noise began to grow louder he was running for the tent, yelling at the top of his voice to his friends inside. Unique appeared at the door and was about to speak when she too heard the rotor noise; with a squeal of delight she joined David outside, and scanned the skies. Mercedes emerged then, realised what was happening, then turned back to tell Peter to stay with Jake, and make sure he stayed where he was, given that he was trying to get up and hop out to join the others.

She came back out and rushed over to David's side. "We need to do something to attract their attention, in case they just fly past; we need to get them to come and pick us up."

"We have made a sign, but you're right, that might not be enough. There is no point in shouting out, because they will never hear us," added Unique.

"If it is Puck, then he won't need any sign; he will land in the hope that we are here. But if it isn't…" admitted David. "I guess that all we can do is what they do in all the films; wave our arms about frantically in the hope that they see us." With that, he set off at speed to the open space next to the runway, to wave his arms about like a lunatic; after a glance at each other, Mercedes and Unique followed him, and began to do the same…


	86. The Shake Up Part VI

_This week I received an extra review on my little story, and as a tank's to them for their kind words, and because I am feeling generous, I thought that you all deserved an extra chapter for once. Normal schedule resumes after this._

 _Thanks for reading!_

The **Shake Up Part VI**

The crew of the helicopter had begun to spot the worst as they had approached the outskirts of the city. The live film from Andrews had been shocking enough, but here the situation was real, and things looked much worse. Smoke rose steadily in all directions from fires, many still burning ferociously three days after they had begun. There was no trace of the tall building of the central business district rising above those plumes, which was a sobering thought. If those mighty earthquake proofed buildings had gone, then the rest of the city had to have toppled too. The freeways that approached the city were littered with abandoned vehicles; accidents had taken place, leading to fires; bridges had collapsed, and the mangled condition of the vehicles they could see was a testament to the most destructive forces that nature could unleash. What made it all the worse was that as they approached the city, flying low so they could scan the landscape, was the complete absence of any sign of human life.

"This is epic; they said that things had to be bad, but this is so much worse than I think they anticipated. The quakes that happened here were nothing short of an annihilation event. The people that were in the city when it struck did not stand a chance. They won't be able to rebuild this place, not in a million years. To all intents and purposes, Los Angeles had ceased to exist; it is extinct," said Colonel Kelly, and nobody disagreed. Puck was desperately trying not to cry out, as he felt his hopes fade.

"Right, March Reserve base is dead ahead," continued the Colonel. "We take a look, and see if we can land; if we can, then we inspect what is left of the facilities there. From what I am seeing below right now, though, I doubt that there is anything left there that can possibly be utilised…"

As they had come ever closer to their destination, Puck's heart had sunk lower and lower. He had known it was bad, had understood that, but he had never pictured that the devastation would be quite so bad. So much of what had been built in the city in recent years was designed to be earthquake proof; had passed all of the tests, and should therefore be standing right now. Maybe the scientists had not tested them quite hard enough, never predicting that a quake of the magnitude registered on the Richter Scale on Friday night would ever hit the city. What was all the more striking as they flew on was that the few properties that did seem to have survived the three successive earthquakes were older ones, built in an era before any sort of regulations. He winced as he passed over a collapsed building that had a red cross painted on its fractured roof; the people that had been inside that now pancaked concrete structure had probably assumed that they were safe…

He blinked back his tears as he realised that even the street grid had been destroyed to some extent, which must have made communication and travel hard. He guessed that the cross town journey he had set his brother and his friends would have been as daunting and difficult as crossing Antarctica, or scaling Everest. He scanned the streets below as he flew in across the ruined city, looking for any sign of movement, which could be them. He was worried that they would not have reached the base yet, and that could be an issue. He saw nothing though, and that was quite a disturbing thought; in such a large city, there should have been some movement, some sign of life…

Then he was on the final approach to the base; the roads here were clearer, but that was largely because the buildings had been lower in height and set back from the road, so their debris had spread less far. Fires had burnt here too, and the main road towards the base was cracked in two by a gouge that widened as they neared it…

"Sir, I can see movement on the runway. There would appear to be some civilians there, but not many…"

As Puck's co-pilot uttered those words his heart leapt; he dared himself to hope, looking up now to see three figures by the tarmac. He instinctively took the helicopter higher, so as to avoid sending a wave of disturbed air right at them as he approached.

"I can see them; there is even a crude SOS made out of rubble… We have survivors, which given all that we have seen is nothing short of a miracle. I only hope that there are more than three…."

Puck said nothing, his concentration now being on ensuring that he managed to set the aircraft down safely on the ground; nonetheless he did check out the figures as he searched out an even spot to land upon. That was when it hit him; there were two women, and one man; a man that was definitely not Jake. Then he realised too that the youngest member of the party that Thad had told him to expect was also nowhere to be seen. 'He has to be somewhere else, taking care of the little boy. That's it. He and little Peter are somewhere else. My brother has made it…' he thought, his eyes looking around for any indication that there was other life on the base. As the wheels of the helicopter came to rest gently on the ground, he suddenly saw that whilst the others had their hands down, Mercedes was facing the front of the aircraft with an arm raised, and her hand held up, fingers wide spread, showing all five… He hoped that it was a signal to him, just in case he was the pilot and was worried by the numbers. Now he was there though he had a new concern. He hoped that all of them would remember to stay quiet about how they had chosen to come here. One slip now, and there would be big trouble ahead for him…

For those on the ground, waving in desperation until the helicopter had began its descent, the waiting had been agonising. There had always been the risk until it actually landed that this was just a reconnaissance flight and would not land at all, just fly over; or worse, it would land short of them. That would have been heartbreaking and would have shattered their spirits. Instead it had flown low over the road they themselves had walked down.

"Please let them see us, please let them see us," Unique had muttered over and over as it approached.

Then the helicopter had begun to climb again, and that was heart stopping; they waited for the aircraft to turn, veering away to some other place without them, but it didn't. It came closer, and then the air around them began to be disturbed by the movement of its rotors. They stood and watched mesmerised as it began to make its landing not that far from them. It was real; it was actually happening; their nightmare was about to end. David began to blink back tears as beside him his two companions openly cried.

"Is it him? Is it Puck?" Unique asked.

It was still unclear though. Suddenly Mercedes gave a gasp and held her arm aloft, spreading her fingers out as she stared right at the windscreen. "If it is him, then he will be panicking by now, seeing only three of us here…" Her two companions quickly replicated her gesture to reinforce it.

"Okay, so remember, even if it isn't Puck, Jake is not his brother," David reminded them. "None of us know him; to us he is just a helicopter pilot, an airman." As he spoke, the rotor blades above the helicopter began to slow down to a standstill, the draught from them lessening. None of them moved towards it, giving the crew on board time to prepare before stepping out. They watched as one of the two pilots, a woman, climbed out of her seat; then the other moved too, taking off his helmet to reveal a face that they all recognised even at this distance. Puck had made them a promise, and he had kept it.

Now that he had arrived, Puck found that he was having to exert a lot of self-control upon himself. A large part of him was screaming inside for him to leave the aircraft and run straight over to his three friends and ask where his brother was. He couldn't, as that would create a situation that would benefit nobody; instead he let his co-pilot go, running through all of the usual post flight checks he had to carry out upon landing, noting the positions of the various dials, ensuring everything was turned off and secured. He did it that day with more diligence than he had since he had passed out of training. Eventually he did take off his seatbelt, having already removed his helmet to see all three of his friends holding up those five fingers. He then joined the rest of the crew at the door, glad that he was not the one that had to remain onboard to monitor the comms systems. The call had already been made back to Denver that it would be possible to use March for helicopter landings, but that was all until they had time to carry out a proper assessment of the runway's condition. As they disembarked, Puck found himself leading the way at Colonel Kelly's request. All he could hope as he approached the three people waiting was that they would remember the one thing that he had drummed into them time and time again; that they did not know him…

"Oh, thank God! We didn't think that anyone was coming. It has just been a nightmare," said Mercedes, looking away from Puck and right at the man with more stripes.

"Well, ma'am, we've had a few issues, but we are here now," came her reply. "Are there many other people here, Miss…"

"Jones; Mercedes Jones."

"Wait, are you the Mercedes Jones?" exclaimed Puck's co-pilot suddenly. "You are… I saw you in concert in DC not two weeks ago!"

"Guilty as charged. I was due to be playing at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday, but…" Mercedes paused, making it clear that something tragic had happened there that she did not want to talk about. "In answer to your question, sir, I'm afraid that there are only five of us here in total; myself, my boyfriend David Thompson, and his roommate Unique Adams. His other roommate Jake is in a tent just over there along with a young boy named Peter Smythe. He is the nephew of a school friend of my boyfriend. He lost his mother and grandparents in the quake; his father and uncle are in New Jersey."

The officer nodded, having not noticed that she had failed to give Jake a surname, although Puck had, and was now wondering how they were going to deal with that issue when it arose. David then spoke, interrupting his thoughts. "Jake had a bit of an accident during the big quake earlier today. We think he might have broken his ankle; none of us are that hot on anything other than basic first aid. We have taken some medical supplies from the stores here, and have done our best, but we really need it properly checked out.

"I'm a fully trained first responder," the co-pilot said. "Show me where he is and I'll check out Mr…"

"Wade. Jake Wade," said Unique, and Puck was immediately grateful for her quick thinking. It was inspired, and so obvious to the others. "We would be really grateful if you could look Peter over too. He is fine, but…"

The co-pilot nodded, knowing what Unique was implying; he was fine physically, but mentally might be a very different story for someone so young that had lost so much.

"I'm sure that he will be a lot better once I get him to his dad and his uncle Seb," said David sagely. "Not to mention his new stepmom, Isabelle."

"Wait… Smythe and Wright? His stepmom is the _Vogue_ editor?" asked the co-pilot, and David just smiled as he nodded. With that he started to lead the way to the tent, and the crew followed. What he didn't know was that the co-pilot was suddenly reminded of something. She remembered that Puckerman and his girlfriend had been at that wedding, something she was jealous of. He had been there because he was a friend of the groom's brother, and ergo that had to meant despite his attitude so far, he knew all of the people here…

Inside the tent, Jake had heard the sound of the helicopter landing even in his blissed out state from all the medication. His ankle still throbbed even with all of it, but the pain no longer ripped his nerves apart.

"Mr Jake, has that helicopter come to save us?" Peter asked him quietly.

"I hope so, little man; someone should have come by now…"

"Will it take me to my daddy and Uncle Bazzy?"

"Not straight away I would think, but it will take us somewhere safe, where we can get washed and checked out, and from there you will be taken to New York. And of course, there will be telephones there, so you'll be able to speak to them too."

"They won't send me back here afterwards, my daddy and Uncle Bazzy? They will let me stay with them in New York?"

"Of course they will! Your dad and Isabelle will be so worried about you, and they will both want you there, as will Sebastian. It will be very different there though; not as sunny for a start, and there will be snow every winter, but it is safer. They don't have wild fires and earthquakes there."

Peter nodded, then said "I miss my mom so much… Do you think that she might be an angel, Mr Jake?"

"I am certain of it. She was a good person, and now she is an angel, she will always be able to watch over you, wherever you are. She is probably watching us right now, keeping you safe. Always believe in angels, Peter. Trust me when I tell you they are real, and as long as you are good, you will see your mom again one day…"

Moments later the flap of the tent opened, and Jake's three friends walked in with the helicopter crew. Jake tried not to react as he saw Puck, just as he did not as he saw the swathe of bandages wrapped round his brother's ankle. After all, he knew exactly where his ambitions lay, and if the injury he had sustained was as bad as it looked, then all of that was kind of over now.

"Mr Wade, I'm Airwoman McCormack. I am a trained first responder, so I am just going to take a look at your ankle. If it starts to hurt whilst I do that, let me know, okay?"

"I will, although the painkillers that they found for me are pretty good," Jake replied, having realised that he had to be Mr Wade; it had been on the tip of his tongue to correct her, but then he had remembered exactly who he wasn't, so to speak, so he had said nothing. He did smile at the thought that Unique had to have been behind his new name.

Mercedes had been searching for the box of painkillers, and now handed it over to McCormack; her eyebrows raised, and then she chuckled. "I'm surprised that you aren't out cold after taking these things; they are the strongest you can get, so they made a good choice." As she began to carefully unwrap the bandages, Puck watched from a distance, looking at her face to see if he could see any sign of what was going through her mind as she saw his injuries. He tried not to breathe a sigh of relief as her face did not fall on finally freeing the ankle from its protective cocoon; and then he saw that they had bandaged his foot with his shoes still on. "You did the right thing in leaving his boot on to give it extra support. I don't think from a cursory glance that it is broken, as the swelling is quite mild; I think we are looking at torn tendons and ligaments, coupled with a very nasty sprain. I can't be certain though until we get him properly checked out, so we will need to sort that out ASAP when we return to Denver."

In those words came the news that the five of them had been hoping for. They would soon be leaving the ruins of the city that they had once called home, on their way back to their friends and family in Ohio and New Jersey. It was quite a moment, but one that came with mixed feelings nonetheless. There was joy in the fact that their ordeal was coming to an end, but sadness in the fact that they had made good memories here. They had lost friends and neighbours, and in Peter's case, family. All of their time her would now be overshadowed by a destruction on a scale they had only ever seen in the celluloid images created in Hollywood - and now those images would be in short supply when you stopped to think about it.

Mercedes suddenly felt a chill run down her spine as she remembered that Hollywood had always been Artie's dream destination, his hope for the future. She was glad for once that a friend had not achieved what they had dreamed of; if he had been here, then his chances of survival would have been slim. How could he have escaped from a world of fractured roads and collapsed buildings in a wheelchair? If she knew him, she guessed that he would have been having those same dark thoughts at home in New York since the quake had happened, but that Kitty would be unaware of his inner turmoil. She made a mental note that she would get him on her own once she was out of the ruins, and make him talk it out…

In the end, it took them just under thirty minutes to be on their way. Now that the fact that March Reserve Base was usable was known, the control center had decided that it should be immediately designated as main base for the rescue operation. Other aircraft would soon be en-route with supplies and rescue teams, just in case there were still people buried under collapsed homes somewhere in the vastness of the city. To help facilitate that, only Puck, McCormack and the five civilians would be heading back to Denver. David quickly walked Colonel Kelly and the three other crewmen around the base, showing him the buildings that he had explored, all of them glad to know that there was a usable form of sanitation, and a small supply of food, supplemented by that which they had scavenged themselves. Their exploration also uncovered a generator, and when they tentatively attempted to start it, it roared into life, which was a bonus. There was an electrician on the crew, and all that now needed to be done was to establish how to connect it to the base's circuits. Then they would have the most valuable of resources; light, and a source of power for the mess kitchen.

This done, it was time for Jake to be stretchered aboard the helicopter, along with three relieved adults and one very excited little boy, thrilled at the idea of getting to ride in a helicopter. Once they were all strapped in, the rotors began to hum again, and then they were off, about to head east to the relative safety of the Rocky Mountains. On board, they all sat in silence, lost in their thought, with the exception of Peter, who was staring out of the window and keeping up a running commentary on what he was seeing.

With the pressure of keeping the others safe finally over, David was finally able to check out his grab bag, unopened since Unique had handed it to him. He was overcome with emotion when he discovered amongst all his documents and papers that there was another item; the framed photo that his best friend had left for him on the day he had headed back to Ohio. Safe himself now, he turned away from the others, and finally allowed himself to have a good cry…

Unique noticed David's tears nonetheless, then saw what he was clutching in his hand. She smiled, then leant forward to speak quietly to him. "Jake told me that he grabbed that on instinct as we fled from the house. He knew how much that picture meant to you; we both heard you cry when you came back from your road trip to Dalton two years ago and saw it there for the first time. He must have assumed that it was worth more to you than all the money in the world."

"It is, I guess," said David in a hushed voice. "Thad isn't just my best friend, he's like a brother to me. When he left this for me to find, he was letting me know that although we were going to be hundreds of miles apart, he would always be there for me, whenever I needed him to be. He proved that this week; he was the only person I could call in the early hours of the morning back east that I knew would answer, and would stay calm, at least whilst he was talking to me. I know that he will have been looking out for my mom, in between dealing with the Warblers, especially Sebastian, and his own personal concerns as well. If I had lost this, then he would have bought me a replacement, no doubt about it - but it wouldn't have been the same…"

Nearby, Mercedes had heard every word, and had felt her own eyes grow moist. She had known of course from the moment that she had fallen for the charms of David Thompson that she was not just embarking on a relationship with him, but all of the Warblers. The closeness that those boys had with each other put the New Directions to shame at times. That had been so clear to her when Wes had died, and now, no doubt, they would all have been clinging to every scrap of news that Thad could give them. When they did reach Denver, she knew that he would be high on the list of people that her boyfriend needed to call…

With the weather set fair, and the autopilot on, Puck sat silently at the controls of the helicopter, deep in thought. He knew now that the instinct that he had had to send his brother and his friends to March, and not Andrews, had been the right one. Now all of the rescue effort was going to be centred there, and as he spoke there were hundreds of people in the air, en route to that base in Riverside County. However, he had the horrible feeling that it would all be too little, too late for many. Having seen the scale of the destruction first hand now, he concluded that the death toll from this event was going to make every catastrophe in the past look like a minor accident in contrast…

"I can keep an eye on things if you want to go back and talk to your brother…" The voice of his co-pilot, McCormack, suddenly cut into his thoughts and left him cold. If she knew… "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. If I had family in Los Angeles, then I would have wanted to be there too, and nobody would have been able to stop me. I would also hazard a guess that you were the one that told him to heard to March, and not Andrews? That was a very sensible choice as it goes, not that you could have anticipated that at the time. I am also thinking that you know the others too?"

"Yeah, I was in glee club with Mercedes; Unique joined it after I graduated, although she was Wade Adams then…"

"So that explains Jake Wade…"

"Yeah, that was fast thinking on her part. As for David, he was in our biggest rival club, the Warblers; we all got to know each other better when their lead singer, Blaine, and my best friend's stepbrother, Kurt, became an item. Since then, we might have had our differences, but events have drawn us all closer, to the extent that I am actually an honorary Warbler…"

McCormack was silent for a moment, then said "Show choir, eh? I wouldn't have ever had you pegged for that… Now, enough chatter, go and see your friends. You will owe me for this sometime, but it will stay our secret, okay…"

Puck smiled, and left his seat to go and sit beside Jake for a while. He could see that he was hurt and in pain, but it could all have been so much worse. If it had have been, then he honestly didn't know how he and the others would have coped with yet another tragedy…

Unusually, the military helicopter was cleared to land at Denver's main airport. The whole of the airline industry was in chaos right now, with flights to the west coast being in total disarray. Only Seattle was fully functional, with Portland severely restricted, and San Francisco being closed to all but military flights. Denver was on restriction too, to allow it to cope with the expected evacuation flights. So far, they had not come, and as the helicopter landed, Puck thought how strange it was to see so many people waiting for five survivors. He said his farewells once he had landed, as after a very short rest he would have to fly back west with more supplies and staff. He left Jake in the care of Unique, and she was the one that accompanied him as they were met by a group of doctors and nurses.

They insisted that all of the group should be checked over, and they agreed, but on one condition; that they had access to a phone. This was not an issue in the circumstances and soon they were all making those vital calls. Jake and Unique called their parents, ending the worst of their worries. Mercedes called her mom too, and had promised to call Mrs Thompson on David's behalf immediately afterwards. She didn't have to in the end, as the latter lady was with her mom and one call sufficed. As for David, he knew that he had one call that was a priority. It had to be made right now, regardless of the fact that it was just after midnight on the east coast. He had to call Sebastian, and put both him and Julian out of their misery over the fate of Peter…


	87. The Shake Up Part VII

**The Shake Up Part VII**

In New York, Monday had been another day of mental torment for all of those desperately awaiting news of family and friends caught up in what was now being described as the deadliest disaster in modern global history across the world's media. Every nation shared those sentiments and shared sympathy, except Iran, whose media proclaimed that it was the earth's revenge on the capitalist enemy. The President was still out of the picture, which was no bad thing. There was still trouble for his party though; outrage had been sparked when a video was leaked which showed a Republican congressman telling one of his senior colleagues that the death of all those idiotic Democrats in California was a good thing, as it would secure them a fresh majority; after all, they could push through a bill which would reduce the number of representatives from the state due to the fall in population, whilst allocating new ones to the states that formed their heartlands.

As one of the representatives from L.A. that was in Washington railed against the offender, whilst pointing out that two other members of the house that had been in the city were amongst the missing, no apology was forthcoming from the party. There were also rumours that the President's Twitter account had been temporarily blocked so as to ensure he did not tweet something in his usual way that would make the situation even worse than it was. Burt Hummel found himself pushed to the front of the group of Congress members who were demanding immediate resignations, whilst also looking to block any change in the seat allocations until the full facts of the situation were made clear. That Sue Sylvester was at his side, raising her voice just as loudly in protest was no shock whatsoever to anyone that knew her.

Life had gone on as normal for the majority of the Warblers; it had to, although David was on their minds constantly. He was one of the unifying figures and someone that none of them could ever recall having a major dispute with. Nick had given in and headed to Murray Hill at lunchtime, then spent most of the rest of the day with Sebastian; his friend was once again on the edge, the whole waiting game driving him almost insane. Every time that his phone rang he jumped up to answer it; when it wasn't the news that he was hoping for, he became abrupt and downright rude with the caller, without exception. Bette had appeared once again in the afternoon, bringing with her a gift basket from the Broadway community; just something to let him know that he was foremost in all their thoughts at the moment. He had glanced at it with complete disinterest at first, until he spied two things; a box of his favourite brand of marron glaces, and two packets of custard creams. He grabbed for the latter, and within an hour one pack had been completely demolished. The box of candied chestnuts had also been opened, and offered around to the others, unlike the biscuits…

As for Julian, Isabelle had managed to drag him out of the house for a short walk, insisting that a breath of fresh air would do him good, and pointing out that they both had phones; if anything happened, they could be back in minutes. They had ended up walking across town to her apartment, and there, in the privacy of that place, he had broken down completely in her arms, all pretence of strength and resolve thrown out of the window. They had returned finally in the early evening to discover that Nick had just left, but not before he had made a casserole that was now simmering in the oven. The dish in question was so fragrant that even the most reluctant felt hungry, and they all ate it without refusal.

It had just become Tuesday when Sebastian's phone began to ring, and he dived across the room for it as usual. This time though he froze as he saw the name that was displayed for the caller - Bluebird. He knew that this was the call that he and his brother were desperate for, but now he could not move, paralysed with fear. Yes, it was coming from David's phone, but what if the call was being made by some well meaning medic after the phone had been found on the badly injured corpse of his friend? What if David was still alive, but Peter no longer was, having perished in that last quake?

As his mind processed all of the what ifs, the rest of the room had fallen silent. In the end it was Dave that moved, crossing from the doorway where he had been standing, that picked up the phone, and on seeing the name, accepted the call and answered with a tentative "Hello?" He then fell silent as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line, his face betraying no emotion at all as he did so, much to the frustration of those in the room. "Right, so it might be better if I put you on speaker phone for this; it will be quicker and easier…" As Dave fumbled with the buttons to do so, Isabelle placed her arms protectively around her husband, as he tensed up as he waited for news; she smiled a little as she saw his mother take his hand. Eloise had done the same for Sebastian, who looked as if he was about to pass out from the agony of waiting, whilst cursing himself for not being brave enough to answer the call himself. Dave managed to turn the volume on the phone up to full, then placed it on the table, having turned the speaker phone on. "Okay, go ahead…"

"Hey guys, it's David. So, we are in Denver. Puck kept his word to us. Anyway, someone more important than me wants a word…."

There was a pause, and then came the words "Daddy? Uncle Bazzy?"

Julian was out of his chair in a second, and right over to the phone. "Peter! Hey, are you okay? I've been so worried about you! I promise you right now that I am never going to leave you on your own again!" exclaimed Julian, the relief in his voice obvious. The smile on his face was wide, as all of the worries that had dogged him for the last few days evaporated in a moment on just hearing that small voice.

"I'm okay now, daddy, but I was so scared… I couldn't help mommy, and she didn't make it out… I'm so sorry…"

"You have nothing in the world to be sorry for; your mommy would just be so pleased that your are safe. That is all that would have mattered to her, that you were alive and safe…"

"I remembered what we were told at school, and hid under the bed, but then the house fell down on top of it. I had to stay there on my own, and it was dark, and I was so lonely until the man came to talk to me, and told me that it would be okay, and he kept talking to me until Mr David came, and he and Mr Jake rescued me."

"Hey, Peter, don't you mean that David came and told you it would be okay," said Sebastian, suddenly curious as to who on earth the other man could have been.

"No, Uncle Bazzy, it was another man. I couldn't see him, as it was so, so dark and my torch wouldn't work, but he just told me that I had to be brave, and stay exactly where I was, and that help was coming. He told me that I didn't have to be scared, and that mommy, nana and gramps were all in heaven. He did sound a lot like Mr David, but it wasn't him, because he didn't come until much later… So, am I going to be able to come and live with you now, daddy? Will that be okay, because if it isn't, then I think that Uncle Bazzy would let me stay with him…"

"Of course you are going to come and live with me and Isabelle, Peter. You are my son, and I love you so, so much, and nothing will ever change that," said Julian with a tear in his eye…"

"Okay. Well, I think I am going to go and see if I can find Mercedes; she might know if there is somewhere for me to sleep, because I am really tired. I will see you very soon… I love you daddy, and you too, Uncle Bazzy."

"That's a good idea, Peter. I love you so much," said Julian.

"Me too, sweetheart," said Isabelle.

"Peter, you take care of Mr David for me; he can't be trusted for too long on his own," joked Sebastian.

"Okay, Uncle Bazzy, although he is like a superhero really; I think he wants to speak to you now… Oh, I remember now, the other man told me his name; he was Mr Simon…"

Sebastian picked up his phone, and took it back off speaker and placed it to his ear. He walked casually out of a room that was now filled with relief at the knowledge that Peter was safe and out of the danger zone, and where Julian and Isabelle were making plans for the future. Now that he was out of earshot, Sebastian had a different situation to deal with, having recalled something that Thad had told him. "David," he whispered, "did you know any of that until now, because it sounds like it was your brother…"

"It does sound a lot like it, doesn't it?" David interrupted. "I mean, if it was the case, then it is a shock on several levels, not least because it means that Peter can hear angels. However, I thought that all of the angels would be busy with processing people, so how did my brother have the time to spare to sit with Peter? Maybe he will come and tell me why…"

"Maybe that was his job; he knew that you were on your way, and that Peter was scared and alone. He was sent to keep him company, to give him comfort until you all managed to get there and get him out. Thanks for that by the way. I am now forever in your debt; if we had lost him, it would have destroyed me, and it would have killed Jules. Tell Jake that I owe him too. In fact, I think I am going to talk to Thad, and see if we can get him an honorary Warbler pin like his brother for the outstanding actions that he performed on my behalf."

"Yeah, I would second that one… Speaking of Thad, I'd best give him and my mom a quick call. As soon as I know what it going on, I will get Peter to you all in New York, okay?"

"Okay - and David, thanks again for all of this. You didn't just save Peter's life the other day; you save mine and Julian's too."

Sebastian hung up, and turned round, and realised that Isabelle was standing in the doorway of the sitting room, watching him. Inside the room, he could hear Julian talking to his mother, trying to convince her that it was time that she met her grandson face to face. Eloise was in the kitchen, preparing drinks, and Dave had gone upstairs to speak to Cooper, knowing that their landlord had been every bit as concerned about the situation as they had been. She moved towards him, and whispered "So, I am assuming that Simon might have been an angel?"

"I'm glad that only you overheard that… Yeah, we think it was an angel, and that it might have been David's older brother; he died when David was only a kid. The year that Wes died, he made one of his first tasks in heaven finding him, and he brought him to visit David that Christmas. As far as I know, they've been seeing each other on and off ever since. Maybe we owe another Thompson for ensuring that Peter is still with us," said Sebastian. "Anyway, how are you feeling; you are going to be a family all of a sudden…"

"Yes, but it is okay. The minute you told me about the quake, I think I began to prepare for this mentally. The good thing is that I have loved Peter from the moment I met him; even more importantly, he likes me. I do think that we will need to find him some sort of counselling to get over all of this though; he might be fine now, but it will hit him hard at some point. I mean, he didn't say anything, but he would have heard his family die; he has also lived through three major earthquakes in just a few days. It will have had an affect on him…"

Sebastian nodded, then he walked back into the sitting room, to pull his big brother into a tight hug. For now, the worst was over; the problems of the future could remain there for a little while at least…

His call to Sebastian over, and Peter safely back with Mercedes, David made a quick call of his own to his mother, who was just so relieved to hear his voice herself. Mercedes had called and told her he was okay, but it was only now that she had heard his voice herself that she felt truly content. She would be able to retire to bed that night and actually get some sleep, safe in the knowledge that her son was alive and well. She did however have a surprise for her son, and that came when she passed him over to speak to his father. Their relationship had never been the closest since the day that Simon had died, but now his father spoke of how grateful he was that David had made it out alive; how sorry he was that he had been absent for so much of his life and how he hoped now that they could maybe start and build a relationship again. Nearly losing his son had shown Mr Thompson the folly of the distance he had placed between himself and his remaining child.

At that point, all David could do was promise that they could try, and it would be best to start with a clean sheet, with no recriminations coming from either side. He agreed to call his father again in the morning for a proper talk, and to try and arrange a time for them to meet up and talk, man to man. If David hadn't known better, he would have sworn that as he said those words, he had heard Wes congratulate him on taking the most adult of paths in the situation, and not doing what he might well have done, and just acted like a spoilt child.

It was late by now, but David knew there was one final call that he had to make. He knew that it would be answered quickly, and he was proved right when Thad picked his phone up after just one ring. "We're in Denver…" was all David had a chance to say before Thad let out an almighty sob and burst into tears on the other end of the line. "Hey, Colorado isn't that bad," said David jokingly, as he felt his own tears begin to well up in his tired eyes. "It's a lot more stable feeling than Los Angeles, and they have told me I can get a shower and a shave soon…"

"I know, it's just that try as hard as I might, I kept thinking the worst, and when that last quake happened… I think watching it all unfold live on television just made it all the more real, and when I saw what was happening at Andrews, all I could think was where were you, and were you safe…"

"I was outside March Air Base, lying on a grass verge. As a group, we didn't manage to escape from that one totally unscathed; Jake did something to his ankle, and now we are all just hoping and praying that it isn't too bad."

There was a pause, and then Thad said quietly, "I had a dream last night in which you had wings, David. That you were an angel, and honestly, it made me sit bolt upright in a cold sweat. Then when the quake happened, all I could think was, was my dream a premonition? Anyway, when will I get to see you? I warn you know that I will need to hug you for a very long time, just to confirm to myself that you are real, and that I am not just imagining you there."

David chuckled, and then replied, "A long hug from you sounds so good right now, and it is just part of what you deserve. You were there when I needed you, and I will never forget that. So, obviously my priority has to be getting Peter to his dad and Sebastian, so New York will have to be my first stop. Mercedes will need to pop into the record company offices there as well, and I guess the Google offices there would be a good start for me too; see if I still have a job…"

"I would guess that your talents will be needed more than ever now - the news coming out of the city is not getting any better. On a positive note, we do know that both Oprah and Ellen were out of town at the time…"

David laughed out loud, before jokingly saying, "The two of them should stand on a joint ticket. I mean, Oprah would need a good Vice President, and I can think of worse people for that job than Ellen…"

"Oh, if only, Davie, if only… Right, so I am going to head to New York too, and that way I get my hug sooner. I am kind of in need of one, because obviously Wes isn't around, and with the amount of work that he will have going on, I might have a long wait before I see him properly again."

"That sounds like an excellent idea; I am sure that Niff won't mind putting the two of us up for a few days, and you can help protect me from the crazy that is all of the Warblers in the city wanting to hear all about it. These have been the worst few days of my life, Wes' death excepted, and I will need the calm that only my best friend can bring me. Plus, we need to have a talk about tonight's little revelation; Peter just told everyone that a man called Simon came and stayed with him for a while, until we arrived to get him out. I want to know why my brother was there, Thaddie, because it could only have been him."

"I would guess that Wes might have sent him; he would probably have wanted to go himself, but if he couldn't, then he would have sent a close friend."

David had to agree with Thad in that it did have the hallmarks of Wes all over it. He ended his call on a happy note, and then headed off for the comforts of a hot meal, a warm shower, and a proper bed for the night. It wasn't until those things had gone from his life that he realised just how much they mattered…

As David took his shower, Jake was finally being examined properly by a doctor; despite the fact that there had been a huge medical team assembled to deal with the casualties of the disaster, there had still been a barrage of questions about his medical insurance before any of the doctors were prepared to come and examine him. Unique had eventually lost her temper with the poor woman that had been sent to ask for the information, letting her have it loudly with both barrels. She told her in no uncertain terms that they had just been through a living nightmare, that they had nothing left but the clothes they were wearing, that virtually every friend they had made in the city was probably dead, and that in her opinion, any medic that would place money above care at a time like this deserved public censure. Then, just for good measure, she had name checked Mercedes and Burt Hummel. She knew that there had to be journalists around somewhere, and they would love a piece for their journals in which Mercedes Jones commented on how her friends were left to suffer as doctors were too obsessed with insurance cards….

When the woman left in a hurry, Jake stared at Unique, then with a chuckle said, "You do know that all the documents are in my grab bag, and that had I been able to get to it, I would just have handed them to that poor woman? But thanks for that. I think Mercedes would be proud of you for that wonderful diva strop…"

"It was the least that I could do in the circumstances, given all that you do for me. The fact that not one of these doctors would come and look at you without seeing a slip of paper first is disgusting…" She stopped as she heard footsteps approaching, and finally a doctor appeared. Unique took a seat at Jake's side and held his hand as the motherly looking older woman gently prodded at his ankle, and then started to move it. His grip tightened at times as she did so, as the painkillers didn't quiet do enough to deaden his pain.

Eventually, the doctor spoke. "Well, Mr Wade, the good news is that none of the major bones in your ankle appear to be broken; I would still like to take an X-ray just to confirm that, as a hairline fracture can still be easily missed in these preliminary checks. I do suspect that you have snapped your Achilles tendon, and that is what is causing the majority of your pain; that and a severe sprain to your ankle. Whoever decided to leave your boot on did the right thing as that helped to minimise the swelling, whilst keeping the bandaging loose. You will need to have surgery if we are to properly repair your tendon; I think you will wish that, given your career as a dancer. After that, and a proper period of recuperation, you should be able to return to normality."

"That is actually a relief to hear, doctor," said Jake. "My big worry was that this was something really serious, and that the effects would be long term. I thought that my career as a dancer was as good as over, if I am being honest. How long a period of rest are we talking about?"

"With no major complications, then we should have you walking on it again in a couple of months; dancing again may take a little longer. In fact, I would say it might be six months before we can consider that, possibly more if we are to ensure that you don't just rupture it again and do more damage that might not be fixable. All this is just conjecture at the moment, and it may be that after we take the necessary scans, and run the proper tests that we discover another issue that we will need to resolve. Right, so I will go and get the X-ray set up. I have to say that given the circumstances, you've been very lucky; you must have the angels on your side…"

The doctor left after that to set things up, leaving Jake to sit with Unique. It was good news, but the thought that he was going to be out of the thing that inspired his passions for months was hard to stomach. He would survive it though, as he knew that lots of support would be forthcoming. In any case, it wasn't like he would be heading back to college any time soon; his school, like Unique's, no longer existed. He could only hope that another school would take pity on them and allow them to enrol with them…

In a room not far away, Mercedes sat on a bed, and watched the young boy that was sleeping fitfully on the adjacent one. She had been unsure that he would be able to sleep at all, but in the end, after a mug of hot milk and some cookies, and being changed into a set of clean pyjamas, he had dozed off the moment that his head had touched the pillow. His sleep was far from peaceful though, and the whimpers he gave from time to time had to mark the moments when his experiences over the last few days entered his dreams and turned them into nightmares. Something like this would stay with him for the rest of his life, returning to haunt his dreams at random moments.

She was reluctant to head to bed herself, as she had seen so many of the faces of the people that had died at the Hollywood Bowl; people who had only been there because she was. True, if they had been at home they would still have died, in all likelihood, but she still felt responsible. For now, her attention was focused on the young boy that was entrusted to her care. Getting him to his family in New York was a job for the following day; once he was safely in their hands, she could start her own processes to cope with it all. She had a world tour planned after all, but she wasn't sure if she would be able to go ahead with it, even if she wanted to. People would understand in the circumstances; would assume a delay at the very least. Then again, the tour would give her something to concentrate on, and would stop her mind dwelling on events she had had no control over…

The next morning saw the little group of five split in two. The doctor's tests had confirmed that one of Jake's tendons had indeed snapped, but they had also shown some small hairline fractures in his toes of all places. Surgery had taken place right away, given that the necessary people and facilities were all in situ, and just waiting to be used. There was also good news in that all of his treatment would be free, paid for by the federal authorities. It had suddenly occurred to Unique after the doctor had visited that all of his insurance papers would be in the name of Jake Puckerman, and that might well lead to a lot of awkward questions. True, they could have claimed that Jake Wade was a stage name, but if the facts had got back to somebody in the Air Force, they might have put two and two together, and things could have been very difficult for Puck.

With a bit of help from Mercedes, both Jake's mom and Unique's parents were on their way to Denver by plane, and they would soon be surrounded by that special love and affection that a devoted parent could bring. Still, when the time came for them to say goodbye, the parting was emotional; the moment when Peter walked up to Jake's bedside, took his hand and thanked him for saving his life brought a tear to their eyes but a smile to their lips. Hugs were exchanged, and promises made that they would all call as soon and as often as possible. Mercedes had been provided with a new phone, and her provider had managed to produce a clone of her sim, so she had all of her stored numbers restored to her. The moment that she had switched it on it had positively buzzed with messages and missed calls; all of her friends and family had tried to call her the moment that they heard, and then had followed messages of support, and demands that she call them the moment she was able.

She had smiled at seeing those requests from Rachel, Quinn, Brittany and Sugar; the fact that Santana had done the same touched her even more than the others. Neither Sam or Artie had called her; nor had Mike, who had just left her a simple message to stay safe. Sam's message was full of emotion, as she had expected if she was honest; the fact that Artie's was if anything even more emotional made her realise with quite a start just how much she actually meant to him. If she was being honest, he was pretty special to her too. She resolved that she would make some time to spend with him once she got to New York.

Here record company had called too, and had left requests that she call them as a matter of urgency, but they could wait a little longer. Just now, she had something far more important to do, a child to hand back to his loving family. This flight was going to be different from most she had taken recently; for a start, she was on a commercial flight, and not a private jet. That was quite refreshing, and at least it gave them an ETA on the east coast…


	88. The Shake Up Part VIII

**The Shake Up Part VIII**

As soon as David Thompson had been told what time his flight was due to arrive in New York, he had immediately called Sebastian to let him know; he was pretty sure that he would want to be at the airport to meet them, no doubt with Julian at his side. David's phone had been less busy than Mercedes' that morning; Thad had with his usual thoroughness sent out a group text in the early hours of the morning, so the Warblers all woke that morning to the news that David was now out of the danger zone, and would shortly be restored to them all. He had called Nick that morning to say that he was heading to New York, and the spare rooms were offered to him even before he could ask. Nick had then kept everyone else in the loop, letting them know what was going on; when Sebastian had confirmed the flight arrival time, Thad had immediately jumped in with a message telling everyone else that they were not to go to the airport under any circumstances. He would be flying into the city a little earlier, but even he was staying away, knowing that the moment that David handed Peter back to his family was something that should be done away from the glare of a whole group of Warblers. In any case, he suspected that the moment he saw David himself, he would want to grab him and hug him, and not let him go, and such raw emotions were best reserved for the privacy of a hallway in the West Village.

Thad had also created a spoiler for the media, just in case they were spying on Facebook for news of Mercedes' return from L.A. He posted on the Dalton Facebook page that he would be meeting David when he landed at La Guardia, and he hoped that would divert the media there, and well away from Newark, where his best friend would actually land. He wanted to ensure privacy if he could, at least for a while. With that in mind, he further warned the others that David might not want a lot of attention at first, and that they should also stay away from Nick and Jeff's place in the West Village until told otherwise. His friend's state of mind was his primary consideration in all of this.

For once in the history of commercial airlines, the flight into Newark was bang on schedule and uneventful. Mercedes, David and Peter had been provided with seats in business class to grant them as much privacy as possible on a public flight, and that had been a source of excitement for a young man who had only ever flown in coach.

At the airport meanwhile, a family was waiting anxiously. It had taken a lot to stop Julian from going to the airport the moment he knew the arrival time, so keen was he to be reunited with his son. Isabelle and his mother had been forced to use all of their powers of persuasion, and had eventually convinced him to relax. He had still left New York early, heading home to Maplewood for the first time since he had flown back to the States. He had changed his clothes, and had set up the room that Peter always stayed in when he visited, the room that would now be his every night. He soon got stressed as it was not absolutely how he would have liked it to be, and again it was Isabelle that calmed him. She pointed out that they did need to redecorate, but it would be better to wait until they had input from the most important party in all of this; the boy that would now have the room as his own space. That reasoning was enough to prevent him looking for tins of paint.

When the time finally came to leave for Newark, both his mother and Eloise declined to come with them; instead, armed with a list of sizes, they headed out in search of essential clothes for the young man who now had nothing really to his name. There would have to be more clothes bought eventually, but Peter could help choose. Julian also gave the ladies a list of all of his son's favourite foods, so that they could stock up. Even with all the attempts of the others, the small party still arrived at the airport far too early, which left Dave and Isabelle sitting and watching as first Julian, and then Sebastian, began to anxiously pace the floor whilst checking the arrivals board and their watches over and over…

The arrival of the mid morning United flight from Denver at Newark airport was normally a mundane affair, but one member of staff at the airport noticed that there were four people in the arrivals area that seemed to be awaiting it anxiously. She was also a keen reader of _Vogue_ , and after watching them for a while, she spotted Isabelle, recognising her from her photo in the magazine. She was acutely aware however that the online editor was not looking quite as well turned out as she usually did. The fact that she was also supposed to be on her honeymoon in Europe did not escape her for long either. Then she realised that the eldest of the three men she was with, the one that had been pacing the floor for longest, was her new husband - and then she guessed that the one that was pacing the floor with him had to be his brother, the Broadway star. The two of them were marching back and forth in synch, even though they both looked as if they hadn't slept properly in days…

She had been watching them for another ten minutes, pacing back and forth as they watched for the arrival of the flight from Colorado when she suddenly recalled something else from Isabelle's article. She had written about how much she was looking forward to being not just a wife, but also a part-time step mom to her new husband's son, who lived with his mother in… Suddenly she felt heartsick for all of them, and everything was explained. It had been on the news this morning that the first survivors from the big earthquake had been making their way out of the city, and were being evacuated out to places across the Rockies for onward travel. One of those places was Denver… She saw that the flight had now landed on her monitor, and she prayed that one of the passengers on that flight was the boy from the article. She could not imagine how traumatic the last few days must have been for them all, nor would she ever wish to go through what they must have done…

The second that the flight showed as arrived on the public monitor, Julian was suddenly overcome with a wave of nausea. He had no idea what he was going to do or say now. Yes, his son was safe, was alive, but he had lost his mom in a tragedy, and such things would leave deep and lasting scars. He had no idea what he should say to his boy to offer him comfort, or how he would even begin to raise him from now on. That had always been Claire's job, but now she was gone, and had left no instructions on how to carry on with the excellent job she had done so far….

"There is no manual for child rearing," Sebastian suddenly whispered, as he sensed his brother's wobble. "Well, that isn't entirely true, but all we have to concentrate on now is showing him that he is loved, and helping him through then whole gamut of emotions as and when they hit him. You are his only parent now, and you will manage. You're nothing like father; you will love him no matter what. You will try and protect him from harm, but Isabelle and I won't let you wrap him up too tightly in cotton wool. He has to be free to live his life and enjoy things like any other kid. I'm not saying that it is going to be easy; on the contrary, I have a feeling you will need outside help from people that are used to dealing with grief and trauma. But I promise you one thing, here and now; Uncle Bazzy will be around whenever you need him. We will get through this as a family."

"I know, but it is all so scary," whispered Julian.

Sebastian just shook his head at those words. "There is nothing to be scared of Jules. You just need to love him, and ensure that he knows you do unconditionally."

At that moment, the first passengers began to emerge from the gates, hurrying past them on their way to the baggage claim. A steady stream of strangers passed, which eventually began to ebb. As the stragglers began to pass, fear began to set in for those waiting; had something happened on board the plane that was now holding them back? Julian looked over at his brother and saw the same worry and confusion that he was feeling written on his face. Then they heard slow footsteps down the hallway, and a group of three people appeared…

There was silence, until the youngest of all the people there looked up, and then with a yell of "DADDY!" Peter let go of David and Mercedes' hands, and was running at full pelt onto the arrivals concourse, finding himself being pulled into his father's arms and being held tight the very second that he arrived.

Sebastian watched with a grin, ignoring the tears of happiness falling down his face; then as David arrived within reach he darted forward and pulled both him and Mercedes into a hug, and just whispered "Thank you, thank you, thank you," over and over again.

"Uncle Bazzy!" cried the little voice again, and Sebastian was down on his knees, holding his nephew close as Julian took his place in embracing David, holding him in such a tight bear hug that Mercedes couldn't help herself laughing.

"You saved my boy. I owe you so, so much. If I had lost him…"

"It was no problem; it's what friends do for each other," replied David. "Anyway, it's Jake that you really need to thank. He pulled him out; all I did was shift some debris."

"Don't sell yourself short," countered Julian. "You made the detour to find him, and we all saw what happened to that neighbourhood. I still don't know how you managed to survive that."

"We had good timing," was all that David could think of to say. "Anyway, these are his," he continued, handing the toy rabbit, the photograph album and the book over to Julian.

"I still can't ever thank you enough for this. I owe you, and I will pay you back," said Julian firmly as he took the three possessions that his son still had to his name.

David did not get a chance to protest any further as across the room, Sebastian cleared his throat to attract their attention. They turned round to see that Peter was no longer in his arms, but was with Isabelle instead, who was down on one knee at his side. "Auntie Isabelle, I have been thinking on the plane; well, I have been since they rescued me from my bedroom… Would it be alright if I was to call you Mommy Isabelle instead? I miss my mommy so much, and I know that she will be in heaven now with all of the angels, so if you could be my new mommy, that would be really good. After all, there are some things that mommies do much better than daddies…"

"If you would really like that, then yes, I could be your new mommy," said Isabelle, as tears started to fall from her eyes. "I have never been someone's mommy before though, so I might not be that good. You might have to show me what I need to do sometimes?"

"I can do that, mommy Isabelle. After all, I will be living with you and daddy now…"

"Of course you will! In fact, we are all ready to redecorate your room so it will be just how you like it. We know that it will not be the same as it was before, but we both love you so very, very much."

"That goes for me and Uncle Dave as well," said Sebastian, wiping at his eyes. He looked over at his brother, who was now being held in Mercedes' arms, crying at the most innocent of questions from his son; so matter of fact in the circumstances, and it did warm his heart a little. He knew that he would do whatever it took to make sure that Peter was happy, and had everything that he needed. In fact, Sebastian wanted to have much more of that little boy in his life. If to do that he had to leave his life in Manhattan and make a move to suburban New Jersey so he could be closer, then that was a sacrifice he was more than willing to make. He just hoped that Dave would see things the same way that he did…

Eventually the time came when David and Mercedes had to say their goodbyes to the young man that had won a place in both of their hearts so strongly in the last few days. It meant that everyone got tearful again, but it was all worth it to see the little boy reunited with his dad. They left the airport, deciding to take the train into the city rather than a cab. They had no real luggage after all, and it was less likely that they would be spotted on the NJ Transit train into Penn Station than in the line for taxis outside Newark Airport. The train was busy, but David found them seats in a quiet corner where they would not be disturbed.

Mercedes leant her head on David's shoulder for the entire trip, allowing her to hide her face from any potential recognition, but at the same time it felt natural and nice. She had seen another side to her boyfriend in the last few days. She had always known that he was kind, caring and the sort of guy that would stick up for his friends, no matter what. She hadn't known until now that he was prepared to risk his own life to ensure that others were safe. He had shown that he was cool in a crisis, calm and sensible - and despite what he had always maintained, he was a born leader when the chips were down. She knew that he was already deflecting all of the credit to Jake for Peter's rescue, but she knew that it had been a joint effort. He just did not want the spotlight, and she could understand that. Married to her he would be in that more often than not, in time… She also realised now that she was ready to take the next step with him; she was ready to make things official. In fact, if he wasn't going to propose soon, she might just have to take the initiative and propose to him instead…

They made the final journey from Penn to the West Village on the subway, standing together as the train roared south below the streets of Manhattan. It seemed so very ordinary to be walking out into those familiar streets from the station, into a city that had not changed at all since they had last been there a few days ago. It did seem odd that life here was so unaffected on the surface. And yet, that fact was exactly what was making them smile as they walked the last yards to that quiet street that was home to so many of their closest friends.

As they turned that last corner, they were greeted by the sight of two people waiting in anticipation. David had sent a text to say they had arrived at Penn, and the message had been understood. They walked on slowly, but then Thad could wait no longer, and was running towards them to pull David into a hug, one every bit as tight as the one Julian had given him. Mercedes smiled, then walked on to bend down and hug Artie, who was trying hard not to show just how emotional it all was, and failing abysmally. Under the bright sun of an afternoon in New York they greeted each other, glad to have them back in the same place, relieved that they were all safe. Then as a small happy group the four of them made their way back along the street to the point outside Niff's front door, which was wide open and waiting for them all to enter.

Inside Nick and Jeff's house all was quiet, and that was a surprise; David had been anticipating that he would be mobbed almost at once by Warblers anxious to see that he was okay, and he expected most of the New Directions in town to be there too. To find out that Thad and Artie currently made up two thirds of the welcoming committee was almost a let down. Thad guided them down to the kitchen, where Nick was just taking a tray of fresh scones out of the oven. The table had been set with an English Afternoon Tea spread; sandwiches, small savoury tarts and a selections of cakes.

"Take a seat, guys," said Nick. "I thought that you might be hungry, and I have been wanting to try out this menu for a while, but I was waiting for a special occasion - and what better than the day that two of our number return from the edge? So sit down and help yourselves. Scones are best eaten warm, so I need those savouries dealt with quickly!"

Thad laughed at the tone of Nick's voice, laden with quiet authority, and took a seat. David and Mercedes joined him just as the door from the garden swung open to admit Artie and Kitty, who had just arrived home at that moment and had instantly joined him. "Come and eat guys before Nick gets into a total strop," said Thad, earning himself a scowl from his host for a moment, before it melted back into a smile. Soon they were all tucking in to the food, washing it down with iced tea. The scones were a great hit with them all, particularly as the butter melted into them, and there was a selection of preserves to put on them too.

"Everybody wanted to be here," admitted Nick, who had now joined them at the head of the table, where he was cutting a Victoria Sponge into generous slices for them all, "but people had to work, and in the end we all agreed that it might be best to give you time to adjust to your new circumstances before we inflict them all on you. Everyone was just so worried about you; it wasn't until we heard that you were safely in Denver that any of us could relax."

"To be honest, I am only really able to relax now that I know that you are both actually here," admitted Artie, "and I won't be really content until I see Jake and Unique too; I need to confirm for myself that they are actually safe."

Kitty nodded, then added quietly, "Of course, it is little Peter that I feel so sorry for; he's lost his mother and his grandparents. On top of that, he's lost all of his friends too, because even if they made it, they won't be moving to Maplewood. I know that people say that little kids are resilient, but…"

There was silence then at the table, that was eventually broken by David. "He has his dad and his uncle - and he has Isabelle to take care of him as well. He will struggle at times, but we all will. My dreams will be haunted by the things that I have seen in the last few days for the rest of my life. However, I will also celebrate the fact that we made it against the odds, and in some ways I don't think that was entirely down to luck. Just before the quake hit, Wes came along and made a suggestion, and that is what saved our lives."

"It has to be awful for our four angelic friends too," said Mercedes. "So many new arrivals to process, and all of those people to reunite. As David said, we made it; we owe it to ourselves to dust our selves off and after a suitable interval, get back on with our lives. I guess that I will need to call my record company and let them know that I have made it. Then I will have big decisions to make - for a start, do I still go on tour?"

"I need to see if I still have a job with Google," admitted David.

"That is for tomorrow though; tonight is for relaxing," said Thad. "I would suggest a long hot bath for each of you for a start."

That night did see a few people pop in as time went on. Ethan arrived with Flint at his side, just to say a quick hello before heading home for dinner. Seth and Skylar popped in to say hello too, but stayed a little longer, after admitting that on getting home they had discovered that Colin and Edward had arrived home first, and were 'busy' with each other. David had laughed out loud at the implication. Mercedes was pleasantly surprised when Brittany appeared, and even more shocked when it was Santana, who had arrived with her, that was the first to pull her into a hug, and tell her tearfully never to scare her so much again. Brittany also revealed that Sam had been inconsolable when the news had first broken, and remained that way until they found out about David's call. She still had a special place in his heart, and that was good to know.

Mike and Jeff eventually arrived home, and there were further hugs all round, but by then it was getting late. Mercedes made her way to one of the guest rooms, whilst David followed Thad to the other. It was like old times for the two of them as they prepared for bed, reminiscent of the first dorm room they had been assigned at UCLA, although they both knew that it would be gone now along with the rest of that world they had known. David fell asleep quickly that night, but Thad did not, anticipating what might well happen next. Sure enough, his best friend was soon shaking in his sleep as a nightmare came and took him over. Quietly he made his way over and climbed into the bed with David; he took him into his arms, and that contact seemed to work. The trembling stopped, and David was soon sleeping peacefully once more.

In a comfortable suburban home in Maplewood, New Jersey, Julian, Isabelle, Sebastian and Dave were now settled in the lounge, having seen Peter off to bed a little earlier. After they had parted from David and Mercedes at Newark, they had headed out to the car; Dave had volunteered to drive, and Sebastian had opted to take the other front seat, to allow Peter to sit between Julian and Isabelle in the back. As they had driven along, the young boy that was seated between his father and his new mother figure had chatted away, pointing out all the things that he could see as they travelled along, engaging all of them in the conversation. Sebastian couldn't help but feel a little sorry for his new sister-in-law; after all, Isabelle had been thrown in at the deep end. She had been married for less than two weeks officially, and now for the first time in her life she was a mom. The little boy that saw her as that seemed okay to them all know, but they all knew that eventually the loss of his mother would begin to tell upon him. He had been through the kind of traumatic experience that a much older person would struggle to cope with…

Sebastian knew that Peter would start to have nightmares very soon, if he wasn't having them already; and quite possibly a new and very real fear of dark, confined spaces. It made his own heart ache so much at the very thought of what his nephew had suffered. Find him a counsellor was a given; that special someone he could open up to when family was not an option as it did not seem right. He almost wished that they were in Ohio just now, as from what he had been told, Emma Schuester was very good at her job, in her own way, and she was a lovely woman to boot. There was no guarantee that they would manage to find such a warm, kind-hearted individual here in New Jersey, and those located in the city would charge them an arm and a leg just for an assessment - not that such things mattered. Anything that would help Peter was worth every penny that he had, and he would not hesitate to help Julian out financially if it came to it…

When they arrived at Julian's house, there were two people waiting there for their arrival; two women who had spent the afternoon buying essentials for a young boy that did not even have a spare pair of socks to his name. They were waiting for them in the hallway as they stepped into the house; on seeing them, Peter started, and drew closer to his father's side.

"It's okay," said Sebastian, kneeling down next to him. "You might have seen this lady before; she is my mother, so I guess that makes her your half-grandmother, or step-grandmother, or something…."

"I think it would be simpler if he just called me Eloise, Sebastian," replied the lady in question. "That's if he would like to, of course. I have heard so many good things about you though, young man."

Peter nodded, then turned to look at Julian's mom. At that moment, they all realised that they had a problem; after all, he believed that his dad's mom was dead, as Claire had told him on several occasions.

"And I am your daddy's aunt; his mom's sister," the lady in question said, and there was an almost audible sigh of relief from around the room.

"So you aren't my grandma then?" said Peter sadly. "Would it be okay if I pretended that you were, because you had to be close to my daddy's mom, being her sister. If you don't want to be…"

"No, I think that I could manage to do that, as long as your daddy doesn't mind…"

"It is no problem for me. Heck, you know that I call you mom sometimes as the two of you look so alike," said Julian, as he tried to hide the fact that he was overjoyed that for the first time in her life, his mom was going to be allowed to call herself a grandma.

The next few hours were busy ones. They ate first, with Peter's favourite dinner being served much to his delight, particularly as there was then jello for dessert. He had been taken to his room, and shown the clothes that they had bought for him; he had liked them all, particularly his new pyjamas, because they were based on his favourite superhero, The Flash. "In the new comic books, he looks a little bit like Uncle Bazzy," he said in all innocence, making them all smile and Sebastian blush. They had then moved on to what colour he would like his room to be painted in, and then he had asked if he could get a new bedspread featuring the same superhero as his new pjs…

Sebastian would go on to make his special hot chocolate, glad that there were marshmallows and sprinkles for Peter's; he had after all confessed the last time that his uncle had made him some that it was the best in the world ever. After that, they had sent him to bed in his new nightwear, and he fell asleep almost immediately. Eloise had volunteered to sit with him, just in case he had a nightmare, and would accept no refusals. As she saw it, it was the least that she could do.

After that, Sebastian had finally found he had time to take Dave to one side to have a brief chat about what he had decided he needed to do, and where he needed to be. To his delight, Dave had known instinctively what he was going to say; his reply to his husband was that if he was sure about moving, then Maplewood was going to be their new home. They both knew that it wasn't going to happen overnight, but it would be as soon as possible.

"All I will say," Dave pointed out, "is that the guys will miss you being around. To be honest though, we both knew that this would happen eventually. I am assuming that we will visit them all regularly though, and Cooper for that matter. He is going to miss us a heck of a lot too."

"Of course we will. I will still be heading into town six days a week for work, and I'm sure we will both be heading across to have dinner or a catch up at least once a week," his husband had responded.

Their chat over, they had returned to the company of the newlyweds, and decided that now was as good a time as any to share the news. Julian was shocked when they announced it, as he had never imagined his brother being prepared to give up his life in the city for the suburbs so early; but at the same time, he was very pleased. All he hoped was that his brother would not live to regret leaving the city so soon…


	89. Friends and Fathers

**Friends and Fathers**

The following day saw them all trying to return to the normal tenor of their lives. Sebastian woke up that morning feeling refreshed after his first good night's rest in a very long time. He lay for a moment in the spare bed in Julian's house, thinking about the snap decision he had made the previous day. He had never imagined that he would willingly choose to move to suburbia in his early twenties; he had always dreamt of living life at the heart of the city, spending his days enjoying the bustle of urban life. Now all that he wanted was to be close to the people that mattered the most; his family. It was ironic that just a few years ago he had seen that as a dirty word, something that was to be reviled, but now he knew why Trent and Jeff had always smiled back at Dalton when they talked about theirs.

However, he also knew that if he was to achieve his dream of a life close to his family, he would have to head back to his day job. He had been off stage for several days, and he needed to head back before his understudy got too comfortable in his part. He knew that he had to head home in any case, because Julian's house was busting at the seams, and he had a place of his own not far away. He got up, taking care not to wake a still sleeping Dave, and made a call to the theatre. It was still early, but he was quickly put through to the director, and he told them everything that had happened; then he took a breath, and announced he would be back for that evening's show. They were pleased that his nephew was alright, and his friends, but they insisted that he only come back if he felt up to it, and would be okay. That was one thing that Sebastian was certain of; a return to the role of Elder Price would actually help him deal with the situation. It would be a welcome distraction from his worries about the mental health of his nephew.

In the West Village, David had woken up twice during the night when his dreams had become all too vivid. The first time he had then started at the fact that he was not alone in the bed, until he realised who it had to be, and that made him smile; it was calming to know that his best friend was lying there at his side, one arm thrown protectively across him. He was anxious not to wake Thad up, and so he lay perfectly still until exhaustion took his back into the world of dark dreams. Now as the morning light began to creep through the curtains he woke for a third time to find that Thad was whimpering in his sleep; moments later the Head Warbler awoke with a jolt. On seeing David's eyes looking at him, he instantly said, "Oh gosh! I hope I didn't wake you! I was dreaming…"

"It's okay, Thaddie, I was awake anyway. I have been having nightmares of my own, and I kept imagining what would have happened if Wes hadn't warned me…"

"I kept seeing you dead; lying their lifeless on a pile of rubble, and then I started wondering how I would ever have recovered from losing my two best friends… We need to stick together, you and me. I know that you will be heading off to another job soon enough, and I will be back at Dalton, but I really need you to go somewhere safer and closer."

"We both need that I think; maybe not forever, but at least until the two of us are over the worst of the stress of the last few days…."

"I would agree with that… So, shall we get up, before half of Niff walk in and jump to the conclusion that Thavid is happening? You know how these kind of rumours start…"

"Oh I know. People that say that girls are gossips, but they have obviously never been associated with a group of boys in a show choir," said David seriously. With that, both of them were suddenly laughing, and with that mirth it was as if David had suddenly turned younger again, all of the worries that had been etched across his face evaporating in a second. Thad smiled, and knew that they key to helping his best friend recover was to ensure that he laughed more…

As the day wore on, it was clear that there would be big changes for both David and Mercedes. The latter had managed to obtain a smart new outfit and new shoes with some assistance from Santana, and had then taken a cab to the New York offices of her record company. She had walked in with no fuss, but had emerged an hour later into the glare of flashbulbs as the media seized on the story. Someone reasonably well known had been in L.A. during the earthquake, had been presumed dead by so many people, which was no surprise given the circumstances, but had survived to tell the tale. She made no comment though to the phalanx of waiting journalists, other than to say that things had been tough; that she had lost a lot of good people during the events, but she was not defeated. She would be back, as she owed it to their memory to carry on.

That was a statement that resonated with so many people in a world that had seem the untimely demise of so many, amongst them a large number of well known faces. Hollywood was gone, and along with it had vanished many of the stars of the screen, along with great producers and directors. There had been losses in the music industry too, although now that Mercedes had returned to the public eye, there was speculation that others might still be alive and struggling to get out. As for her tour, she had told the company what she had decided during the night; she was not cancelling it all, but would abandon the first few dates that were scheduled for East Asia. She would start instead in New Zealand and Australia. She was determined that one event would not define her future. She was a fighter, and she would carry on.

David had headed out later than Mercedes as he had less distance to go, and he had been stalled by a whole flock of Warblers that needed to see him. Trent had been the first to arrive; with the crisis over for his friends at least, he was heading back to Washington DC, where Burt would need his help as the Democrats began to round on the President and the Republican Party. Their response to the disaster had been pathetic, and the President had not been seen in public since the day after the quake itself. The rumour that was going around on the streets was that he had, in the face of the greatest disaster to hit the country in decades, headed to Mar del Largo, as he had a golfing weekend planned. Those in the know in DC widely believed that he had actually been sent there by a party that was desperate to avoid him causing yet more embarrassment to the country as he failed to cope with the worst disaster in the nation's history. Naturally, there were some that were keen to take advantage of the facts and impeach the man once and for all…

The reunion between David and Trent had been an emotional one, but it was saved from getting out of control by the fact that the door had suddenly burst open, and Colin, Edward, Seth and Skylar had virtually sprinted in, and then it was hugs all round and rejoicing for his safe return. They had all stayed for lunch, and so it was just after 1pm by the time that David was finally able to head out, dressed in a suit that Thad had purchased for him the day before, and head to Google's New York offices, glad that his staff ID card had been in his wallet. When he arrived it was to a chaotic scene in reception; what had always been an important branch office had suddenly been forced to take on the functions of a head office at a time when the firm had lost so many of its key players.

The young man on the desk had looked strained as David had strolled up. However, the moment that he uttered the words, "Hi, I'm David Thompson. I used to work in the L.A. office, but its gone. I was in the city when that happened, but now I have made it out, and well, I guess I am looking to speak to someone about what my future with the firm might be…", and showed his pass, the young man had burst into a smile. In a matter of seconds, David found himself being escorted to the office of the branch head, past offices full of people that began as he went further in to applaud him, which was a trifle disconcerting…

"Mr Thompson, it is so good to see you!" the branch head said the moment he had David sitting in front of him. "To be honest, we thought that we had lost everyone based in L.A. when the quake hit, apart from four of your co-workers that were out of town at the time that we were aware of; one at a meeting here, one in the U.K., and two that were out of state on vacation. So far, you are the only person that was in the city that had emerged. We had heard a rumour just a little while ago that your girlfriend was in the city, and that was finally confirmed as true about ten minutes ago, so we did start to hope… I want to say here and now that you still have your job. Your work was exemplary, and your online personnel files show that you had in fact been earmarked for promotion in the near future…."

He paused, allowing that to sink in with David. He was relieved to still be in a job, but shocked that promotion could be in the offing. "Obviously, I can't promote you right away, but I have been made aware of a number of vacancies within the organisation which would suit you, depending on course on where you choose to settle in the future. If that is here in New York, then I would be more than happy to welcome you on board, but we do have openings elsewhere, for example in Seattle, Chicago and Boston. It will be your choice to make, and we will not try and influence your decision in any way. In the short term, we can find you a space here to work in if you want to get back to it immediately; if you wish to take some time, then that is also okay, and you will be paid in full if you choose that option. At the moment, our main concern is your welfare."

"That is good to know," said David quietly. "I've seen things that I will never be able to unsee in the last week, and maybe my head isn't in the best of places right now. That said, I would like to get back to work; so maybe I could start back on Monday?"

"Of course, that will be no problem, but I will reiterate; if you need time, then you can take it. I am aware that Miss Jones is due to go on tour soon - I have to admit I am a big fan - and if for example you decided that you wanted to accompany her, it could easily be arranged. In the meantime, I will take you down to the section you will be working in for the next little while, and introduce you to the people that you will be working with…"

An hour later, David was heading back towards the West Village, a big smile on his face. The staff on his section in the New York office had been welcoming, and they seemed a good group on the face of it; not quite the same as the people he had worked with in L.A., but he could see himself working with them without any major problems. That was not the main reason for his smile though. He had been pondering what had been said about heading off with Mercedes on her tour. Whilst he did not contemplate joining her for the whole of it, he could still see himself joining her for the first two weeks in New Zealand and Australia, and then maybe joining her again in the UK and Ireland… Of course, she might not like the idea, so the final decision was really hers to make, but now that he thought about it, the concept was appealing…

The next surprise of the day was awaiting him when he returned to Nick and Jeff's house. He walked in to find Thad waiting for him in the kitchen with a very important woman at his side. As David melted immediately into his mother's arms, his emotions overwhelmed him, and he burst into tears, as did she. Then came an even bigger shock. He suddenly saw someone else in the room; a man he had seen only very infrequently in the last few years… His mother let him go, and he walked over to be pulled into his father's arms, as the older man cried. It had been so long since David had seen him, but now he was here, and promising that he would make amends, and no longer be such a stranger to his son. That news made David's heart light, and had Thad beaming behind him…

As the Thompson family reunited in the presence of Thad, the owners of the West Village house were in Murray Hill, having headed across town to see Sebastian. Nick had suggested it as a way to ensure that David had peace, away from all of their attention. They did not know if the man in question would be at home, but a quick call to Cooper had confirmed that all of the regular cast were due to be on stage that night at _Book of Mormon_ , and that implied that he had to be back in the city. Nick had spent his morning working on a new recipe in the kitchen, and had brought the results with him in a tin; not even Jeff knew what he had made, nor had he been allowed to so much as sample one. Sebastian was very pleased to see his two friends, even if he did not have much time before he had to head into work, but there was time for a coffee.

As they waited on the machine to do its work, the two visitors told him what was going on across town. "His dad!" exclaimed Sebastian. "Now that is something; he never talks about him, and I used to assume that his mom was a widow, if I am entirely honest."

"Oh, we knew he existed, but not even Thad had ever met Mr Thompson before today. There is a reason behind it all apparently, and Thad does know what that is, but it isn't his story to tell," said Nick in reply. "Anyway, I did bring you a little something. I was in an experimental mood in the kitchen, and I found a recipe online. They don't look the same, but from what I recall, they do taste exactly like them…"

Sebastian looked at him curiously as he took the proffered tin and carefully opened it. His nostrils were at once assailed by a familiar smell that made his mouth water. "Custard Creams! You made me custard creams…" he said in awe. Nick took over the duty of making the coffee as Sebastian took out an almost rectangular biscuit, and bit into it. His eyes closed as he savoured the flavour that he loved so much. "They're perfect; they do taste like the real thing as well. You, Nicholas, are a genius… So if you want one Jeff, I suggest you grab one now, because you have about five seconds before I slam the tin shut."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," said Jeff with a grin as he took one, "after all, Nicky will make me some of my own…"

Sebastian struggled not to laugh as behind his blond friend, Nick mouthed the word 'Maybe' at him, and then he sighed involuntarily. He had barely had time for Niff in junior year at Dalton, but after all they had been through together, he had come to love the pair of them like brothers, and he was going to miss them so much when he moved out of the city. He knew that he really ought to speak to Cooper first, but he wasn't around, having already headed off to his show, but his sigh had made the two of them stare at him, and so he wasn't left with much option if he was to avoid twenty questions…

"This is something that I am going to miss when I move," he said as Nick handed him his coffee; he had decided that like with a band-aid, it was best just to come right out with it.

"Move?" said Jeff, a tremble in his voice. "Why are you going to move? I hope that Cooper isn't throwing you out, because we will talk to him, or you can move to the West Village if he is…"

"No, this isn't down to Cooper. It is my own decision, and I haven't even told him yet, so this has to stay between us old friends, okay. The last few days have made me realise just how important family is to me. I need to be around more to help Jules out with Peter, after everything he has been through, and that just isn't really a practical possibility when I am living in the city…"

"So you are going to move to New Jersey?" said Nick. "I guess that in the circumstances that does make a lot of sense."

Sebastian smiled at the practical Nick, trying to make it easy for him when he knew that he had to be hurting a little at the thought of him moving away. "It does, and Maplewood is a nice area - a lot of Broadway folks apparently too. The train is quick, so that is where I will be going. It will be easier for Dave too, of course, given that he plays all his matches over there. Anyway, it's not like I won't be coming to visit all the time…"

"Exactly," said Nick, his eyes focused on his sad looking husband. "You won't be a stranger, and in fact, we might even see more of you. Of course, it goes without saying that if you ever need a bed for the night, you'll be welcome."

"It won't be the same though," said Jeff with a sigh. "Plus we won't be as able to use you as a babysitter as…" His voice trailed off as he caught Nick glaring at him, as Sebastian just stared open mouthed at them both.

"So, Nick's finally knocked you up then?" Sebastian laughed after a moment. "Don't worry blondie, I won't tell anyone, even the fourth musketeer. I think that it will be the making of the two of you, by the way. Fatherhood is quite a responsibility, and it is something that I want to, given time. I used to hate kids, but then along came little Peter, and now I admit it, I want one of my own…."

Nick smiled, and placed his hand on Jeff's knowing that the secrets they had shared would go no further, not even to Dave. That was what happened when you had suffered together; you built a bond that neither time or distance could sever.

After Sebastian left for the theatre, Nick and Jeff headed for the Spotlight; a safe place they could hide out in until Thad told them it was safe to head home. As for Sebastian himself, he returned to the familiar world of greasepaint, being warmly welcomed back by the entire cast and crew. His performance was perfect, nearly up to his best, and he felt the usual thrill at the end as the audience rose to their feet and cheered him loudly. As he sat in his dressing room afterwards, wiping off the make up, he felt content; life was back on track, almost, although the route he was taking had deviated just a little now. It was then that the knock came on the door, and one of the stagehands popped their head in to tell him he had a visitor. He was kind of expecting that his mom might appear, and so he had no hesitation in asking them to show them in.

However, it wasn't Eloise; to Sebastian's great surprise, the visitor was a man; his father.

There was a moment of total silence as father and son just observed each other. Sebastian waited for his father to speak, but the after a while with nothing he sighed, and spoke himself. "Hello father. To what do I owe this dubious pleasure? I don't think that I have done anything to upset you so far this year, and as far as I am aware, you aren't getting married, ahem, again…"

"I deserve that Sebastian. I haven't exactly been the best father in the world to you or your brother…. I was in town, and I had a spare evening, and so I thought I would come and see my youngest son performing the role that earned him a Tony award. You are good; the best performer that I have ever seen in my opinion."

"I will accept that as a compliment, although I don't imagine that you have seen that many Broadways shows. I take it that you are keeping well? No fatal illnesses that I need to be aware of so that I can prepare the appropriate things to say at your funeral?"

Mr Smythe shook his head, then said, "I am well, thank you, and enjoying every moment of my retirement from public life. I still don't regret moving to the Virgin Islands, even after the storm. There is however another reason that made me come here to see you. As you grow older, you have time to think, and recognise the mistakes that you have made, which in my case are multiple. My biggest were all connected to one thing; the way that I treated my wives and my sons. You all have every reason to despise me."

"You won't get any argument from me on that one, although in retrospect, sending me to Dalton was the best thing you could have done, even if keeping my maman out of my life at the same time was a major, major blunder. Dalton was the making of me, and it has given me a network of friends that still are a major presence in my life. It also gave me the opportunity of meeting Dave."

"One of these days I would actually like to meet your husband, Sebastian. I know that it is probably too late, but he makes you happy, and in reality, that is all that we should be looking for in life. I thought that true happiness would come from money and power, but I was wrong. I treated all of you so poorly in the process of seeking those things, and I just wish I could turn back the clock. Not just with you, but Julian too. I should never have told him to get rid of his son; I was so obsessed with how it would reflect on me and my status to have a son with a child at his young age. I should not have acted like that, and I regret it, particularly when there is so much at stake right now… I know that the boy in question lives in Los Angeles; things must be so terrible for your brother right now, not knowing…"

Sebastian shook his head, now aware of why his father was really there. "I'm guessing that you thought it would be easier to come to me, largely because you knew where to find me. Okay, so this I can tell you. Peter was in L.A. when the quake came, as were four very good friends of mine. They headed out of their way and rescued him from the ruins of his home; and then they proceeded to get themselves and him out of the city. He is as safe and well as you can expect after all that, and he is with Julian and Isabelle as we speak."

"Oh, thank God! Your friends are to be thanked so much for what they did…" With that, much to Sebastian's surprise, his father began to cry. It was the first time in his life that he had ever witnessed his father shed a tear, and if he was honest, it made him feel quite uncomfortable. "It was only when I heard the news that it suddenly hit home. I had a grandson, that I had never seen because of my stupidity, and now I might never get a chance… I had been such a monster to you all, and this was my punishment for all of those wrongs. I really am so very sorry for it all…"

"I believe you," said Sebastian. "You regret what you did, and fortunately for us all, Peter did not pay the price for it, not that I actually believe that the two are connected in any way, shape or form. However, whilst he made it out, his mother and grandparents did not. Julian and I are all the blood family he has now. Having sad that, my maman is around - and so is Julian's mom…"

"I see; they were both such good women, but I was too much of an idiot to recognise that at the time. Between all of you, the little lad will not want for any love or affection."

"I wouldn't say that; he doted on his grandfather, and that is the one thing he doesn't have any more." Sebastian stopped, hardly believing he had just said that; first off, it was very cruel, and secondly, because of what he was about to say next. "How long are you in town for? I mean, if you are ready to try and make amends with me, then you should try and so the same with Julian."

"I'm not so sure that is a good idea right now. I want to, but he has so much on his plate right now, and my turning up might make it all so much harder for him."

"I think that the choice on that is actually his to make, don't you? Unless of course you really only want my forgiveness, and not that of your eldest son? The fact is that I can understand why you did what you did to me now. I was a pain back then, and I carried on being so for quite some time after my return from Paris. I am prepared to accept your apology, and try and start over; baby steps to begin with. So, if you are going to be available, what if you came for lunch at a nice restaurant I know tomorrow? Dave is off work, so you will be able to meet him. I will invite Julian to come too; I might tell him why, or I might not. What do you say? Ready to risk it to try and build bridges?"

"I say yes, Sebastian. Lunch would be good," replied his father.

A few minutes later, after his father had left, Sebastian began to wonder if he had done the right thing. With everything that was going on right now, Julian's head was all over the place, and what he was proposing would add even more pressure into the mix. He pondered on the issue as he walked home, realising as he did so that he would soon not be able to do this; instead of a leisurely stroll he would be dashing to Penn Station, like so many of his fellow Broadway workers did, to catch a train back to home in another state. Everything was happening so quickly, and it felt at times like an earthquake in his own life. He still hadn't even had a chance to tell Cooper of his decision to leave, not having had the chance to catch up with his landlord due to their busy work lives. The prospect of that was not as daunting as having to pack up his little home, and arrange the removal vans. That could not happen until they had actually found a place in Maplewood, close to Julian but not next door; somewhere not too dilapidated but with room to expand as their family grew. That latter was just as important; it might not be next week, or even next year, but he did want kids, and unlike Niff, he wanted more than one. He blamed them, along with the whole drama with Peter, for making him broody…

When he arrived home, Dave was waiting for him with a late supper prepared to satisfy his post performance hunger pangs. As he ate, he told his husband all about his visitor, and what he had promised to do the following day; then he braced himself for Dave's opinion.

"If you believe that he is sincere in what he is saying, then I think that you should go for it. He is more important to you than I think you realise or admit when all is said and done. Making peace is never easy, but doing it will iron out one of the major problems in your life, and Julian's; one less concern," said Dave after a moment. "Of course, you should really call up your brother and see if he is actually free for lunch tomorrow; he might already have plans. After all, he is no longer a part-time dad any more. He has the job full-time, on top of which, whether we like it or not, Peter will not be the same anymore either. No kid goes through the trauma that he has and emerges unscathed." Sebastian could only nod, and then make the call to his brother.

The following day saw Sebastian making his way to the restaurant that he had chosen with his husband at his side, guilt starting to eat away at him. He had decided not to tell his brother that there would be four of them for lunch and now he was wondering if he had been stupid. It had just taken so long to get Julian to even agree to come for lunch at all, even when his maman, Julian's mom and Isabelle had all been telling him that they could manage to look after Peter for a few hours. They had convinced him eventually, and had plans to take Peter our for lunch and then a shopping expedition to stock up on toys, books, bedding and new clothes.

He had arranged that Julian would arrive first, and then he would leave him with Dave for company whilst he went out to meet his father. He only told Dave this when they arrived at the restaurant, and he could see instantly from the expression on his face that he wasn't happy about being put in this position without any warning; in fact he later told Sebastian that had it not been for the fact that Julian had arrived bang on schedule, he would have turned around and left, wanting no part of the scheme. They settled at a table, and then whilst they were looking at the menu, Sebastian had made an excuse to leave for a moment and headed back out to meet his father.

As they walked back in, Julian's attention was on the menu and he saw nothing until they were right next to them. Sebastian spoke to attract his brother's attention. "Jules, please don't be mad at me…"

He stopped as his brother lifted up his head and saw who was there. He sucked in a breath, and began to shake his head. "What the heck is he doing here, Sebastian!" he hissed in a low voice, not wishing to cause a seen. The fact that Julian had not called him Bazzy was a bad sign, and Sebastian felt his blood run cold, thinking he had just driven a wedge in his relationship with his brother at the worst possible time…

"This is not his fault, Julian; he was put into this situation, under pressure, by me," Mr Smythe said. "I walked into his dressing room last night unannounced, and took full advantage of the fact that he has somehow managed not to follow in my footsteps and has become a decent young man. The last thing that I want is to cause the two of you to fall out. Julian, could you allow me to say what I need to, and then, if you wish, I will leave and not return."

"Fine. Say your piece," snapped Julian, still scowling at his little brother.

Mr Smythe then basically repeated what he had said to his younger son the night before, with a few major differences, mainly how much he now regretted telling Julian that his mother was dead. "Of all of the things that I have done over the years, that was the lowest and the worst. That statement was unforgivable and I know there is nothing that I can do or say that will make it up to you. It was wrong, just as it was wrong of me to try to make you terminate the life of your child for the sake of my reputation, and give you no option other than to leave. I hurt you in doing so, and your brother, and that is also something I do not expect to be forgiven for…"

"Yes, you're right; that is unforgivable. I have both my mother and my brother back in my life though, and I have my son. I don't actually need to have you in my life, if I am being totally honest… But, right now, my whole world is up in the air; my son's life is in tatters. Almost everything that he had ever known has been taken from him, and I know exactly how it feels to have lost your mother, thanks to your lies. At any other time, I would cause a scene, and tell you to go, but Bazzy has obviously decided that he should try and forget about it all and let you back in, and if he can do it, then maybe I should give you one final chance to be a real dad. However, I tell you this now; if you mess it up, then it is over, okay. As for Peter, I need to get him settled into his new way of life, and used to that before I suddenly introduce him to his grandfather. In a few months, maybe we can see… You are on probation with me, and as I said, one slip up, and you're gone for good."

"And those sentiments are the same for me, dad. You hurt me again, and I will cut you out forever," Sebastian echoed.

Lunch proceeded to go reasonably well, with no further outbreak of hostility from anyone at the table. Dave seemed to connect with his husband's father in a way that neither of his sons could ever have hoped for, and they both knew why; he had no reason to resent him for something that had been done by his mother, or some major slip up in their own behaviour. As such it was no surprise when he accepted Dave's invitation to come and watch him play sometime. At the end of the meal, Mr Smythe made his excuses and took his leave of his sons, shaking hands with them in the way that he always had done. He had never been the most tactile of men, and it was too late to change that aspect of his behaviour now. At the last second, Julian dug in his wallet, and pulled out a photo of Peter; he had another copy of it in his wallet anyway, and handed it to his father.

"I thought that you might like to see what your grandson looks like before you get to meet him. He is the most precious thing in my life; even more so now that I nearly lost him. If you are sincere about wanting to make amends, then we can try, but if you ever hurt Peter, or Bazzy for that matter, then I will come after you with all guns blazing - and that's a promise."

"I promise that I will do whatever it takes to regain your trust, Julian; I have wasted too much time and I don't want to lose anymore with the important people. You are my sons, and I am proud of both of you for turning into such well rounded young men. That is what happens when you don't follow your father's example. I will call both of you soon. Dave, take care of yourself, and my boy."

"I will, sir, and take care of yourself too," Dave replied as the older man left.

Once their father had left, Julian turned to Sebastian. "That wasn't very fair, Bazzy. I'm up to my eyes with everything right now, and you spring dad on me like that…"

"If I had told you that he was going to be here, you would have made up all sorts of excuses not to come. I really do think that he is keen to try and make amends for everything, and if there is one thing that we should both be aware of after the events of last week, it is that family is important. We need to give him a chance, for our sakes and for Peter. The only issue I foresee will be with our mothers; neither of them exactly see eye to eye with him."

"With good reason. You're right though; we do need to let him in again for all our sakes. Like it or not, we have his DNA in our eye and hair colour at least. Thankfully we didn't get all of his behaviours too…"

"I'm not sure if that is entirely true, Jules. I did have quite a reputation as a, to be blunt, slut until Dave tamed me - and you weren't exactly a chaste monogamous man either. Like it or not, we are our father's sons, just a lot more in control of our libido now that we have found our soulmates…"

"Okay, I'll give you that, you do have a point, but that is all behind me now. I have Isabelle, and I have a son. I don't need anything else; well, except maybe a sometimes annoying, but ultimately very talented little brother…"

"You're never getting rid of me now, Jules. A united front for Peter and for dad."

"I will drink to that," said Julian, before he pulled his brother into a hug, then breaking it to pull Dave in to it too. After all, his brother-in-law was part of his family too…


	90. Revelations and a New World

**Revelations and a New World**

Across town, David and Mercedes were also having lunch together, but alone in the kitchen of Niff's house. It was the first chance that they had had to spend some time alone together since they arrived in the city, and they had quite a few things that they needed to discuss. Mercedes was pleased that David had the offer of a new job, but deciding on where he should settle was going to be difficult. They had both ruled out Seattle at once, as to them the whole west coast now seemed to be tainted. They had also by mutual agreement ruled out New York, because it would be too easy and comfortable an option. Jeff would offer them a place to stay, and they would soon find themselves right in the middle of their circle of friends. That wasn't totally appealing to them, and it would also bring the glare of publicity down on the quiet West Village street.

So the choice was down to Chicago and Boston; the former was close to their family in Ohio, but there was the drawback of a return to extremely cold winters; living in L.A. had softened them. Boston would be a new start for both of them, somewhere that Mercedes had only been in once for a concert, and that David only knew from his occasional trips in college to see Wes at Harvard. The big advantage for David was that it would be a chance to see a different style of Google culture, as there they were so close to M.I.T.; it also meant that there were other opportunities outside the firm if he chose to move on. Mercedes would also have no problem in doing her work there, and would be close to New York for all the big launch events. No final decision was made though; that could wait until after Mercedes had returned from her tour. The fact that David was now going to be joining her at least in Australia had also made Mercedes smile. It was as they were discussing the arrangements for that that they felt a draught, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, an angel appeared to join them.

"I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to come and see you sooner, but there hasn't been a moment to spare since everything started," apologised Kurt as he folded his wings away. "I've not got that long now either, but it isn't quite as hectic as it was, so my mom decreed everyone needed to get some sort of rest break, as otherwise mistakes would start to happen. Finn is refusing to do so, naturally, but I think in the end he will have to, or he will just drop from exhaustion."

"You do look tired, white boy," said Mercedes with a smile, not drawing any attention to the bags under his eyes, the lines on his forehead, or his untidy hair. "All of that death must take its toll…"

"We aren't getting as long as usual to process people, which isn't great," conceded Kurt. "It's all turned into a bit of a production line. Pick them up, fill in the paperwork, pass it on, then head back for the next one. Finn seems to be more able to detach himself emotionally than Blaine and I; we still get sad with each and every one, whereas Finn seems to be able to just be clinical in the way he does things. True, we have a lot less information on people than we are used to, but you can almost see their lives as you pull the soul from their body, and so many of those bodies are mangled beyond belief. It is like dealing with car crash after car crash. Anyway, enough of my woes; how are the two of you? It can't have been easy…"

"Honestly Kurt, I am still trying to process it. I still have moments when I think that the whole thing has been one long dream, and that any moment now I will wake up in bed in L.A." remarked David. "I don't think I could handle a situation like that again."

"I can't make any promises about that, but what all of this has shown is what we all always knew. When the chips are down, David, you step up and are a natural born leader," replied Kurt.

"And Amen to that! If he hadn't been there with me, I don't think that I would have made it out, and there is no way that Peter would have done," said Mercedes. "Speaking of him, I did promise him that you would keep an eye on his loved ones…"

"I was actually allocated to them, funnily enough. His mom was nearly hysterical when she found out he wouldn't be joining them. It sounds like a cruel reaction, but it is something I see all the time. Once I told her that he was with you guys she calmed down a little, and when we told her that he was safely with Julian, she relaxed finally. She will be able to see him soon, so I guess you will have to let Sebastian know she will be visiting," Kurt responded. Then he glanced at the clock, and sighed. "Anyway, I am afraid that I need to go; I want to see my dad, and I am due back at work all too soon. I am just so glad that you both made it; you see, we only get to see the lists for Ohio usually, and my mom didn't have time to search the lengthy list for California to see if your names were there. We had no idea if any of you would make it until after the event, and that goes for all of us, even Wes…"

The revelation that Wes had not known what was going to happen to them came as a surprise to them both; they had assumed that he had to have been aware, given the visit, but unless he had kept Kurt and the others in the dark… It was a mystery that dwelt in the back of their minds for the remainder of the day, still there when Mercedes received the call that asked her if she would consider singing at a charity concert for the victims of the quake. She had no problem in doing so; she might have lost all her material possessions, but most of it could be replaced and she had the funds to do so. Others had lost far more important things like family…

She was still tired, and that night, after an early dinner with Thad and David, she headed to bed. She hadn't been away long when Thad's phone rang, and he answered it with a smile on seeing who it was. "Hey Mrs Carmichael, how are things at Dalton?"

"They're good thank you… Look, I will come straight to the point as to why I am calling. About five minutes ago I received a phone call asking after David; the call came from Drew."

Thad was silent for a moment, then replied, "I did wonder if he would get in touch at some point; after all, he knew where David lived, and I doubt there is anyone on the planet that isn't aware of what happened."

"It was a brief call; he asked me if David was okay, and I told him that he was, along with everyone else he potentially knew in Los Angeles. He sounded so anxious until I told him that, and once I had I could hear him sigh in relief. I asked him how he was, but then he said he had to go, and hung up. He told me he was in a call box, which I didn't even know still existed. What is significant of course is the time. It's the early hours of the morning over there…"

"He will have to have snuck out of the house to use one, and that speaks volumes," said Thad with a sigh. "Anyway, thanks for letting me know."

"It isn't a problem. If it is any consolation, he did sound okay once he knew David was. All I can wonder now is what he would have done if he hadn't been. Would he have come back? I must confess that I was so tempted to lie and say he wasn't just to get that poor boy away from her, but then I realised that he might not be able to, and a lie would just make things worse for him."

"That much is probably true. I very much doubt she would let him come home for a friend's funeral when he isn't even allowed to keep in any kind of touch with his best friend…"

When Thad eventually ended the call, he was silent, and for a moment that lack of noise in the room was deafening. Then David spoke. "I'm guessing that Drew has been in touch about me?" Thad nodded, and his friend continued. "It was good of him to call; brave too, given what we know about his lovely wife. Somehow I think that if I hadn't made it, it would have been like you said. She probably would have done something to him that left him in hospital, just so that she could carry on exercising her control over him…"

Thad nodded sadly, then replied, "I suggest that we keep the fact that he called at all to ourselves. The Carmichaels won't tell anyone, and it isn't as if it would do anyone, particularly Ethan, any good to know that he had called and had to do so briefly, outside and at dead of night…"

"I agree. Ethan is getting on with his life, bonding strongly with Flint thanks to sharing a house with him, and he is even smiling a little again. It was a surprise when we found out that his bond stretched to going to the synagogue with him, but he seems to find some peace with the world when he is there."

"It would not surprise me at all if he announced that he was converting to Judaism at some point," remarked Thad. "As a group none of us were all that religious at school, although I think that most of us, with the possible exception of Kurt, believed in something. I think that Flint had embraced his faith again because he has found a version of it that is not as stifling as his mother's. Ethan went with him to keep him safe from all the son-in-law hunters, and ended up finding there something that can help him get through all the pain in his own life. Apparently he has also become very skilled and polite in turning down dates with daughters…"

David chuckled, then added, "I have to admit that I am still slightly in dread of the day that Flint announces the date of his wedding. I mean, we have all matured a lot, but the concept of our group of Warblers assembled in a synagogue? I bet that…"

"…would have been one of my worst nightmares?" came a voice, which made both of the young men in the room smile. They turned towards it, but what they saw made their smiles fade just a little from concern. Wes looked tired out, run down, and sadder than either of them could ever recall. Thad was on his feet in an instant and guided him over to the sofa, to sit sandwiched between himself and David. Wes sat in silence for a moment, and then laughed as he regarded the scene. "With you on my left Thaddie and David on my right, all we need now is a proper table and Mr Bangy, and it would be quite like old times."

Thad smiled as he realised that he had subconsciously placed them in the order in which they had graced the council table back at Dalton, but all of that now seemed a lifetime ago. "How bad has it been up there, Wessie? I know you, and I know how much you care, so all of this must have torn at the strings of your heart."

"It did, but not as much as the possibility that David might be hurt, or worse. The lists of the dead were so long, and it was something I had to do in secret, cursing that they are written by time of death, not alphabetically, but I searched them. It took me three nights but I eventually confirmed that Adams, Jones, Puckerman and Thompson were not to be found. I didn't tell the others I had looked; not even Elizabeth, although I think she guessed by the way I looked and how tired I was that I had been up all night. I slept a little easier knowing you weren't going to die, but of course, I did find the names of Peter's mom and grandparents. I was glad not to find his, but all the same…"

"Kurt was here earlier, and he said that you didn't know anything, but to be honest, both Mercedes and I knew that you had to have done. Of course, Kurt was just as desperate to keep people out of Los Angeles and so stopped Mercedes from doing what she wanted," David responded. "So, I have to ask; did you send my brother to keep an eye on Peter whilst he was trapped? He mentioned something about a man called Simon that was around whilst he was waiting for someone to arrive…"

This was news to Thad of course, and he spun round to look at Wes. "Yes, I did send him; although it was busy, I was still able to monitor things, and I saw that Peter was in a really bad way. He was sobbing his heart out, and starting to think about trying to get out himself, which would have been a disaster, given that hole in the floor. Simon wasn't involved in the collection side, as he works in an administrative role now, so I called in a favour…"

"It did the trick, Wes. He was in pretty good shape when we got him out, all things considered. It is still going to be hard for him though; for someone so young, he has so much to deal with now…" said David.

"You all do," remarked Wes. "You all had to deal with situations that no normal person would ever want to be in. You've all seen things that you won't forget in a hurry. You will get through it, but not overnight."

"Well they can count on all of us to support them in getting back to normality," Thad added.

"And once the worst of the paperwork mountain is cleared, I will be around a lot more for a while too. Simon has been keeping a close eye on you for me, David, and he was quite pleased to report that your dad had turned up."

"Yeah, that was good, but it would have been nice to have seen him more before all of this happened," said David sadly.

"I know, but try not to hold that mistake against him. None of the three of us have the best father, but at least yours isn't a criminal," remarked Wes.

"Nor did he as good as disown you for not following in his footsteps," added Thad.

David nodded, knowing that his two friends were right. He had another chance with his father, and if he was being honest, he was actually looking forward to getting to know him all over again…

There was nothing that Wes wanted to do more at that moment than just stay there, sat between his boyfriend and his best friend; to sit there on the couch watching television, letting the others rest their heads upon his shoulders, his arms wrapped around them. It was tempting, but he knew that there was a massive stack of paperwork waiting for him; name after name that needed to be checked off against the lists, reports to made on the current status of each individual and how they were faring. This was normal day to day stuff for him now, but it was particularly heart-rending at the moment, given the identical surnames, and the ages of so many of the new arrivals. The centre for children was bursting at the seams, and even the most long serving and hardened of angels was reduced to tears by the sight of so many young souls entering.

He also had to head back to help Elizabeth in ensuring that Finn actually took a break. His friend had looked awful the last time he had seen him; his mouth set in a grimace, a deep frown on his brow and no life whatsoever in his eyes. The situation was not so bad now, with far fewer collections needing to be made as the backlog dwindled, and soon it would be back to normality for the collectors. For him, his workload would stay high for a while yet as processing took time. In a perfect world, he would be able to co-opt Finn to come and assist, ensuring he wasn't running around for a while, but administration was not where Finn's talents lay. Elizabeth had instead asked Blaine to come and help with the papers, assigning Kurt to work alongside his step-brother.

He also wondered if anyone in the earthly realm had noticed the consequence of the quake for the rest of the nation, and indeed for Canada and Mexico. Would anyone spot the decline in the death rate everywhere else as death was delayed for some until the angelic world could cope once more? Would a cop somewhere note that there had been hardly any fatal auto accidents? Would a hospital doctor notice that patients with terminal conditions were not dying as they had predicted, and that in the E.R., less people were being brought in with injuries that would ultimately be fatal? He doubted it somehow; everyone's thoughts were focused on what had occurred in L.A.

"Well, I'd best be heading back," said Wes with a sigh after a few minutes of just sitting quietly between his two friends. "I will be back soon, I promise. At least I know that the two of you are in good hands, and that all of you are looking out for each other, particularly Sebastian. The stress on him has been hard, but he won't take a few days rest from the show, nor will he shirk any of his duties as an uncle…."

"That's true; he is acting like someone else I know, that never stops worrying about all of us…" said Thad fondly.

"That way of behaving sounds a lot like a certain teacher not a million miles from here," said David, and Wes had to nod.

"Someone taught me well," said Thad smiling. He pulled Wes into a hug, and then allowed David to do the same, before the man he loved headed back to his duties in heaven.

The next few weeks would be busy for all of them. With the worst of the stress generated by the quake over, they could all start to get life back to normal, not that it would ever be the same again. On the first Monday after the quake, Jeff rose early, and with help from Mike, he cooked breakfast for his husband. Nick smiled when he came down to the kitchen and saw it waiting, and enjoyed it all the more because it had been made with love. He had laughed when he had gone to head out the door and saw Jeff standing there with his briefcase and jacket, and even more when he realised Mike was also there, armed with a clothes brush to ensure that he arrived at the office looking perfect.

Then Jeff turned his cheek towards him for a kiss, which Nick gave him; Mike jokingly did the same, and on seeing a certain mischievous twinkle in Jeff's eye, Nick had grabbed Mike and given his startled friend a far bigger kiss than he could ever have imagined. He was still standing there in shock as Jeff closed the door behind his husband. "He's good at that, isn't he," Jeff couldn't resist whispering in Mike's ear, "but to be honest, I'm better…" As Jeff gave Mike just as big a kiss as he had received from Nick, Caleb sat in the doorway, and could only think once again that he would never understand the way his humans acted…

Nick was nervous as he entered his new workplace that morning. He thought that the pass he had been issued would fail at the security gates, and he breathed a sigh of relief when it opened them with no problem. He was conscious as he headed up in the crowded elevator that his shoes looked far too new, his suit was uncomfortable and all of that was marking him out as a raw recruit to some of those he was travelling with. It had been a good idea to come in on Friday at Grace's insistence to take a tour, as he was able to walk out of the elevator with confidence and head straight to the cubicle he had been assigned. This gave him a moment just to sit and relax before his official start time. Opening his case, he took out a framed photo of himself and Jeff on their wedding day and placed it on his desk, the only personal touch allowed; he then logged onto the computer, again relieved that the login worked. He was not surprised to see that he had several E-Mails already, some housekeeping ones, and one which was his first case assignment. He opened it and then the attached file, and began to read. At first glance it was not exactly what he would have liked, but it wasn't too bad…

A glance at the time had him up again, and hurrying to the morning briefing, glad that he was not late or the last to arrive. The assistant that worked for him and four others, an older motherly woman by the name of Valerie Pittman, greeted him quietly, and handed him some notes on what he could expect to be covered that day. He was scanning them when his new boss, Lionel Vallent walked in, and the room fell deathly silent. There were no friendly morning greetings, nor any mention of Nick, let alone an introduction to the rest of the people gathered there. Instead orders were barked out, and some people found themselves being glowered at over some issue or other. Then the boss was gone, and Nick found himself heading back to his desk. When he got there, he sighed. He wasn't sure that he would like working in this kind of environment, but he had to give it a try. One thing was certain, when he was a boss someday in the future, his style would be the exact opposite. Until then though, he just had to work hard and keep his head down and try and avoid attracting too much attention…

On that same Monday, David had also returned to the world of work. Thad had returned to Ohio on Sunday, as he had commitments to fulfil at Dalton; he had however promised to return in a couple of weeks, just to see how David and Mercedes were. It was also looking likely that his return visit would coincide with the charity concert that was being organised for the victims of the quake that Mercedes had pledged to sing at. The rumour was that it would take place on the Monday of that week, as most of the Broadway shows wished to contribute too; the touring cast of one of the big shows had been in Los Angeles at the time, and of a cast and crew of fifty, only six had survived, including two cast members that had been performing on a stage in Broadway only a few weeks before. Others had been less fortunate, and the whole artistic community wanted to come together to mark their loss.

The entire cast of _Book of Mormon_ had agreed to sing, partly out of respect for Sebastian, and Bette Midler was down for the event too. She had appeared at the door of Sebastian's dressing room after the show on his second night back, and he had ended up crying for a while in her arms, although this time his tears were of joy, not sadness.

With Nick out at work all day, and Jeff at the diner, David had felt that he needed to get back to work too and resume some normality; yes, he was in a different city and the office space was very different, but the whole Google ethos was still there, and it was nice to sit once more at a desk, in front of a computer and just zone out a little as he went back to the ideas and concepts that he had been working on just a few hours before his entire world had fallen apart… He had a whole raft of new names and faces to learn. All of the people he was working alongside were kind, and he sensed that it was normal behaviour, not just some special treatment because of all he had been through. The desk next to his was occupied by another newbie in the office. He had only been there for two weeks himself, and was from, of all places, Australia. When David admitted that he would be heading there himself soon, the young man's face had lit up, telling him all of the things that he absolutely had to do and see if his travels brought him to his home city of Melbourne.

When David confirmed that he was certain that it was a stop on Mercedes' tour, there was silence before the young man admitted that he wasn't sure if he was the right David Thompson, but now that he had said that, he had to say that he was an absolutely massive fan of her work, and he had been gutted to arrive in town the day after her show, particularly when he had known she was probably heading to his former home. David smiled, and decided that his new colleague, Kraig, was going to be getting a free ticket to the charity show, and that maybe one day Mercedes could stop by before they headed out to lunch…

Just after lunch on that first day, he was working away when suddenly he paused, as he heard a familiar voice in the room. He looked up, and saw that the manager that had shown him around last week was showing another young woman around… He was out of his seat and dashing over to her in a minute, uttering only one word as he reached the two of them - "Martha!" The young woman spun round, and seconds later the two of them were hugging, tears streaming down their cheeks at the joy of being reunited with a co-worker from L.A., and from the sadness of knowing just how many of them had now gone. Both of them were secretly wondering how they could have been the ones that made it when no-one else had. They were aware that the entire office was watching them, but they didn't care. By the time she left, it was arranged that she would start work the following day, and she would occupy the other vacant seat in the room; just on the other side of Kraig.

By the time the week end, David felt almost back to normal in terms of his professional life; his passion for the work was still strong and a rhythm had been restored to his days. Martha and Kraig had both given him input when asked, and the three of them had bonded as a mini team. On the Wednesday, Mercedes had joined them for lunch, which had left Kraig in raptures; she was able to confirm that the concert would indeed be on the Monday, and also that she could get Kraig and Martha a ticket, if they wanted one… After lunch, whilst Kraig posted excited comments on Facebook, along with a picture of himself with Mercedes, David told Martha about his future plans for the first time; about how he would be joining Mercedes in Australia, and how he eventually wanted to relocate to the Boston office. She confessed that her time in New York would also be limited; she had decided to return to the west coast and the Seattle office, but after a break. She had just wanted to get as far away as possible from that part of the world for a while…

Across town, Nick had ended his first working week feeling, if he was honest, a little conflicted. He had spent much of the week working hard on his first case, and had come up with a good set of arguments for it, but these had then been rejected by his immediate superior. When he asked why, he was told that whilst his arguments were positive, and would win the case, there would be no money for the company in doing so, and as a result, the case was now going to be dropped after a review. He felt angry about that, and returned to his cubicle ready to punch something or someone. He realised now why he had not wanted to come to this kind of firm; the problem with working in a big firm was that the only thing that mattered to those in charge was money, and justice ran secondary to that. At the moment though, he had no option. Yes, he and Jeff had some money, but that didn't mean that he didn't need his salary, especially now they were going to be having a child. He just had to grit his teeth, and carry on, hoping that the next case would have a better result…


	91. Reunions and a Proposal

**Reunions and a Proposal.**

As David and Nick had very different reactions to their first week working in New York, an important event was also taking place in Ohio. After a prolonged course of treatment in Denver, it was finally time for Jake to be able to head home to his family. Unique had stayed with him, not wanting to leave him on his own until she was certain that he was alright. It had also given her time to make arrangements for a suitable reception when he was given the all clear to head back east. Marley, Ryder and Kitty had all agreed readily to head back to Lima that weekend so that he would be greeted in style. It would also be the first real chance for them all to catch up since the quake, and they would be glad to be back together, although Kitty had threatened the other two New Yorkers with death if they revealed how devastated she had been.

Jake had, as the initial examination had surmised, torn a tendon in his foot, and had also managed to break a bone - in his big toe. That revelation had set both Jake and Unique howling with laughter, a moment of light relief in an otherwise tense situation. As time had gone on, other patients had slowly trickled into the hospital from Los Angeles, but the number had been tiny in comparison to the population of that city on the day the quake struck. On top of that, their injuries were far more severe than those that had been inflicted on Jake. He would recover in time, and be back to the way he was; the others had suffered life changing injuries on top of the trauma of losing friends and family. It was the children in particular that made Jake and Unique sad when they saw them brought in; injured and often orphaned too, lost and alone in a world that would never be the same for them ever again. Unique did whatever she could to try and help them, as did Jake when he was able to move with more freedom. Now as they left Denver, they were both resolved that they would dedicate whatever time and effort they could to any charitable cause for the victims; after all, it could quite as easily have been them that was lying in one of those beds…

Having landed in Columbus, it was a short trip back to Lima in the car that had been arranged for them. It took them to Jake's home, Unique's parents having made their way there to welcome her home. As Jake made his way up the garden path, hopping along on his crutch like a pirate, he couldn't help but smile when he saw that the neighbours were out in force to see him arrive, calling out greetings to him and giving him their best wishes. On entering the house he stopped for a moment, then grinned as he saw his three friends standing there waiting for him, along with the Schuesters and Coach Beiste, all of them so pleased to see him back home in one piece, more or less. Everyone had by now heard all about his part in the rescue of Peter Smythe, and that made him a bit of a hero in their eyes; not everyone would have been prepared to dangle upside down above a deep hole in a shifting pile of debris to pull out a child, not with that potentially fatal drop below if someone made a wrong move. He blushed as he was hugged and kissed, and his hand was grasped and warmly shaken. Then he looked into the lounge, and saw the figure that was waiting there for him, totally unexpectedly. Jake left his friends, and made his way quickly into the other room to stand in front of them.

"Hey, Mr Wade," came that voice.

"Hey…" said Jake, before he pulled Puck into a tight hug. "Thanks for keeping your promise. I knew that you would, because you are the best brother in the world…"

After the festivities had died down, and Unique had finally been persuaded to head home, Jake finally managed to get a few minutes alone with his brother. "I will admit that I was scared," he began. "When the quake came, I panicked; I disobeyed all of the rules about staying inside and got Unique out. That was, as it turned out, the right thing to do. If we had done as we were always told to do, you'd be wearing a black armband…the whole house just exploded, Puck! If we had been inside…"

"But you weren't; I think that our mutual angelic friends saw to that. David told me that he and Mercedes survived because Wes told them to head away from the Bowl on another pretext moments before it all happened. But I kind of do know what you mean about being scared… If that third big quake hadn't come, then the truth is that they would never have let me head to March. That was bad enough, fearing that I was going to let you all down, but then when I was on my way, the damage I could see below me was so bad. Then, when I only saw three people as I came into land…" Puck stopped, and swiped at the tears that had formed in his eyes, as Jake did much the same with his own. "The fact is that I did get you out; your ankle will recover, so that future you always dreamed of is only delayed, not over. My boss still doesn't know that I broke all the rules to rescue you; in fact, there is talk of me getting a promotion. So, it's all good…"

"Yeah, I guess it is. I will need to find a new college now, and that won't be fun. I think I will look at schools in New York this time, if possible, but don't spread that around yet. After all, I might not get a place, and even if I do, I don't know when I will be able to start there."

Jake's woes would diminish as the weeks went by, and by the time that the middle of July came along, he was more than able to manage the journey to New York, to join the others in converging for the first of what would probably be several fundraising concerts for the victims. The quake was now regarded as nothing short of a catastrophe which had wiped L.A. off the map. The whole world was frightened by the statistics, by the sheer number of dead, missing and injured. It was now being presumed that those that were still unaccounted for were dead, but there was little hope of recovering many, if any, of those bodies…

There had been searches mounted by rescue teams that had converged on California from all over the globe, and there had been a few miracle moments when, against all the odds, survivors had been found amongst the ruins. The biggest of those had come late one night, just as the sun was setting over the darkness of what had once been a vibrant city. A rescue team member had suddenly spotted the tiniest shaft of light coming from the ruins of what had once been a major hospital complex. On investigation, they discovered that a basement room had managed to survive with hardly any damage, and that by being there at just the right time, twenty or so people had survived to tell the tale. Even better, the room had been a snack bar of sorts, and so they had been left with food and water, if not the ability to escape themselves from the room. The fact that over half of those in the room had been children and teenagers from the children's wards made it all the more special.

In most of the city now there was only one mission; retrieving what bodies they could as they cleared away the ruins. There was some talk of rebuilding; the President had stood behind a lectern at an Air Force base in Florida and had pledged that he would support the efforts of the Californian authorities to reconstruct the city. No-one believed that it would ever actually happen; there were too many ghosts there now. In any case, many of the things that had sustained the economy of the city were in turmoil. The movie and television industry had lost many stars and crew as they sat in their homes that fateful day; many films that had been completed would never be shown as their cast were now ghosts. As for television, there were problems to overcome, but when James Corden, who had been in England at the time of the quake, presented a new episode of the _Late, Late Show_ from its new home of Seattle, with Betty White as his main guest, the country rallied. The following day saw Ellen return to the screen, and with it a degree of normality for some; the big problem now was that the list of potential guests was a lot shorter, and there was talk that in the long term, they might have to move to New York to get big names that were now scared of being in an earthquake zone…

In the midst of all the turmoil, Michelle had made a trip that she had not expected to. She had been told all about Nick and Jeff's meeting with Albert when they had returned, and she admitted that she had received an invitation, but had not known what to do for the best. A big part of her wanted to support her cousin's uncle, the only real family Wes still had outside of jail from his father's side. The problem was that it was some distance to go, and quite an expense… Then the quake had come, and all the attention of the world had been focussed on it. The one thing it did do was focus Michelle's mind on the issue of family. She had her parents, but that was it apart from Albert; she began to feel that she should make the trip after all, but the wedding was just days away, and it was probably too late. She confessed as much to Santana one night, and added that in a way she felt that she had let herself and Wes down by not deciding to go in the first place…

The next morning she arrived at work to find a reception committee consisting of Sam, Santana, Nick and Jeff. They made her sit down, and then handed her an envelope. "We made a call to Oliver last night, and he found your passport and gave us all the necessary details. We also sorted out all the paperwork with Italy, so you will be able to get in. You are booked on a flight tonight that will take you to Rome, and then on a train that will take you to Florence. There is a hotel room booked for three nights at the same place that we stayed, which is a short walk to the museum, and the church that the wedding is taking place in. So, you should go home, pack and take a nap. You will want to look your best at the ceremony. As for telling Albert you are coming, that is up to you, but it might be a nice surprise for him if you are waiting for him when he arrives at the church…" Nick smiled as Michelle just stared open mouthed at them all.

"As for the cost, the partners all agreed that you deserved a bonus, and this seems a good way to do it," added Santana. "We can look after this place for the next few days, so as Nick said, go home and pack. You're doing this for Wes. He was intending to go, but that was before all of the chaos came to L.A., and now he might not be able to. You are his representative at the ceremony…"

Michelle had to agree with that statement, and so after hugging all of them and pledging she would pay them back one day, she hurried home, to find Ollie waiting for her. He too had a big smile on his face, and before she could speak, he handed her another bit of paper, which turned out to be his own reservation for the flight to Rome that night. "I told them I had a family event, and they owed me the time, so I hope you will allow me to accompany you to the wedding…." The hug that he received was all the confirmation that he needed to have that she was very pleased at the prospect…

After much thought, Michelle decided that Nick had a point, and she did not let Albert know that she would be coming after all. The journey was a long one, and she was glad that she had managed to get some sleep on the plane, as she had been able to enjoy the scenery as the train had roared north from Rome. There had been time on their arrival to explore the city a little, but the journey was catching up, and after a good meal, they headed to bed early. The next day they made their way to the church, and were first to arrive. Ollie went inside whilst Michelle waited for Albert, hiding her face so he would not notice her. He ended up walking right by her, with a man she assumed must be his best man. "That's right, don't even acknowledge me when I've flown thousands of miles," she said, and he stopped…

Albert had been ecstatic to see her, and his best man was rather worried about how close he was to the mystery young lady until he made introductions, and then he had relaxed. It turned out that Albert's best man was actually his soon to be brother-in-law and so he had every right to worry… There was time to introduce them both to Ollie, but it was only after the ceremony that Michelle got to meet the lovely Celia; the two of them hit it off right away. It all made Albert's day a little more special, as did the fact that as he walked out of the church, he had seen for just a second his nephew smiling at him from the other side of the street, giving him a thumbs up for good measure. Michelle saw Wes too, but saw through the smile and into the turmoil inside as he coped with disaster. She could only hope that he would get the support he needed after all his work was done. That was for later though; now she had to help celebrate the long overdue wedding of Albert…

She would return home on the day that the music and theatre communities of New York made the first of their many performances to raise money to help those affected by events in L.A. The federal response had been woefully slow, with some in the Republican Party even suggesting that they should provide nothing, and let the rich Democrats of California shoulder the costs themselves. Even worse was the revelation that whilst many of the biggest businesses in the United States had made substantial donations to those trying to assist, Trump International had not given anything, at least so far. Ex-pats around the globe also donated and backed appeals, not the least the Duchess of Sussex.

The casts of all the Broadway shows had agreed to donate their wages from the Saturday before the concert to the relief funds, which for all of them meant wages from two shows, not just one. Sebastian and his fellow 'Mormons' had taken to asking for donations after their performances; no-one could resist their calls when Elder Price stood there and told them all about his nephew and the ordeal he had just been through. The cast then assembled with collecting pails in the foyer as the audience headed for home, and each night they filled them with coins, and many, many notes.

Those young men were out in full force for the concert, alongside the casts of every single major show on the great white way. The audience was treated to a number of cross over moments; the young men from _Book of Mormon_ appeared on the stage to accompany Bette Midler in the classic theme song from _Hello Dolly!_ , in a routine which saw them high kicking like a line of chorus girls. The applause at the end of that skit was deafening. Cooper found himself wearing two hats that night, performing both as Willy Wonka and Charlie Price, the current actor in the latter role being unavailable due to a back injury. Again, the reception was ecstatic.

The Broadway stars were the precursor to the music stars, with so many big names making the time to be there to sing just one track, sometimes doing so in duet. There were none of the usual riders, or any egos about where they were billed; and the various generations mixed with each other. Sebastian had managed to convince his fellow performers in the show to sing during this section, and all of them had been surprised when he chose to perform _Raise your Glass_. That surprise was nothing to the shock of Pink herself joining them halfway, and taking the lead over from Sebastian.

All of them had agreed that there was only one person that deserved to close the show, and so Mercedes found herself in the wings as one big name after another performed. Then it was finally her moment; the second she appeared the applause began, and turned into an ovation. The noise grew louder still when David joined her on stage to take a bow - and then the two of them sang a duet which made the audience melt; a heartfelt performance of _Endless Love_. The audience was left spellbound, and erupted with applause the moment they finished. Then David left, allowing Mercedes to sing alone for a while, with some of her own songs, before she finished with a show tune. Her rendition of _And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going_ from _Dreamgirls_ had the crowd in raptures; as she finished, the applause echoed loudly around Madison Square Garden. As it did so, Mercedes took a bow, and began to prepare herself for what she was about to do next…

Although she was used by now to standing up there in front of a large audience and singing her heart out, it was quite another matter altogether to make a speech. She stood there quietly and waited for the applause to die down, her friends in the crowd doing their level best to try and help, and David also stepping back on stage and gesturing to the audience to try and get hush too. Eventually there was silence, and she began. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is less than a month since I was last here on this stage, in this fine city, on the penultimate stop of my first major solo tour. I was surrounded that night by a group of young, talented people who gave me all the support that I could ever wish for in achieving my goal of giving the audience the best experience possible. We had one last date in this nation before we took a break, then headed overseas to show the world what we could do. As it turned out, that performance would be the finale; of the people that were here with me that night, only one of them survived the quake in L.A. That one person was my boyfriend, the incomparable David Thompson. Without him I would not be here with you tonight…"

Mercedes had to pause as the audience applauded a blushing David, but this time when she held up her hand for silence, it came at once. "Without David, I would have perished as the whole of Los Angeles was reduced to a smoking pile of rubble. The things that I witnessed in the next few days in that city, the place that I called home, will never leave me, just as the faces of those that I have lost will not be forgotten. We were luckier than most; we went on to discover that two of our closest friends had survived the quake too, and then we went on to rescue the nephew of another friend, who was trapped in the ruins of his home. That little boy's mother and grandparents didn't make it; nor did so many of his school friends. He was lucky; his father does not live in the city, and so he still has a parent. So many other children did survive the quake, but have now found themselves alone, orphaned, in an uncertain world. It is for those children that we have asked you to give generously tonight. They, and all the others that survived will need our continued support as they come to terms with the enormity of what has happened. It won't happen overnight, and for some, it may never happen. What they need from all of most right now is love…"

Mercedes paused again, and let the applause begin once more, rising to a volume equal to that she had received for her performances. She took a moment to look into the crowd, and smiled as she saw Trent and Rory; she nodded to them for their help in writing the words that she had just uttered, turning her thoughts into something intelligent and coherent. She was ready now though to go on to a part of the speech that they had not written for her, and had no idea about. She raised her hand once more, and the applause stopped…

"Love is the most important of all the human emotions. It was love that made the four of us take a risk in going to seek out that little boy in L.A., when a more sensible thing to have done would have been to just run out of town. It was love that kept us moving as a group, heading towards a place where we could be rescued by our wonderful Air Force, who suffered their own losses but carried on, fighting to rescue as many as possible and take them to a place of safety, often risking their own lives in the process." She stopped again as the crowd cheered her sentiments. She was thinking at that moment of Puck, not present that night as he was once more on the west coast, but now ferrying workers to the ruins rather than bringing out survivors; instead, he returned to the east with a silent cargo of body bags. She knew that such a task would be eating away at him; behind his tough exterior was a sensitive and gentle soul. She only hoped that when it was all behind them, he would accept the counselling that would surely be offered. It had to be, because that was the least the country owed him.

Once again she had silence and she spoke. "As for me, well I could not be here tonight, on this stage, if I did not have the love and support of someone very special; a man that has been with me on every step of my journey. I am talking of course about the man that sang with me tonight so perfectly; so please, can we have another round of applause for David Thompson!" The man in question blushed all over again as the crowd applauded long and loud; with reluctance, he walked over to where Mercedes was beckoning, and stood at her side. She held up her hand for silence once again, and it eventually came.

"When I first met him, David was one of the enemy, a member of a rival choir in that fearsome world of show choir. As I got to know him, I discovered that he was the most sweet and thoughtful of young men; someone that shared my values and beliefs, someone that knew exactly how he should treat a lady instinctively and not just because he had been told how to as a dapper prep school boy. We've been together for a while now, and I know one thing; I will never find a better man, no matter how long and hard I look. They say that being in a life or death situation changes your entire perspective on life, and on what is important. I also know that my true fans will have no issue with what I am about to do now, whatever the executives at my record label might think…"

She turned to face a now confused looking David, and then very carefully she sank down on one knee in front of him. There were gasps from the crowd, not least from their friends who had not envisaged this happening tonight. Then there was silence with no prompting as David's eyes widened as he realised exactly what she was about to say. "David Thompson, I know that traditionally this would be done the other way round, but sometimes tradition needs to be ignored and altered. So will you do me the great honour of making our love for each other official, and agree to become my husband?"

No-one had been aware of what Mercedes had been about to do; even Kurt stood with his mouth wide open in his spot beside Blaine, and an equally stunned Wes. In the crowd, friends from both the New Directions and the Warblers now waited for a response with baited breath, as did two sets of parents who had accepted what was a surprise invitation. As for David himself, he was shocked, but pleasantly so. Yes, it should have been up to him to propose, and indeed he had been waiting for the right moment to do so for the last two years, but in the end, it didn't matter which of them asked the question. He wanted the whole world to know that the two of them were together for the long run, and as he prepared to speak, he knew he had a surprise of his own for her…

"Well, I didn't know that this was coming," he began. "I guess that after the elaborate proposals we have witnessed from some of our friends, this is just a little simple, but a lot more public. The thing is, I think simple is good. So my answer to your question is, of course, yes. Of course I will marry you, Miss Jones…"

As he helped Mercedes back up onto her feet, the crowd went wild, particularly at the moment that she slipped a simple platinum ring on his finger; then he stopped her for a second, dug into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a ring box of his own. That just made the noise in the auditorium all the louder, and Mercedes soon found herself close to tears as David opened the box, and then gently placed an antique gold ring, set with a mixture of precious stones, onto her finger. That done, he smiled at her, and they both knew they had to give the crowd what they wanted. As they kissed, the world around them faded for them both, the only thing on their minds being each other. They had already committed to each other in private, but now it was official. They would not let anyone come between them, especially not a record company.

It took them a while to escape the media throng after the show, everyone clamouring for an interview with the happy couple, something that they declined to give right now, but promised would be forthcoming in the morning. Mercedes also decided to hid her ring from the cameras too, much to the photographers chagrin. Their first port of call were their parents. David discovered from his parents that Mercedes had asked them for permission to marry him, which they had both granted without a single second of hesitation. Such a move was just a sign of how seriously she had planned what she was going to do. Mr and Mrs Jones were quick to point out that David had also asked for their permission, although in his case it had been some 18 months earlier. To them though it did not matter who had proposed in the end, they were just so pleased to welcome him into their family. The congratulations over, the parents departed, having extracted from them a promise that they would have lunch together the following day. They knew that now their friends would want to add their own best wishes.

As it happened, they had all already left, but there was a note on the table in Mercedes' dressing room, in Santana's hand, with the message 'See you at the Spotlight for an unofficial engagement party' written on it. Underneath were the words 'Or Else!' in a hand that David recognised as Thad's. They left by a side door, and climbed into the town car that had been arranged for them. With the screen up, they had privacy, and could both relax for a moment.

"I'm probably the happiest man on earth right now!" whispered a grinning David.

"Well, that makes two of us, my love. This ring is so beautiful - where did you get it?" replied Mercedes.

"I spotted it in a little store in Oklahoma on my road trip with Thad," answered David. "I knew that it was the one the moment that I saw it on the display, but sneaking back to actually buy it without Thad noticing was hard. I've been carrying it with me ever since; it has never left my possession, thankfully…"

Mercedes smiled, then said "So you are telling me that even Thad hasn't seen it yet? Well, that is something else, given how close the two of you are. Anyway, so I was thinking, we give the first interview tomorrow to _Vogue_? That's if they want one, of course.."

"That would be the best idea, or you might upset Isabelle," said a familiar voice all of a sudden, and a startled David and Mercedes looked up to see three angels sitting opposite them on the fold down seats. "She will handle it with a lot of sensitivity, and will make it all about your love story, and not what happened in L.A." continued Kurt. Then he leaned forward, and Mercedes knew why; she extended her hand so that he could see it better. "That ring is exquisite. The setting is perfect, and the mix of stones is nothing short of ideal. That had to have been made for a very special lady, and it is only right that it has now gone to another one."

"Can I be the next to congratulate you both," said Wes, jumping in as Kurt fell silent for a moment. "Mercedes, you are absolutely everything that I could ever have wished for my best friend to find in a wife. He is a very lucky man to have won his place in your heart, and he knows that. I take it that the wedding will still be some time away, once you are both more settled, and all your tour commitments are over?"

"I hadn't even begun to think about that," Mercedes admitted, "but yes, it won't be tomorrow, that's for certain!"

"Well, we will all be there; Thad will need my assistance with his best man duties, and Kurt will no doubt wish to ensure that the bride looks her very best. I have an inkling that even now he will be picturing in his mind's eye the dress that you will be wearing…"

"It is already designed, Wes," came the swift reply. "I promise that I will let the bride to be see it very soon…"

Meanwhile, all Blaine could do was sit and smile with contentment. To him it was just wonderful to see that after all the heartache and grief of the last few weeks, something so good and joyful could happen. He wished both his friends a long and happy life together, and they both knew that just by looking at his smiling face…


	92. The End of a Tumultuous Year

**The End of a Tumultuous Year.**

Both David and Mercedes had an idea of the kind of reception that they could expect at the Spotlight when they arrived there, but it was still a little disconcerting to hear such a massive cheer going up from every corner of the place. All of their friends were inside, squeezed into every single corner, with one notable exception. Nick had an early breakfast meeting, which his boss would be scrutinising personally, so he had no option but to head home and get an early night so he was fresh and attentive in the morning. He had insisted that Jeff attend though, knowing that on these occasions, half of Niff was better than no Niff at all. After the cheers, there was almost a line of people wanting hugs and handshakes, and another for admiring the rings. The fact that they had been followed in by three angels was another reason to rejoice, as most of the group had not seen hide or hair of them for the last few weeks.

Thad was the last of them all to greet the newly engaged couple, and did so with the words, "How long do I have to write my best man's speech?" which made everyone silent in anticipation.

"Months and months, Thaddie," David answered. "We need to get our lives back on track before we make the big commitment. Anyway, I am sure that you will not be writing it single handed; a certain mutual friend of ours will no doubt be leaning over your shoulder, making his contribution. After all, he knows many more of my secrets, so it will be as accurate and embarrassing as possible."

As Thad laughed, Mercedes whispered in David's ear "At least you have your best man sorted. I have no idea who my chief bridesmaid should be, and whatever choice I do make in the end will cause offence to someone. Then there is the fact that we will have cameras all over the place wherever we decide to have the ceremony, and magazines all lining up to ask us for an exclusive…"

As David and Mercedes discussed the perils of marrying a celebrity, Thad making a contribution every so often, Flint found himself sitting in a corner contemplating his own future. The weekend of the L.A. quake had left his own nerves jangling too; he realised just how quickly the whole world could be turned on its head, and just how frail our lives actually were. He had remembered to call his cousin Leo, recalling that he had friends that had gone to California for school, and he was relieved to hear from his cousin that they were all safe. Only one of them had been at UCLA, and they had been at home in Kansas that weekend for a break. A lot of that young person's friends had not been so fortunate though, and the grief of someone he knew had touched on Leo too.

Flint knew what he wanted to do; it was something that he had wanted to do for a long time now, and the words that Ethan had said to him at the start of the year on the subject echoed through his head. There was no time like the present he guessed, as he had a full audience more or less, and Nick would forgive him… He got up from his seat next to Izzy, and strode purposefully across the room, heading towards the empty stage. He climbed up on it, grabbed the microphone, and spoke. "Guys, could I please have everyone's attention for just a second," he began, then paused as he waited for the noise of conversation to die down. "So, I have a few things to say. Firstly, may I congratulate Mercedes and David on their engagement. It is not unexpected, in that we all knew it was coming, it is just that we always expected that he would be the one to ask the all important question. Secondly, I would now like to apologise to the happy couple for what I am about to do at their post engagement party, but the truth is that I think the time has come for me to say what I have to, so why not?"

He looked straight at Izzy at that point, ignoring the fact that others were looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and anger. "Weddings are strange things for us Warblers; you see, for a while it was as if none of us could propose to our loved ones unless we were at someone else's wedding. Based on that Mercedes, it was just as well you did what you did, otherwise you might have had to wait until Colin and Edward made it official. But now that the curse is done with, it is so much easier for the rest of us now. Funnily enough though, it was at a Warbler wedding that I met the sister of the bride from the previous day's wedding, and realised that I had, to quote an old friend, found my missing puzzle piece. I still don't know what she sees in me, but I see in her a beautiful, intelligent, strong-minded woman that makes my heart melt every single time I see her. So, Izzy, if you haven't already guessed, I am no good at romance, but I guess what I am trying to say is, will you make my mother the happiest woman in the world, and…" - he paused, ignoring the giggles at his last statement from some, to sink down on one knee - "agree to marry me?"

There was silence as Izzy got up from her seat and the crowd parted to allow her to walk through to stand in front of him, shaking her head. "I don't want to marry you just to make your mother happy; I want to marry you, my dear Preppy Boy, because you help to keep me sane and grounded in an all too mad world. By the way, I take it that you are doing all of this fully prepared?" Flint looked confused for a second, but then nodded, and took from his pocket a ring box, which he promptly opened. "Wow, that is…. Yes, I will marry you, Flint Wilson, but on condition that we are not going to get married…"

"…until next year, and most definitely in this Manhattan, not the one in Kansas," he finished.

"Exactly; definitely not in Kansas," she replied. Then after allowing him to slip the ring onto her finger, they kissed to the sound of their friends' cheers. When the cheering finished, someone jokingly shouted from the throng "Who's next?" which left most of the room in hysterics.

Beats turned to look at Elliott, and both of them shook their heads. "Not us," said Beats at the top of his voice. "We are both happy with our relationship as it is; we don't feel the need for a certificate to show the world that we are a couple. It's not that we think that marriage is a bad thing - far from it. It just isn't for the two of us…"

Eyes then spun round to observe the other couples in the room and eventually they came to rest on the only other couple present that were in a relationship, but not formally engaged. Luke and Duncan looked at each other, then smiled. "We might not have a ring on our finger, but we have had a hand fastening ceremony. It's the same thing, but without the jewellery. So don't look at us to make it a trio today, as even if we did feel so inclined, neither of us have a ring - and we aren't wanting to borrow one from anyone else either, thanks all the same." said Luke proudly.

There were smiles from all around the room as they realised that the two young men in question were so sure and confident of their relationship that the idea of having a ring to mark it seemed ridiculous. They did have a point when they all thought about it. What was really important in all of this was love; the care that they had for each other and the special place that they occupied in each other's heart. As great as that were the bonds of friendship; those links between people that would remain strong as long as all the parties involved protected them, and made time to spend with each other. Those bonds could never be completely severed; stretched maybe, but never broken, not even through the actions of one person. No-one could break them if they had been built strongly in the first place.

The next day for Mercedes and David was a hectic one; interviews ended up taking up the bulk of their morning, though the first one of all was naturally with an overjoyed Isabelle, who was given permission to take a picture of the rings, with the result that she and _Vogue_ had the scoop online before anyone else had even asked their first question. After that, there was the lunch with two sets of parents arranged the night before, an event which both knew was a minefield that could turn into a disaster area if they were not careful. They managed to keep both sets of parents happy, skilfully avoiding the areas were conflict would appear, and thus they parted for the afternoon with a smile in their hearts.

For Mercedes the afternoon brought a meeting with her bosses at the record label, one at which no-one dared to make any negative comment about the events of the previous night. She had not warned them of what she was intending, and she had half expected that some adverse comments would be forthcoming, but instead she was greeted warmly, and there was even champagne. Then came an unexpected question; they wanted to know if she and David would consider recording the song they had sung together the night before for her next album. It came out of the blue, and all she could say was that she would ask him what he thought. It wasn't her place to answer on his behalf after all…

David had headed to his work at Google, and after being congratulated by everyone as he walked to his desk, he settled down quietly at his workstation and turned his attention to the problem that he was trying to solve, desperate that he should have the work done before he headed off to Australia with Mercedes. He would of course not be entirely abandoning his work when he was 'down under' on the tour in any case; that was both the benefit and the scourge of the internet. As the hours went on, one person never completely left his thoughts, the ring on his finger a constant reminder that he was one of the luckiest men in the world, because he was engaged to a beautiful woman…

Time passed quickly that summer, and in no time at all a month had passed, and it was time for David and Mercedes to head off. It was going to be a very different tour this time, with everything stripped back; she would have only a couple of backing singers, and some locally recruited dancers. She had not had the stomach to go through the process of selecting a new entourage to be with her all the time. The set too was much simpler in design, and was a tribute to those that were no longer with them. One thing that had made her departure easier was the knowledge that the bodies of those that had died at the Hollywood Bowl that afternoon had now been recovered and given a proper burial; in the face of so much tragedy, that was a comfort to her. It was still a great thrill to be heading off to Australia, and the fact that David was going to be with her would be a bonus; the fact that he had also consented to record that song with her just made her smile.

There was good news too for Jake and Unique; the former had been accepted into the dance program at Julliard, following in the footsteps of his friend Mike Chang, whilst Unique would be making her way to NYADA, with Carmen Tibideaux having found a spot for her. Accommodation had been found for both of them too, and as Mercedes and David's flight to Australia was taking off, they were in the process of moving in. As all of this was taking place, nobody noticed that Nick and Jeff were acting oddly; no witness saw the day that Jeff ran out of the house carrying a brown paper bag, and jumped into the first cab he could hail at the main road; nobody saw a dishevelled Nick tidying himself up and hurrying out a moment later, heading back to the office after an extended lunch. Had they done, then they would also have discovered that Jeff's destination was the home of their surrogate, who was already waiting as Jeff ran up to their door and posted the brown bag through it without looking inside. The whole process was completely haphazard, but it was only their first attempt…

None of their neighbours in the West Village seemed to notice that Jeff would make mad dashes across town on a regular basis as summer slowly moved into autumn. If they did, none of them noticed that they were monthly. Neither did any of Nick's colleagues or indeed his boss notice that a phone call would come which would mean he had to run out of the office to deal with a family emergency. Then, in November, the expected phone call did not come; Jeff was left to sit at home by the phone, just crossing his fingers and hoping that it wasn't a false alarm; that an event had taken place at the behest of mother nature that all of his education at Dalton still didn't prepare him to fully understand. Nick came home that night with a look on his face that was a cross between fear and hope. All they could do know was wait, and that process wasn't going to be easy….

Fortunately, events were taking place that month that managed to distract them from their own worries. After a long search, Sebastian and Dave had finally managed to find their ideal place in Maplewood, and after even more wrangling with realtors and lawyers, during which Sebastian wished Nick had gone into property law rather than rights law, they had secured it for a price that suited both parties. As he signed the papers, Sebastian suddenly felt very grown up. The seller was moving out in early November, and they had fixed a date a couple of days later to move in, to allow contractors to make a few minor changes before they were in place. On top of that, they had to purchase additional furniture, as the few pieces that they owned in the little apartment in Murray Hill would look very lost otherwise in the rooms. When they told Peter what was happening, the little boy had been overjoyed at the prospect that his uncle would be so close. He had settled in well with his father and Isabelle, and they had managed to find a counsellor that Peter liked. He still had the nightmares, but that was only to be expected. He was doing well enough at his new school too, and he was being spoilt by his paternal grandmother with gifts.

The day that he moved out of the city was a sad one for all concerned. He left on a Monday, so as not to disrupt his show schedule, and also to ensure that Cooper would be at home when he left. He had said his farewells to Nick the night before, as he was unable to get the day off on such a flimsy notion as saying goodbye to an old school friend, but Jeff was there to represent them both. Sebastian had promised himself that he would not cry, as had Cooper, but in the end they both burst into tears as they handed the keys over, and then hugged each other tightly. As with Sam, Cooper saw in Sebastian a brother, not just an old friend of Blaine's, and even though he was only moving across the Hudson, it was like a bereavement. He had not decided who would be moving in downstairs yet, stating that he wished to do some work on the place first, but no-one really believed that. He just needed to mourn the departure for a little while first…

There was also a reception committee in Maplewood, having timed their arrival to be there just after the school day ended, so that Peter could be there to welcome them to their new place alongside his father. Julian was grateful to his little brother for the sacrifice that he was making; he knew that if it had not been for events that summer, Sebastian would not have left the city for the suburbs for a few more years. As he watched him hug his nephew, he only hoped that he would not come to regret his decision, or resent them for it. They did not stay long, letting his brother get settled into his new place, so that he would be comfortable for the events of Thanksgiving; a day that would be difficult for everyone with its focus on family. To that end, Julian had a surprise for his son. He had invited his father to join them for dinner, and finally meet his grandson. The invitation had been accepted, with thanks from Mr Smythe for trusting him enough to be welcome at the table. How Peter would react to his new grandfather remained to be seen.

For many of the others, Thanksgiving would be very different that year. In the West Village, Nick and Jeff would be hosting Cooper and Grace, along with four mothers, one father and two grandparents. Absent from the table would be Mike, who would be celebrating with Tina at the other end of the street. He had finally moved in to his own place in September, amidst much tears from his two roommates and howls of anguish from Caleb. He was enjoying living with his girlfriend though; they made a good couple, although they still remained without the engagement ring that many had been expecting. If Mike's decision to defer engagement and talk of marriage until after his career had taken off ever rankled with Tina, she did not show it. In any case, she had a lot on her own plate career wise; as a newly qualified vet, she had to work long hours to establish herself within the practice that had employed her. Mike was busy too, learning new roles, and acting as understudy to other lead performers. He was happy to carry on like this until the time that those in charge decided that he was ready to take the helm so to speak on a nightly basis. They were both still young, and they had plenty of time left to marry, and then start a family of their own.

As it happened though, others decided that they wouldn't wait as long as planned to get married, meaning that Christmas 2018 would be quite a significant one for them all, and dictated none of the usual celebrations in New York. David had returned to the States from Australia in September, missing Mercedes more than ever before, but knowing that he had to get back to his work, and had to start the process of moving on with real life. He returned to New York, but was there for less than a month before he moved to his new position in Boston, working in an office that was close to M.I.T. He stayed initially with Mitch and Gabriel, but they had been busy on his behalf since he and Mercedes had agreed to make Boston their new home. Armed with the brief that she had given them, they had embarked on a house search, and in the few weeks that they had been in Australia, they had come up with the perfect place. The townhouse that they had discovered on sale in Back Bay was ideal; in fact, it was as if someone had lifted up Niff's place in the West Village and dropped it in Massachusetts. David sent a series of pictures of the place to his fiancée on the other side of the world, and even a very long video tour, and she agreed that it was the one. Talks were entered in to and a deal was struck within a few days. By the start of November, David was moving again, this time into his own place. He felt a little odd living there on his own, rattling around in the rooms, but he used his time wisely, doing all the little things that would make it perfect for Mercedes when she came back from the tour.

The night that she did, just before Thanksgiving was one of the happiest of his life so far, and she was equally happy to be back with him. They started talking, and eventually that lead to a flurry of phone calls, between themselves and family members, and one friend in particular… That friend said nothing about the secret with which they had been entrusted. Thus when the invitations to the wedding of David and Mercedes dropped into people's mailboxes just days after Thanksgiving there was shock and surprise. Nonetheless, plans that had been made for Christmas were altered with little complaint as no-one wanted to miss what would be for all of those closest to them one of the weddings of the year; and all the more special seeing as it was being held in the hallowed halls of Dalton Academy.

The fact that the wedding was taking place was kept quiet by all of them, as nobody wanted to see the press besiege what was a celebration of the love between two young people. They all knew that the story would come out eventually, and then there would be a lot of interest. To try and offset the worst intrusions of the press, they had played their trump card in the shape of Isabelle, who was naturally on the guest list, and told her that she could bring a photographer from the magazine to the wedding so that only those official pictures would be released.

Mercedes had also made a very special request to a young man that she had become quite attached to, and Peter had accepted the role of her page boy without any hesitation. He felt that by doing it for her, he was saying thank you to them properly for getting him out of L.A. and bringing him to the safety of his father's home in New Jersey. His new life had started with a few ups and downs, but now he was quite settled, having started to make new friends at school. He had also found out, thanks to the internet and a little research by Isabelle, that a couple of his old friends from school in L.A. had actually made it too; they were now living miles away, but with Skype he could actually talk to them again, and that had cheered him up no end; he had never been happy with the idea that he was the only one left…

The biggest surprise for Peter in the run up to the wedding had been events at Thanksgiving, when a knock had come at the door, and his Uncle Bazzy had gone to answer it, and had returned with an older man he had never seen before. When his dad told him that it was his father, and thus Peter's grandfather, he had burst into happy tears. Although that first meeting had been carefully supervised by his father and uncle, it was clear that there was no need to worry, as his whole demeanour had changed. Age seemed to have mellowed him, and there was no trace now of the cruel, dictatorial man that they had been raised by, with no interest in childish things. It was a quite simple case of his stress levels having reduced as a result of retirement, and a chance to re-evaluate his priorities in life. He had left with a smile, and a new fan in Peter, and had surprised them all on the doorstep when he asked them to consider joining him for Christmas at the Smythe house in Westerville, which he still maintained despite now living mostly in the Virgin Islands. They had asked for time to consider, but the wedding had made it a very practical idea. They accepted the invitation to stay, and Mr Smythe had no issue with them being away for part of the actual day at the wedding. In the end, David called him and invited him to join them at Dalton too, and he accepted. It meant more time for him with his grandson, with whom a mutual bond had established almost at once.

Most of the work that was needed to prepare Dalton for the big event was carried out by Thad, with the able assistance of the unstoppable Mrs Carmichael, the Warblers currently at the school, and once those boys had headed to bed, a group of angels that were just as determined as Thad to make it a day that the bride and groom would remember for all of the right reasons. They had agreed on something much less complex than the elaborate decoration that Brittany had wanted, and with the big school Christmas tree already in place, that was just as well. A whole curtain of twinkling fairy lights decorated the room, and when one morning a whole mesh of them had appeared over the great domed skylight, the majority of the school was left to wonder how all the necessary scaffolding had been brought in, assembled, used and then dismantled during the night without a sound… Those in the know of course knew that it had been a relatively simple task for a team of four angels to fly it into place and then connect it all up.

Having two best men to write the speech, one mortal and one angelic, certainly made the process a faster one, and fortunately, Wes and Thad had no dispute over their views. The only complication to the whole process of preparing Dalton was Kurt, as he had the best interests of Mercedes at the forefront of his thoughts, but there had only been one area in which they had all clashed, and that had been resolved swiftly by the immediate intervention of Blaine. The results were stunning, the stairwell transformed into a winter palace, fit for the princess that would be marrying her handsome prince there in a few short days. On a quick visit on Christmas Eve, Mercedes had to agree, as her mother stood at her side. She knew that the old school could scrub up well, but what had been achieved in such a short space of time was nothing less than magical. In fact, it seemed to her that Edith Carmichael had missed her calling in life; she would have been an asset to the grandest of hotels as a wedding co-ordinator. However, the lady in question was content to just have been a substitute mother to several generations of boys, and each and every one of them was grateful that she had been there.

David had arrived at Dalton an hour after his bride to be had left. He had decided that he would stay with Thad on the evening of his wedding, and his mother understood why he chose to do so. She knew that they had developed a special bond, one that was almost as close as the one he had shared with Wes. The way that Thad had acted when her son had been caught up in the drama of L.A. that summer had convinced her of that. In any case, she knew that the Warblers of his era would be holding a small bachelor party for him; there would be no strippers, or raucous party games though, and virtually no alcohol. Instead it would be an evening when they all assembled in the Senior Commons, and pretended that it was just another Warbler meeting. As Cameron would not be attending, as he had been invited by Dylan to spend the evening with himself and Flora, Wes would be able to take his spot at the council table, and Kurt and Blaine would be in their usual spot on the sofa. If anyone had walked in, it would look as if the clock had stopped in Wes' senior year, with the addition of a few younger men, and an absence of uniform.

That night the deserted corridors of Dalton rang out with the sound of voices raised in fellowship and brotherhood. At one point, Aaron Carmichael came to stand with his wife and Principal Lefevre in the corridor not far from the Senior Commons, and they could all clearly hear the three angel voices amongst the others. All of it boded well for the following day, as did a decision that had been proposed by Wes and Thad, then ratified by the others without descent; that Mercedes be made an honorary Warbler, and that the same honour be passed to Jake and Unique for their part in the chaos of L.A. They had also agreed to extend the honour to one other person…

As Mercedes prepared herself at home the following morning, she was not in the least worried when she felt the draught of angel wings; she was expecting Kurt, but got him and Wes. As Kurt just smiled, the latter handed her a box; the moment that she opened it and saw the pin, she knew what honour had just been bestowed on her. If her mother saw that pin attached to her dress as she brought her her coat before they drove to Dalton, she said nothing.

Jake had burst into tears when Blaine had presented him with his pin, as had Unique when the same ceremony was carried out a few minutes later. They both proudly placed the pin in full view on their wedding garb, where it attracted the immediate attention of their friends.

As for the final recipient, he was confronted by the groom and his two best men as he arrived at the school. He was puzzled at first when he was handed the box, but that turned to shock when he opened it and realised what it was, and its significance. The note inside, in Wes' careful script, explained the reason why he had been chosen to join the ranks. _'To Artie Abrams, the official filmmaker and photographer of the Warblers. For his service in ensuring that the world could know our truths, and for ensuring that we have a record of our greatest moments, now and in the future.'_ Then another badge was pinned on with pride, before it was time to get ready for the work he had to do that day, as the official wedding photographer.

The wedding ceremony itself passed off without a hitch. The pastor from the Jones' family church had agreed to come and perform the service and that was an unqualified success. The whole festive feeling of the day spread to the wedding, with a major emphasis in the pastor's words being placed on love, forgiveness and hope. The music was naturally every bit as magnificent, with the New Directions and Warblers both performing on their own, and collaborating on a few numbers as well. There was much rejoicing when the moment finally came, and Mercedes technically became Mrs Thompson, at least for non-professional purposes. The happiest person of all of those there that day was little Peter, who looked so smart in his suit, and performed his duties as page boy with aplomb. It turned out too that he had a wonderful singing voice, and it could be clearly heard as he joined in with most of the songs, to everyone's delight. He also seemed to be fascinated by the whole concept of Dalton, and after the ceremony, his Uncle Bazzy was prevailed upon to give him a tour of the building, from the class and common rooms to the dorms themselves, the latter thanks to Thad. Afterwards, Peter surprised his family by announcing that he thought that it would be really good to go to a school like Dalton when he was older.

"I like living with daddy and Isabelle, but you made so many good friends when you were here, Uncle Bazzy, and I would like to make friends like them too. It would be hard being away from home, but Mr Thad would be here to look after me… Do you think that daddy would let me come here one day?"

"I don't honestly know; he loves you so very much, and he likes to have you close to home after all that has happened, but I guess that it wouldn't do any harm to ask him…" replied Sebastian, thinking of two things as he did so; firstly, how on earth he was going to break this news to Julian, and secondly, was there any way that the concessions on school fees that he and his fellow Warblers had been given in the aftermath of the scandal could apply to nephews. Still, the one consolation for now was that Peter was barely 10 years old, and so there was still time before he would be able to come here…

The wedding reception was held in the refectory at Dalton, the room dressed up to the nines and looking like a salon in a grand hotel. The food was divine, based on the traditional fare for Christmas dinner, as Mercedes had wanted people to have the food that they would have been enjoying at home had they not been at the wedding. A few people did say that Nick's turkey was better, which just made the young man in question laugh loudly, before he turned round to his husband and suggested loudly that they should go away somewhere for Christmas next year, in a deliberate attempt to avoid ending up with a houseful of people next year.

After the meal was finished, there was a surprise for the bride and groom, one which Thad and Mrs Carmichael had worked on, and it left everyone speechless. He had not been given much time to work on it, but Nick had prepared the wedding cake, which was quite simply a three tier vision of sugarcraft. The base of the cake was one of the Christmas cakes he had actually already prepared well in advance, as he was supposed to do; the other two layers were a chocolate fudge cake, and a lemon sponge. It seemed almost a travesty to slice into it, but after Artie had been prevailed upon to photograph it from every possible angle, the knife was wielded, and soon everyone was tucking in. The pastor was later heard to say that it was the best wedding cake he had ever tasted, and that was a sentiment on which all of them agreed. All in all, the wedding was a resounding success.


	93. Maternity and Matrimony

**Maternity and Matrimony.**

The week between Christmas and New Year was a quiet one for most of those that had attended the event at Dalton. Much focus was made though on the website of _Vogue_ on the 27th, when Isabelle's article appeared on line as an exclusive, much to the annoyance of the other gossip and celebrity sites. Mercedes' dress had looked magnificent in person, but the photos that had been taken in the aftermath made it look even better, capturing the detailed stitching, the pearls sewn in as part of the pattern, and the cut, which flattered the singer. She had said at the time that she felt like a princess whilst she was wearing it, and comparisons were being made to the dresses worn by other famous women over the years. Isabelle had carefully stated that it had been inspired by the KEH Collection, not actually created by the man himself for his best friend. The big shock in the article for them all was the disclosure that David would be singing with her on not one, but two tracks on her new album, this being news even to Thad.

Whereas the Christmas wedding was attended by everyone, the one that followed it on New Year's Eve was a much quieter affair, although it was every bit as significant to the group of friends. Thad found himself in the role of best man once again, but this time it was for his brother. The rest of the Harwood family had been invited to attend the ceremony, but the response from all of them was as expected by the two brothers; their siblings all responded that they would be far too busy with work to attend. As for their parents, the invitation was returned with a note attached, stating that they believed Michelle was not a good match for their son, and that unless he was prepared to reconsider and marry someone more suitable, for example a fellow medical professional, there was no way they could support his marriage.

In contrast, Michelle's parents were now fully behind the couple, and they were so happy to find that a lot of traditional elements from their own background were being incorporated into the ceremony by the couple. Michelle had chosen Santana and Tina as her bridesmaids, and had been instructed to forget all about work for a few hours. The running of the Spotlight during the ceremony itself had been entrusted to the longest serving staff, with Elliott's phone switched on in case of dire emergency only; the reception was being held at the diner, but all the partners were in agreement that Michelle would not be permitted behind the counter for the duration of the event. After the wedding, the newlyweds would be heading to Boston to spend a few days with Michelle's parents, in lieu of a honeymoon, as it was difficult for Ollie to get long off work at this time of year. The whole thing went off without accident, and all agreed that Thad's second best man speech in a week was every bit as good as the first, and had achieved the correct balance between humour and sincerity. The smiles that he saw around the room afterwards were all the thanks that he needed.

The plan was to carry on with the reception until the New Year came, celebrating the start of 2019 together, but in the end, one couple made their excuses and left earlier than planned. Jeff had volunteered to work the early shift the following day, and there had naturally been no protests from any of his colleagues. That did not, of course, mean that Nick had to leave with him, but he had decided to in any case, which was what they had all expected. It was no great hardship for either of them; they had found that now they were getting older, the big party to celebrate the start of another year seemed less important. It was nice just to stroll across town together, hand in hand, back to the relative quiet of their home in the West Village, where all the houses on their side of the street were empty just now, save for one cat.

Caleb was asleep, naturally, but did wake up when he heard the sound of the front door opening. However, he was like his humans, and getting older. His tummy was full, and when he heard familiar voices, he settled back to sleep, not stirring as they entered the kitchen. Nick smiled at the sleeping cat, then with a quick kiss to his husband's cheek, he went to make a start on hot chocolate for them both. Jeff stopped him however; on turning round to face him, Nick saw that his eyes were sparkling, and he had a grin on his face, which meant one of two things; he was ready for a whole lot of snuggles, or he had something important and good that he had to tell him. Jeff did not speak however, merely pulling an envelope out of his pocket and handing it to him.

As Nick took it, he asked, "Okay, what is it, Jeffie? What have you done?"

"I haven't done anything! You on the other hand…" came the cryptic response.

Nick just shook his head, and opened the envelope. Inside there was only one thing; a picture. For a moment he started at it quizzically, wondering what it was, and then he realised. "Is this what I think it is?" he asked, in a voice barely above a whisper.

"If you are thinking that it's a 10 week scan picture of baby Sterling-Duval, the you're correct… It is really happening, Nicky! We will be dads come the summer…"

"Dads…we're really pregnant… But why didn't…"

"She tried to get you alone to tell you first, but it was just such a busy day, and there wasn't a moment when she could get to you without someone being too close by. As it was, that envelope was thrust at me in the passing without a single word, and it wasn't until later that I even realised what it contained. This is it though, Nicky; the next part of our story. We will need to start thinking about a nursery, and stuff like that; not right away, but by Easter at the latest we will need to get serious with our preparations…"

"It is just as well that Mike has moved out, because his room is the logical place," thought Nick out loud. Then he checked himself, and asked, "This isn't a dream, is it Jeffie? I'm not going to wake up in a minute? We really will be dads next year?"

"Really, Nicky. I will need to start reading up on child care… The thing is though that we have to keep this to ourselves a little longer, because it is still early, and much as I hate to say this, something could still go wrong. It shouldn't, but you never know…"

"It won't, I'm certain… There is just one sad thing about all of this, and that is that we are not with our friends for the last New Year's that we can actually celebrate for the next couple of decades," replied Nick.

"Oh, don't worry about that… I'm sure we can do some celebrating on our own tonight," came his response with a wink.

As midnight came, people's thoughts naturally turned to the events of the year, one which had brought with it a momentous amount of change. Events outside of their control had dictated a lot of that; Mother Nature had roared, and the world of men had been powerless in her hands. Success had also been celebrated, with people reaching their full potential; they numbered a major singing star and two Broadway leads amongst their number now. Weddings had altered lives, creating new families and bringing with them new responsibilities. Old mistakes had been admitted, and relationships were being refreshed; father and sons forgetting about the past, and starting over…

Even as the ball dropped in Times Square, new surprises were being delivered; a baby on the way, and a date circled on a calendar that was handed to Grace Duval, with the word _Wedding?_ written beside it, a suggestion that was met with approval. There were those too that had their plans for the year already laid out; a young woman that was already devising a way of hiding her swelling stomach from the world, so that she would not reveal her status as a surrogate until it was all over with, although she might consider making one exception to that rule. After all, she would need someone to come with her to all those classes… One thing was certain that night; as two young men lay sleeping in each other's arms, a photograph hidden away from prying eyes in a bedside table, most of them would be happy to leave 2018 behind, in the hope that the year to come, the last one of the decade, would be more favourable to them all.

The start of 2019 did come with one big change that none of them had anticipated. The newlyweds had returned from Boston refreshed and ready to start on life as a married couple, but the following day an urgent call came to Michelle; her mother had been involved in a serious car accident and was critically ill in hospital. she had left for her home town within an hour of getting the news. Those in New York had waited for news, and as none came, they all began to grow concerned about how serious it had to be. It fell to Ollie to come to the Spotlight to break the news that his mother-in-law was likely to be in hospital for some time, and that Michelle was concerned about how her father would cope in the meantime. Though it was hardly the best start to married life, he had agreed that she should stay with her family until such time as her mother had made a complete recovery. The following day, Michelle herself made a few calls to the partners, and they all agreed that in the circumstances, she could take a leave of absence. She was grateful to them, although she could not tell them how long it would actually be for; in fact, it could be for months.

As a result, Jeff agreed to work at the diner more or less full time to help out until she came back. The day to day management would be shared by Elliott and Dani, working in partnership to ensure that the high standards that they had all come to expect were maintained. Some were surprised that Jeff had agreed so readily to undertake the role, but he answered that it had made the most sense for him to step up; he was the one of them with the most free time, and it was only a temporary measure. Michelle would be back after all, and employing someone new, even on a short term basis, was silly when he was available. They had already taken on a night manager, so it wasn't as if he was covering that, and he would still see just as much of his husband, given the long hours that Nick had to work. His workload had been increasing, partly because he now had some practical experience, and partly because several of those that he had started with had quit already, unable to handle the pressures of the firm. Even Nick had moments when he wondered if he had chosen the right career, but most of the time he enjoyed it, particularly when he got a deserved victory for a client. It helped that in his own opinion, the big boss was not quite the ogre that some claimed, but then again, he avoided coming into contact with him as much as possible; after all, why put yourself into the line of fire if you could possibly avoid it?

The first few months of the year remained otherwise uneventful, with the mundane things of life taking up people's time. The exception was for Trent and Rory, who after the Democrats had shown well at the midterm elections, found themselves busy with campaigning to keep the momentum going. They also helped to forge links between Burt,some of his fellow congressmen, and the Parkland survivors. Arranging a meeting between Burt and David Hogg had been a masterstroke, and had been excellent publicity for all concerned, even after Sue invited herself to join them. The main subject that everyone did follow was the progress of the Warblers under Thad, as having already aced their sectionals, the moved on to regionals and blew all the competition out of the water again, Thad's decision to take a more soulful direction through utilising voices of a lower register being justified in full. As Nationals approached, everyone awaited that event, being held in New York this time round, to see if he could be the first to take the Warblers to successive wins in the competition.

That would come at the end of April; at the start, an announcement was finally made by two of their number about their forthcoming happy event. Their surrogate's pregnancy had now made it past the halfway stage, and so they decided it was safe to tell everyone that they had a child on the way. They had agreed that they did not wish to know the sex of the baby before it arrived, happy whether it was a son or a daughter they would have. The first people that they informed were family, of course. Nick asked Grace and Cooper round for dinner one evening, and after the main course had been eaten, he produced the latest ultrasound picture, and placed it in front of them. In a heartbeat, Grace was on her feet and hugging her brother, desperate to know when she was going to be an aunt; meanwhile Cooper had taken Jeff by the hand and had shaken it so long that Jeff's arm ached, but he still smiled broadly. They were both then sworn to secrecy until after the parents were told, a task that was less simple to do. They managed to take a weekend off work and headed for Ohio, with Jeff asking Elspeth to come and join them, which made her curious. Having everyone in the one room made the announcement easy, and the general consensus was happiness for the two of them.

They decided that whilst they were in the state, that a visit to Dalton would be in order. They turned up on the Sunday afternoon, catching Thad as he was on his way to pay a quick visit to the Carmichaels. Nick went with him, whilst Jeff went in search of his cousin Dylan, having decided that he should find out at the same time, given that he was family. Once again the news was greeted with delight, with Mrs Carmichael promptly heading for her knitting needles, much to everyone's amusement. Dylan was delighted for his cousin, and felt privileged that he had been given such an early lead on the news. As for Thad, he could not have been more pleased for the two of them, although in his heart he felt a little tug of jealousy, as he had always wanted to be a father too, but now he had to settle for being a big brother figure to a ragtag group of boys. They agreed though that a group Skype would be the best way to inform the others, given how scattered they were, but with the caveat from Nick that those in the city should actually be there with them when they told the world.

That moment was scheduled for a Monday, and by a coincidence, Trent was actually in town, so was able to join Sebastian, Flint, Beats and Ethan in the West Village house for dinner. Luke was there too, alongside Duncan, and the youngest of them kept the chat going around the table. Mike arrived late, just as the main course was being served, as his rehearsal had overrun, but that was not an issue; he had made it before the scheduled Skype chat. The younger boys in the house next door were all at work, and so the chat had to be timed to perfection to coincide with their breaks. The moment they were all connected, Nick merely held the scan up to the camera, and after a few moments there were gasps of surprise, and warm words of congratulations. In the room, hugs were shared, and questions asked about three things; due date, sex, and who the surrogate was. They remained enigmatic on those points, apart from one; baby Sterling-Duval was due to arrive in July, giving them all three months to get sorted with gifts…

The former New Directions were also pleased for the couple, even if they were the last to find out about it. Nick and Jeff were popular, and they all understood why they had kept quiet about it until now. Even in the city of New York, in a more enlightened age, there were still some that disapproved of the idea of two men raising a child. On going public, they discovered to their horror that one such person was Nick's boss. The latter knew that the firm had a paternal leave policy, and so he had made an application. Two days later he was summoned to the boss' office, and asked all about his wife; on saying he had a husband, the atmosphere became very frosty, and although Mr Vallent could not block his application, he made it quite plain that he felt that it was wrong, and that if he could do so, he would get Nick the time off by firing him. Nick left the office shaken, but he resolved not to worry Jeff with the information; he did confide in Grace, who was just as horrified, but also fully aware that there was nothing that could be done. There was no complaints process to go through in the firm. All Nick could do was keep his head down, all the time trying to get a transfer to another department, or a new job outside the firm…

April 2019 got off to a good start, but for one resident of the West Village, the start of that month just meant a reason to get nervous. After their engagement was finally announced at Christmas, Flint and Izzy had made an appointment to speak to the rabbi, and had set a date for their wedding at the end of May. It happened to be the Sunday after graduation day at Dalton, and thus when the date was announced, all of the former Warblers had a moment when they paused for thought. If it had been up to them, they would have suggested more of a gap between the two events, but they all guessed, correctly as it happened, that the date chosen was the only one available for some time. It was still a surprise to them all when Flint announced that he still intended to make the usual trip back to Ohio, particularly to Beats, who wondered how on earth he could fit all of it in, along with his own best man's duties.

When he asked this, Flint's response had made him smile. "It will all be about getting the timings right. Graduation is in the morning, as always, and I have already spoken to Thad; he has spoken to this year's Seniors, and they have agreed to moving the usual Warbler celebration to the Thursday night. On top of this, I spoke to David, who spoke to his beautiful wife, and we will have use of her private jet on the Friday afternoon, so we will all be able to head back to New York with no hassles immediately after the graduation ceremonials are over. True, it does mean that I will be obliged to suffer through Friday night dinner with my family, as will you in all likelihood as my best man, but it does give us most of Saturday to spend on catching up with any last minute stuff. I say most of Saturday, as my mom will expect me to attend temple in the morning. So I would suggest that we see the Thursday night party as my unofficial bachelor party, which gives you one less task to undertake. It will all work out just perfectly, trust me…"

Flint knew in his heart though that his wedding would be the biggest source of stress to him in the next few weeks. It had already been stressful; he had told his mother that he and Izzy had set a date back in January, but he didn't have the courage to tell her where it was going to be until the last day of March. Her reaction to the news that he wasn't coming back to Manhattan, Kansas to marry had been just as he had anticipated. He was quite surprised that she hadn't worked it all out for herself; it wasn't like her not to have tried to interfere in the plans, and if she had asked the rabbi about the ceremony in her own synagogue, she would have found out that he had not booked a wedding there. He had admitted it to his father right from the start, and he had been trying to help by dropping subtle hints. She had not taken them, ignoring his comments about how it would be necessary for them to travel to the other Manhattan for the wedding; in her eyes, she saw only the moment that she got to stand outside the synagogue next to her new daughter-in-law, after a lavish ceremony, proudly showing her off to the members of the ladies circle…

The news that such a moment would not be happening was greeted by Mrs Wilson with a stony silence. For a moment, Flint thought she had passed out, or even hung up, but then he heard the sound of tears. He steeled himself for the onslaught, and sure enough she began to beg him to reconsider his decision, for the sake of herself and his poor grandparents, who couldn't possibly travel such a long distance at their age, and be a good son that came home to marry. Ignoring the jibe, Flint informed her that he had already spoken to his grandparents, and they had flights booked and a hotel, and had no issue whatsoever with coming to New York. At that, he heard the click of the phone being hung up….

It would be two weeks before she deigned to talk to him again, and those two weeks of silence and tranquillity had been a blessing to her son, although he felt guilty about what his father had suffered, particularly when she had discovered that their own travel plans had been finalised back in January, and she had only just been told… As for Izzy's family, they had no problem with the event, and were quite happy at the thought of a synagogue marriage in New York, glad that they had resisted heading to the middle of the country just to placate one particular person. Flint knew that his mom would still try to interfere somehow, but he had another worry in the back of his mind; how his bird brothers would behave when they were at the temple…

There would be no problem with either of his closest friend's in the city, Beats and Ethan. The latter had become quite a regular attender at the synagogue too, even going so far as going twice on his own when Flint had been occupied elsewhere. He had no real religious convictions, and he had no intention of converting to Judaism, but that did not matter; he was made welcome, and he found in Rabbi Hirsch someone that he could talk to about the problems in his life. He had surprise himself on the first Saturday he had attended on his own by opening up to her about the whole situation with Drew, but the reaction of the good woman had been to listen to him, and then advise him in a practical way. She had no new solution to offer for the issue, of course, but she had seen abusive wives before now, and was not in favour of the way that the world ignored the fact that wives could be the abuser in the marriage too…

"Your friend is trying to do a good thing; to help his wife with her anger issues, and then shape her into a more compassionate human being. It concerns you, as indeed it should, that he will end up being badly hurt in the process. In my limited experience, she will do nothing that will draw attention to the fact that she is acting like this from the outside world. He still has to leave the house, and if he was badly hurt one time too many, someone would notice. I have a good friend that is a rabbi in a temple in Golders Green, London. His wife is a nurse in Britain's wonderful NHS, and they have a database for the entire country, on which all patient records are entered. If he attends hospital injured, the moment his name is entered, a whole history will come up, and if there is a long list of similar 'accidents', alarm bells will ring. Plus, before you ask, the only way that information can be removed is if the patient requests it personally; no member of staff can do so, particularly not a spouse. She would have had to identify him as her husband the day they married, and she is immediately locked out of his records for that very reason. She will be aware of all of this, and that is why she will not take it too far. In the end, he will either achieve his goal and succeed, or he will leave of his own volition. He is only human after all, and tolerance of such things will only last so long. In the meantime, all you can do is be strong and patient, and be ready to act the second that he requests your help. One other thing; don't bottle up your pain, talk to someone. My door is always open, whether you are a full member of the faith or a visitor…"

It was a great comfort to Ethan to have an extra person to talk to, one that was outside the mutual circle of friends. He knew then that he would keep on going to the services even after the wedding, just for the companionship that it brought. He might not believe in religion, but he did believe in friendship, and that was on offer to him at that place.

Beats had also paid a few visits to the temple, and had quickly accepted all the protocols of the place. The first time had felt a little odd, particularly getting used to the yarmulke on his head, but once things got started, it wasn't quite as strange as he had feared at first. He had been invited to meet the rabbi one on one for a discussion of his duties, and that had left him concerned; then he had realised that what he had to do in the synagogue was no different to what he would have done in a church or courthouse. He just had to be there to support Flint, and if he had to learn a few prayers so that he looked the part, that was no problem.

In Ohio, Thad had also taken the bull by the horns as they day grew closer, and had accompanied the few students at Dalton that actually attended the local synagogue when they went one Saturday. He had asked their permission to join them, explaining the reason why, and they had been delighted to have a chance to show Mr Harwood how to behave in a temple. They had even gone so far as to introduce him to the rabbi after the service; he had then found time to explain all the traditions of the marriage ceremony to the younger man. Thad had thanked him, as he now had the information that he required for the quick talk he was intending to give to the others before the big day, hopefully with the support of the groom to be. He had scheduled it for the day before graduation, when they would all be at Dalton, planning it as a compulsory activity before the party. He would also make it very plain to them all that as Head Warbler, he would have no truck whatsoever with any behaviour that caused embarrassment to Flint, or brought the reputation of Dalton Academy into disrepute. It wasn't the reaction of the rabbi to such behaviour that worried him in all of this; it was much more how Mrs Wilson would react…

The wedding was scheduled to arrive not long after some upheaval to the living arrangements of some of those in the city. April 2019 saw the arrival of the moment that all of those living in Bushwick had been dreading for a while; the 'L' Train service finally stopped for the tunnel repairs, and would be out of action for a scheduled 15 months. To those affected, it did not matter how much the city said that it would spend on new bus lines, increased services on other subway routes, or even new ferries connecting with the part of the 'L' still running in Brooklyn. It was going to be all but impossible to live there and travel into Manhattan every day without delay, stress, and the risk of going postal - or in one case, all Lima Heights.

A crisis meeting had been held by the four living in the loft, and they had all agreed that much as they loved the neighbourhood, it was just not practical to live there during the closure; but at the same time, selling up, even if they wanted to, was not a good option either, as property prices were depressed by the event too. They decided therefore that the best option was to look for a good, reliable tenant, on a short term lease, which would mean they could live elsewhere for the closure period without leaving the place empty, but then return when all was back in order. They were lucky almost at once when they mentioned their plans; Ollie Harwood had a college friend that had just accepted a place at The Brooklyn Hospital Center; it was for a year at first, and he needed a place that he and his young family could move into in May. It was a match made in heaven for all concerned, and a deal was quickly struck between the two parties.

Of course, finding someone to move into the Bushwick loft was only half of the battle for the four that lived there; they also needed to find somewhere new to live themselves. In the end, they could have expected that their friends would help them out the moment that they knew. After Sebastian and Dave had moved over to Maplewood, Cooper had decided to wait a while before he rented out the basement again. He had initially considered asking Mason and Roderick if they would like to move downstairs, but when he broached the subject tentatively, both young men had been lukewarm to the idea. That was actually a relief to both Cooper and Grace, as they did not want them to move out either. The two young men were like family to them now, and the idea of the house without them did make them cold. Sam was aware of this fact, and had decided to be bold and ask the obvious question; after all, there was no harm in asking. Although the prospect of having Rachel Berry in the building was a daunting one to Cooper, the idea of having Sam, who he still saw as his 'little brother' living downstairs was enough to sell the idea.

As for Brittany and Santana, the moment that they announced they would be looking for a temporary home in the city, Jeff had stepped up. A deal was done, and the two of them moved into the upper part of the empty house next door to Nick and Jeff's own place in the West Village. As Jeff had put it, it was the least that he could do for them in the circumstances, and it was handy for their places of work; it was also simple enough for Santana to be able to get through to Brooklyn to the theatre groups she worked with. They made the big move on the last week of the 'L' Train service. They might have moved though, but the closure of the 'L' still had an effect. Although it was still running in Brooklyn, its tunnels under 14th Street fell silent, and the traffic in the area grew. The new bus services were good, but they were nowhere near as convenient a way to cross Manhattan; in fact, it was quicker to walk to the Spotlight now. Still, it was a small price to pay, and as always, they just had to knuckle down and deal with it…


	94. The Jewish Wedding Part I

**The Jewish Wedding Part I**

Before the wedding there was another reason for those in New York to make time to assemble, that being the years Nationals in show choir. For the former New Directions the event was tinged with some regret, as once again their former group had failed to make it to the finals, but they all turned out none the less to cheer on the Warblers, who had come to the city determined to defend their title. To say that Thad was a bundle of nerves would have been an understatement, but with the championship being held in New York, he had plenty of back up. The key he had found to success was in ensuring that the boys in his charge were relaxed and in a good frame of mind. Sebastian had helped out by getting them all tickets to see _Book of Mormon_ the night before, and seeing a former Warbler up there in the lead was a great confidence booster; that and the fact that the alumni had once performed the show together here. Thad had eventually relented to the requests of the boys and belted out once more the sustained note that he had sung in the opening number in Sebastian's dressing room after the show, which had made his boys cheer, and the current actor playing the part ask if Thad was free the following night to take over.

He wasn't of course, his time being taken up with the first round of the competition. He had changed things up again, and having used his countertenor the year before, and soulful numbers all through the run up to the big event, he returned to the Top 40, and caught all of the competition off guard in the process. Their performance shone out as different amongst all the soul sounds that everyone else had chosen, anticipating that the Warblers would go on with them. As a result, it was no shock to anyone that they made it through to the second day of the competition. That began as it had the year before with a secret rehearsal session, this time in the round room at NYADA, with none other than Carmen Tibideaux in attendance, flanked by Santana. They watched and listened, and made some suggestions for minor changes which worked well. Then it was on to lunch at the Spotlight, where Nick and Jeff performed a comic duet for them, which made them all laugh. Lunch over, it was on to the finals…

In the audience this time were virtually every former Warbler in the New York area, along with Trent, David and Cameron. They applauded politely as the other groups performed, all blissfully unaware of what Thad had chosen for the performance. Santana knew, but had just smiled at them all when they saw her at the diner, which was highly annoying, and even a little worrying. When the boys came on, they were all shocked. In a move which would be described by all of the show choir blogs as revolutionary, the Warblers performed with music for all but one number. No one had anticipated that the famous acappela choir would do that. Those sat in the audience were shocked to say the least, if not a little betrayed by the fact, but those two accompanied performances were magnificent, and had the audience on their feet in the aftermath. Thad could only hope that he would not come to regret the curveball he had thrown, and that the judges would look on the new twist with kindness…

When the Warblers returned to the Spotlight that Sunday evening, it was to cheers and carrying the winner's trophy. For the first time in history, the Warblers had retained the title, and as the head judge had said, it was all down to surprising them with the out of the box accompanied singing. Even though they had been victorious, Thad had still dreaded the moment that his fellow alumni had appeared backstage afterwards, worried about how they would respond to his decision to abandon years of tradition for music. He need not have bothered, as they were just too pleased at the win, and as David would later say to him, the ends had more than justified the means, and there had still been one number in the traditional manner. For some in the current group, it was their second and final win, as they would graduate next month, taking happy memories into their future. It would also cement the funding of the Warblers firmly at Dalton, with the new trophy being placed on display in the cabinet the next day to the cheers of the school, at a victory ceremony which saw Thad lifted up by his boys and carried around protesting…

May was finally upon them after that, and with it came new levels of stress for the groom-to-be. Flint had been forced to ask his boss at work to change his extension number, and then ask the other staff not to redirect any calls to it after his mother called no less than 17 times in the space of five hours one day to ask just a quick question about some aspect of the ceremony. After a further two days, her number had been added on a temporary basis to the company's blacklist and all calls from her were blocked. Flint's cellphone was also left on charge in the house, with a new temporary number given to all those that needed to know it for urgent and important contact. Ethan reported that whilst he was at home one lunchtime, Flint's normal phone had rang and buzzed almost continually as Mrs Wilson tried to contact her son, and when he did not answer, she left a string of messages as she attempted to intervene on everything from the food to the outfits…

The reception was to be held in the Prince George Ballroom; it had all the style and grandeur that Mrs Wilson could possibly want, but it was owned and operated by a not for profit charity, so it appealed to the social conscience of both bride and groom. Flint had sent his mother photos of the venue - every area of the venue, even getting Izzy to take photos of the powder room - and had waited criticism, but it appeared that they had actually managed to get something right…

Inevitably, the moment came when he had to tell his mother the full name of the rabbi that would be conducting the ceremony. He had toyed with just telling her the surname, but had realised she would immediately start to research, so it was a bit like a band aid; it was quicker just to get it over with. There was an immediate silence on the other end of the line, deafening in its intensity. Then he heard his mother take a deep breath, which he knew of old as a warning sign that a rant was coming. Before she could even begin to vent on the fact that he had chosen a woman to officiate at his wedding, something in Flint snapped from the strain.

"Don't even start, Mom! I love you, but if you dare to criticise Rabbi Hirsch, then I will uninvited you to the ceremony, and it will only be you I uninvite. Izzy and I could have chosen to get married by some random government official on a beach on an island in the Caribbean; we could have eloped and invited nobody to witness the ceremony; we could be getting married far more economically in City Hall. But instead we chose to get married at a temple, not because it was important to either of us, but to try and make you happy. I'm glad that we made that choice now, because it has helped me see that temple isn't as bad as I recall. Just maybe mom my faith has become an important part of my life again, and that is down to that good woman. If you want to see me marry then you need to stop nitpicking and criticising right now, and accept that this day is for and about me and Izzy. It is our day, and if we want to get married with the congragtion all dressed as Oompa Loompas, whilst we are Shrek and Princess Fiona, then we will do that, and you will like it! I want you there to see me get married, but in danger of sounding like a cliché, enough already!"

"I take it that she is an older woman? Not some young blonde thing that doesn't know her rituals and traditions?" came the terse response to his outburst.

"Yes, mom, she knows her traditions, and she will bring almost all of them into the ceremony, but she will also give us the wedding day that we want."

"Well, I suppose that I can live with that. It's just that I don't know her, and I want the best for you and Isadora, and I'm so used to the way our rabbi…"

"I understand that mom. Look, we will be attending temple as a family the day before the wedding, and I have already asked her to make time to have a talk with you so that you can get to know her a little - and she suggests that the best way for her to do that would be to invite both sets of parents to join her for lunch."

"She's invited us for lunch… Well that is certainly something that our rabbi would never do. Very well, tell her we will have lunch with her. At least if I have spoken to her beforehand I will feel better."

Ten minutes later Ethan arrived back from work, to find Flint sitting sprawled out on the sofa, his eyes shut, the blinds drawn, and his phone discarded at his side. "How is your mom?" he asked at once, which made Flint laugh out loud.

"She's her usual self. I just told her that Rabbi Hirsch is a woman; it went better than I expected, after I had a mini blow up at her. She also agreed to accept her invitation to lunch on the day before the wedding…" Ethan nodded, whilst thinking that the rabbi was a very brave woman and would be worthy of nomination for a peace prize in the aftermath…

Of course, behind Flint's back, Ethan was very busy. He had been tasked by Thad to ensure that some kind of instruction into the etiquette of the synagogue was given to all of those that lived in the city. Getting them all together in the one place at the same time was a herculean task in itself given their work, and in the end he had to give up on the plan and deal with the majority of them on the Sunday, whilst doing a one on one catch up with Sebastian on the Monday. There was as expected the usual hilarity when a group of former Dalton boys were gathered in the one place, particularly the first time that they all donned a yarmulke. It fitted neatly to most of them, particularly Nick whose hair was still cut in a preppy style, but far less successfully on the hair of his more bohemian husband. It was agreed that the only solution would be for Jeff to use pomade on his hair for the wedding, as well as tying it back; Jeff accepted this on the condition that it was only for the actual ceremony; at the reception, he would be returning it to its usual style. Ethan accepted that, knowing that it would look like a gesture of enormous respect to Mrs Wilson, and such things would make her pleased, and thus would make life for Flint a little simpler.

All of them were in agreement that such things should be their primary goal, and to that end, they all sat in silence as Ethan played a film he had obtained from Rabbi Hirsch, which showed the marriage ceremony from start to finish. "Now, as far as I am aware, Flint's service will not be exactly like that, but it won't be that far off," Flint advised as the conclusion came. "All of the main elements of the ceremony where shown there, and thankfully there needs to be very little participation by us other than a few responses to the various prayers…"

"I'm sorry, are you saying that we don't get to sing something? That doesn't seem right," Jeff blurted out. "Music is what brought us all together; it is our link to Flint and an important part of all of our lives. Couldn't we sing something during the ceremony?"

There was a murmur of agreement, and Ethan was thrown for a moment. "I'm not sure if that would be possible; if we were to do it, we would also have to be really careful not to offend anyone with the lyrics…"

"What if we found a traditional song, and sung that?" suggested Skylar. "I know that most of them will be in Hebrew, of course, but we could all learn the words and tune of one song surely? On top of that, his mom would love it…"

"She would, Ethan," Nick added. "Could you maybe sound the rabbi out on that? Not Flint, so it would be a surprise to him. The rabbi could help us out with the pronunciation and stuff…"

Ethan would later that night relay the entire subsequent discussion on the pros and cons of such a move to Thad, and to his surprise, found that the Head Warbler thought the idea was worthy of investigation. So it was that Ethan found himself having a quiet chat with Rabbi Hirsch the following night, to ask what she felt about it, and what they could sing. She had a number of suggestions, thinking that the idea was very fitting, and gave him a website address where he could find not only song titles, but recordings and sheet music. He thanked her, but as he hastened back to the West Village to meet with Sebastian, he shuddered at the idea that there was more than one choice, as that meant another lively meeting about which one they should choose…

In no time, the big day was more or less upon them. Izzy had sat her finals, and had arranged to have the whole weekend off, including the Friday and Monday on either side; both of them had agreed that a honeymoon could wait until later in the year. As Flint had already headed to Dalton on the Thursday for what some in his close circle of friends lamented would be one of the dullest bachelor parties in history ever, and then the graduation day ceremonies on the Friday morning, it fell to Izzy to go to the airport to meet all the members of his extended family that had accepted their invite to attend. She was pleased to see Leo was first, helping his grandmother, followed immediately by his mother and sister; then his grandfather, with his uncle, aunt and cousins, then finally Flint's parents and his paternal grandmother. She had met the latter lady only one before, and she had immediately fallen in love with her, given that she took every opportunity she got to ridicule the stereotypical attitudes of her daughter-in-law. Flint had admitted that he loved her for that too, and saw more than a little of Santana's style in her; he was looking forward to introducing them to each other…

On seeing Izzy, the old lady immediately took her as a companion, for which the bride to be was grateful, as it freed her from the clutches of Mrs Wilson. As it was nearly lunchtime, they headed into town to drop off bags at the hotel that they would all be staying in, Flint having booked a superior room for his mother naturally, then went out for lunch. Flint's grandmothers both recalled hearing about the Spotlight, and Leo went on to wax lyrical about how good it was, and so they headed there, Izzy warning Elliott who was on duty that they were en route, so that he could ensure that the full kosher menu was available. Once there, Mrs Wilson engaged Elliott in conversation as the others took seats. As they did so, Izzy got a text from Flint to say that their flight home was just about to take off, and he should be back in plenty of time for dinner. That meal was one for the two families, along with Beats as best man and Ethan as the assistant groomsman. After that, their would be a trip to see _Book of Mormon_ , so that the whole family could see the show for which Flint won a share in a Tony…

The meal of the week as far as Mrs Wilson was concerned was Friday Night Dinner. Izzy's father had offered to pay for the meal, and so it was that the two families came together in one of the better restaurants near Times Square to eat a traditional meal in a private room. The fact that they were eating in a room of their own was seriously impressive to Flint's mom, as had been the fact that as they walked in she had glimpsed several celebrity faces; thankfully they had managed between them to stop her rushing over for autographs, and embarrassing them and the others in her party….

The conversation over dinner was dominated by one topic naturally; the wedding, although that did not mean that either Beats or Ethan escaped a grilling from Mrs Wilson. The former talked openly and happily about his relationship with Elliott, and his work with the MTA; when he mentioned how short they were of engineers, and how they were about to launch a recruitment programme to get more young people on board, train them up through a combination of work and college studies, and then give them a permanent job afterwards, Leo's ears pricked up. He was enjoying his course in the college back in that other Manhattan, but it did not come with a job at the end, nor did it exist in somewhere exciting… He resolved there and then to talk to Beats privately some time during the weekend. He had enjoyed his visit to the city before, and he knew that if there was a chance of a well paid job with prospects for him, his mom would understand why he wished to come and live somewhere so far from home. Little did he know that at that same moment, his mother knew exactly what he was thinking, and although she would miss him, he would have family in the city. New York did not seem a very bad option for her son's future….

Ethan was grilled just as hard, and impressed all of those there with what he had to say about the ethical standpoint of his employers. In fact, Mr Bernstein was so impressed that he decided that he would be wise to sit down and talk with him at some point about his own investments; the young man seemed very sincere and wise beyond his years. Ethan did however decline Mrs Wilson's suggestion that she could ask around at the temple tomorrow to find out if anyone had a suitable daughter for him to marry, by pointing out that as he already attended regularly, he knew what answer she would receive. He was very glad to escape from the room, and relived he was not going on to the show…

The following morning would bring the first of many surprises for Flint. He had left earlier than usual for temple, as he had to head uptown first and collect his family, to guide them to the synagogue. Fortunately his mom had already seen photographs of the exterior and was not expecting a grand old synagogue, and as for the rest of the family, they did not care. What he did not expect to discover as he walked in was that Beats and Ethan were not alone in their usual spot; Thad and David were there, and he might have expected that; but the presence of Nick, Jeff, Sebastian and Puck was not anticipated, particularly the attendance of the latter. He hadn't even known if he would be able to get leave to attend the wedding the last time they had spoken.

Introductions had to be made of course, and the fact that so many of her son's non-Jewish friends had given up their Saturday morning to attend made a big impression on her; Puck in his uniform made an even bigger one, particularly as he had just been given a promotion. His presence was a relief to Flint too, as it meant that there were now three people there that knew the script, so to speak. The service passed off without incident, and Rabbi Hirsch left a lasting impression on all of them in a positive way; no-one felt unwelcome, or that their presence was unwanted. She invited all of them to join her for lunch, but Flint's fellow Warblers and Puck politely declined; Sebastian after all had a show to perform, Nick had paperwork to go through for Monday, and Jeff had a drawing that he needed to finish. As for Puck, he had to go and meet Artie, and had invited Thad and David to join him. After that, he would be heading to Penn Station to meet Quinn.

The lunch was a much simpler affair than dinner the night before, and began with Mrs Wilson asking the good rabbi one quick fire question after another, all of which the older woman handled with aplomb. Before the starter was finished, Mrs Wilson was happy and satisfied, and could not imagine anyone else being good enough to conduct her son's wedding ceremony. Indeed, she pondered asking if the rabbi had ever considered moving to Kansas, not that she said it in the end. But it was worthy of consideration; after all, her own rabbi in that other Manhattan was getting old…

As she was talking, Leo took advantage of all the attention being focused elsewhere to ask Beats about the jobs; he just smiled, and pulled a pile of forms out of his pocket. "Your mom had a word with Flint last night to ask him to ask me if I had any details about the scheme; like most moms, she is psychic. Admittedly, she also said that it was strange to finally meet me dressed…" Leo stared for a moment, then had top stifle a laugh as he recalled that the only other time his mom had ever seen Beats was when he and Flint had been stripping in that gay bar in Princeton…

After lunch, the group split up; the ladies were off on a sightseeing and shopping trip, and Izzy had found herself agreeing to go along with far fewer qualms than she might have done, given that she had her mom for company, and had managed to call her two best friends from high school, who would be her bridesmaids the following day, to come and join them. They would act as a buffer between her and the worst that her future mother-in-law could throw at her, but she had an inking that the other female members of Flint's extended family had her back too. The majority of the men were off on a trip of their own, but Flint had been excused by his father from joining them, given that he had been through quiet enough family times in the last 24 hours, and what he really needed now was some quality time alone with his best man. Ethan had agreed to go along with the majority, and act as a guide, and so it was that Flint found himself alone with his best friend.

"Elliott isn't expecting me back until late, so for the rest of today we are back to being Fleats; two best buds that are hanging out together one final day before marriage separates us all the more - and before you argue with me, it will. You will be moving into your marital home in the Upper East Side next week, with the new Mrs Wilson, and although it isn't hundreds of miles away, you won't be just down the stairs anymore," said Beats sadly.

"I'll still be down in the West Village a lot though; when Izzy is on duty at the weekend, you and Ethan will be my first port of call…" Flint paused and then sighed as he realised his friend was right. "I will miss you being so close, Beats. You and I have been through a lot together and supported each other through the worst that life could throw at us. We've done stuff together that I could never once have pictured myself doing, like going off to Antarctica…"

"And stripping in a gay bar," interjected Beats, which made Flint chuckle.

"I would do that again in the blink of an eye if you needed me to. It was the most exciting and daring thing I have ever done. I knew that if my mom ever found out she would explode, and that thought made it all the more thrilling!"

"Plus it was kind of how you met your bride-to-be," joked Beats, "Of course, the Preppy Boy brand is still going strong, and will do so given that Callum and Alan have recruited their replacements - but we can talk about that with them tomorrow at the service."

"I just hope that they remember to tell my mom that they were Warblers if she asks them how they know me; I don't think she could cope with the concept of their being strippers in the synagogue."

"Apart from you, me and the legendary White Chocolate?" asked Beats, and Flint once more laughed out loud as he realised with a start that there would be five former strippers in the temple the following day…

They debated for a while what they should do with their last afternoon of relative freedom for a while. They considered going to a bar and just nursing a beer or twelve, going to get matching tattoos (which they decided they would actually do, but not before consulting Elliott and Izzy first), or even catching a train to Princeton, heading to the bar, and giving one last performance on stage. They ruled that out as they quite simply did not have the right clothes anymore, and no-one wanted to see them fall flat on their faces as they tried to get their shoes off.

So in the end they just headed back to the West Village, grabbed themselves an ample supply of chips and cookies, and watched trashy television side by side on the sofa, as they often had on the quieter days in Princeton. It was a lot like old times; those happy carefree days of their freshman year, when the world had seemed simple and safe, at least until that disquieting news had begun to emerge from Dalton… They ordered takeout food eventually, and apart from answering the door to collect it, did not move from the couch. That was where Ethan found them when he arrived home just after 9pm, curled up together making comments about the action in the sports that were now on screen. A part of him was tempted to just leave them to it, but he knew that he had to be a responsible adult, and remind them that somebody was getting married in the morning, and that they needed to get a good night's sleep. After all, tomorrow was the biggest day in Flint's life so far, and although he personally had no intention of ever following in his friend's footsteps, he could appreciate why it mattered so much. There was also Mrs Wilson to consider - and it was the mention of her name that had Beats reluctantly admit that bro time had to be over, and he had to act like a grown up again too, at least until the weekend was over…

Once he had retreated upstairs, after a long hug on the doorstep, it was Ethan's turn to sit at Flint's side, a sad smile on his face. It was also of course the last night that he and Flint would be roommates; as of tomorrow, he would be living here alone. He could manage that now, having built on his reserves of strength which had been left sadly depleted when Drew vanished from his life. He had made plans to redecorate the place and change the furniture; he needed to make the place his own, and Jeff had no issue with that when he approached him and asked.

He would also get round to dealing with another issue that he had been putting off for some time, more than usual in the last fortnight. He now had quite a stack of letters hidden in his room, all of them with the frank of MacKenzie Inc. on them. He had known that the day would come when his parents would reach out to him, and bring him into the firm. The problem was that he wasn't ready yet, and to be honest, he didn't know if he ever would be…


	95. The Jewish Wedding Part II

**The Jewish Wedding Part II**

Flint woke up early on Sunday morning, but he made no immediate attempt to get out of bed. Instead he chose to just lie there for the last time as a single man in his bed in the West Village, contemplating the end of his bachelor days. It was a prospect that would have filled many young men in his position with dread, but he was looking forward to it. He had been going out with Izzy for a long time now, and he was more than ready to spend the rest of his life waking up next to her, being in her company and in the fullness of time, starting a family. He could picture himself growing old with her, but at the same time he could picture Beats growing old with them too, and Ethan for that matter. He wondered if he would still be making that annual trip to Dalton in fifty years time, with all of his friends around him, and possibly even to witness the day that Thad, by then the Principal, finally retired. After the death of so many of his friends though, he had come to realise that there was no certainty in the future, at least here on earth. He knew that he did have one in heaven, as long as he kept his nose clean, and avoided the temptation of matricide…

That thought was the one that finally propelled him out of bed; his mother wasn't supposed to be coming round that morning, arrangements having been made for her to meet him at the synagogue, but his father could do only so much to control her, and any self-respecting yellow cab driver in New York knew better than to disobey a domineering Jewish mother when they demanded to be taken immediately to their son's home… He walked out of his room into the hallway heading to the kitchen, but something made him pause outside the door; he could hear someone in there already, engaged by the sound of it in the preparation of food. Then he heard a door open down the hall, and spun round to see Ethan standing in the doorway of his room. That gave him cause for thought; if he was there, then who was in the kitchen? A hungry burglar, or worse, his mother…

Flint decided to risk it, and flung the kitchen door open to reveal Elliott and Beats. "Oh, shoot!" cried the latter. "I was going to bring you breakfast in bed."

"Whilst that was a kind sentiment guys, you do realise that I thought we had a robbery in progress?" said Flint testily.

"I told him to tell you he would be coming," said Elliott, shaking his head. "I knew that you would have forgotten that you had given him an emergency key, and that in any case this was not an emergency…"

"My number one duty as best man is to ensure that the groom has everything that he needs to guarantee that his wedding day runs smoothly, and that in my opinion includes a good breakfast. You, my dear Elliott, make far better blueberry pancakes than me…"

"True. Mine are edible, and not burnt black."

"And burning pancakes create smoke, which triggers smoke alarms, which is an emergency, and thus I was justified in using the key," said Beats with a cheeky grin. Elliott shook his head again, but then kissed him on the cheek anyway.

"Right, so after than explanation which was very much in Brittany's style," remarked Ethan as he eased his way into the room past a silent Flint, "dare I hope that there will be pancakes enough for the other main groomsman?"

"There should be, given that we also have fresh bagels with smoked salmon and cream cheese; croissants and pain au chocolat; the usual cereals and toast, and a box of Flint's favourite cookies, prepared for me by Nick," said Beats.

"That is a very substantial breakfast, but I have to admit that it sounds good," replied Flint, now smiling at his best friend.

"Excellent! So the pancakes are hot, so sit down and eat. Once we've finished breakfast, we can start on the other important business of the day; getting you groomed so that you wow the world on your wedding day," said Beats, before he walked over and guided Flint into a seat.

It turned out that Beats had organised another surprise for Flint's big day; shortly after breakfast was finished there was a knock at the door, and he rushed to answer it. He had arranged for one of the best barbers in Manhattan to come and trim Flint's hair, and give him a proper, old-fashioned shave. It was a little touch of pampering, and totally justified given that the bride would have a hairdresser in attendance. In the end the barber trimmed Beats' and Ethan's hair too, although both declined a shave given that time was getting on. Then Flint was sent to take a bath before he got dressed in his wedding suit. That done, he allowed his two friends to help with the little finishing touches, before Ethan headed off to the synagogue with Elliott, but not before he bid a farewell to his roomie for the final time…

It was just Beats and Flint in the back of the wedding car, which made its way as swiftly as it could through the streets to its destination. As they were about to pull up outside the synagogue, Beats turned to his friend and said, "Well, this is it. If you want to back out now, then we can stay in the car and just disappear for a while. Elliott would totally get it; he would understand that it was part of the best man's duties to help the groom to flee…"

"Touched as I am by the sentiment, I don't want to run. Izzy is everything that I could ever have wished for in a wife; and also, my mother would hunt us both down and probably kill us if I backed out now." Beats shuddered at the thought, which made Flint laugh. With that laughter still ringing, they left the car, and headed inside to await the arrival of the bride.

On entering, Flint took in the scene. The temple was already filling up, his Warbler friends all seated behind his family, all of them wearing their yarmulkes correctly, and he smiled at the thought that Thad had probably lined them all up for an inspection before he had allowed them to enter the synagogue. No doubt their shoes would all be shining and their ties perfectly tied and straight too. It would be their old Dalton ties that they would be wearing, naturally, just as he was; the debate over the subject had raged online for hours. He glanced over to the other side where Izzy's family sat, with the bulk of the New Directions and one of his fellow Warblers. Trent after all had to sit with his husband, and he had to sit next to his brother, who was married to the sister of the bride…

There was also one exception amongst the New Directions, who was sitting next to David and looking a million dollars; the presence of a bona fide music star was a talking point already. Flint then noticed that Julian, Isabelle and Peter had come; they were unsure if they would be able to attend, as Peter still had days when he was wary of strangers; but as he sat next to Mercedes he appeared to be in his element, chatting away to her quietly, and unconcerned about the yarmulke on his own head. The presence of a _Vogue_ editor at her son's wedding would also please his mother no end, ranking higher in her opinion than the several Broadway stars that were present already…

Behind him the door opened again, and he turned round to see who it was; he was left standing open mouthed for a moment from what he saw. He had invited the Carmichaels of course - every Warbler wedding of his generation so far had seen them present - but he could not recall sending an invitation to Bette Midler. He was suddenly aware of Sebastian standing at his side. "My apologies for not warning you. Dave had to go and play at the last moment, and sends his apologies; I therefore decided to recruit an alternative plus one, and Auntie Bette was free… I hope that it won't be an issue?" As Sebastian hurried to greet his guest properly, Flint suddenly heard a squeal of excitement from the front of the congregation; he did not need to turn round to know that the noise had come from his mother…

He knew that the time had come for him to head down to the front, and after a pause he followed the new arrivals. It was only then that he saw that his mother had bought a hat, and that every eye in the place was upon it. Izzy's mom was wearing a hat too; it was small, plain and unobtrusive. His own mother's hat was huge, over decorated, and in no way, shape or form co-ordinated with the rest of her ensemble. He winced as he heard a snort from Beats at his side, knowing all too well what it meant; his friend was trying to suppress a laugh. Turning back he saw that Thad was glaring at his band of Warblers, all of whom were trying not to look at it…

He fixed a smile on his face, then headed to his spot to greet his parents warmly, before he told a blatant lie… "You look wonderful mom! That hat is… eye-catching and unique…"

He then aimed a discrete kick at his best man as he heard him mumble "You can say that again…"

Fortunately his mother was too busy straightening his tie and adjusting his buttonhole to have heard any of what Beats had said, but his father had, and he rolled his eyes in simple agreement. Any more discussion was avoided by the arrival of Rabbi Hirsch, who informed him that the bridal car had just arrived, and he should take his place at the front to await his bride. He turned back to his mother, who had a handkerchief out and looked as if she had been about to spit on it to use it to wipe a mark off his face. He shuddered a little, but then it was put away, and instead she pulled him in for a kiss on the cheek. That turned out to be quite awkward due to the brim of her hat, and afterwards he had to turn to Beats and ask him to tidy his hair. This done, they made their way to the designated spot. Flint stood there, his best friend at his side, and as the music began which indicated that Izzy had walked in, he closed his eyes, facing the front. When he opened them again it was to see Beats in his line of vision, smiling broadly and giving him a thumbs up. Moments later, he saw why his friend had acted that way. Somehow Izzy now looked even more beautiful than usual…

The ceremony itself seemed to take no time, and Rabbi Hirsch beamed as she announced that Flint and Isadora were now husband and wife… Flint knew what that meant he had to do, and so he kissed her as was the rule in these situations. As he did so, he heard Beats hum a note… Suddenly the temple rang to the sound of familiar voices raised in song, but not a song he had ever heard them sing before. He almost began to cry as he realised that his bird brothers, those most loyal of friends, had learnt the _Hava Nagila_ for him, and though he had heard it often before, it had never sounded more right than it did now in perfectly pitched al cappella. He turned round to face his friends, and saw the smiles on every face in the congregation, particularly the one on his mom's face. Then it was over, and he had to resist the urge to applaud…

The remainder of the ceremony was a blur. The only thing that mattered to him now was his new wife; having one made him feel awfully grown up all of a sudden. With all of the formalities out of the way, it was time to submit to his mother's need for a few hundred photographs of the newlyweds with the certificate and the families. Beats happily moved aside to allow this to happen, and tried not to laugh again as they all tried to fit around that hat…

He found that Elliott had come to stand at his side, and turning to him, he whispered, "Whilst I am over the moon for Flint, seeing all of this marriage malarkey makes me so glad that we have no intention of following in their footsteps."

Elliott nodded, and replied, "Definitely. I mean if we did happen to change our minds some day, we would go for something much more simple…"

Beats looked at him, then swiftly responded, "Yeah. Just a few friends at City Hall, if we ever do change our minds…"

With the ceremony after, Thad could afford to relax a little. The Warblers had all behaved themselves impeccably, and none of them had laughed at Mrs Wilson's hat too much, awful as it was. They had all exhibited quiet dignity and respect, and their singing had been a big hit with the congregation. That last quick run through in the hall behind the temple, with Puck present as a judge had paid off; he was able to stop them and tell them that they were pronouncing one of the words wrong. Now all he had to do was marshal them all together for the walk to the reception venue fifteen blocks to the north. It wasn't all that far, and given the traffic in Manhattan, even on a Sunday, it would be much quicker. He just had to ensure that on the walk up to 27th Street no-one got distracted or wandered off. They might all be adults now; even the youngest of them all, Colin, was 21 now, but when they got together in a group it was as if they communally regressed…

During the service, he had left a space at the end of the row next to him for Wes to sit in, and he had loved the fact that his boyfriend had been able to sit at his side during the ceremony; he was still jealous though of the fact that Flint could marry the love of his life and he couldn't, not in this lifetime at least. As that thought had crossed his mind, he had felt Wes place a comforting hand on his arm, and he knew that he was thinking the same thing… Wes remained at his side now as he lead the crocodile of people northwards, followed by the New Directions alumni; Artie and Kitty were not amongst them, as it was just more practical for them to take a cab. Mrs Wilson had managed to find space for Bette to join her in one of the wedding cars, although Sebastian had been left to walk with the other Warblers, with Flint's cousin Leo at his side; he after all was the 'space' that Mrs Wilson had found in the car. Leo did not mind that one bit; as he said to them all, it was Ms Midler that would now be getting grilled by Flint's mom, not him…

As Thad had surmised, walking meant that they all arrived at the Prince George Ballroom before anyone else, and were the first people to be shown to the room where they would celebrate that day's nuptials. Nick and Jeff noted on entering the room that it would have suited the theme of their wedding day to a tee, but it had not been available at the time. What had once been a semi-derelict building had been lovingly restored and was now a work of art, looking just as it had to have done when it was opened in the city's gilded age.

The other guests began to arrive slowly; when Bette walked in, looking pale, Sebastian handed her a drink, which she downed in one. "That bad?" he asked with concern.

"Next time I will walk. I nearly jumped out to walk twice as it was, and we were not stationary in the traffic the second time," she admitted.

"I apologise on Flint's behalf for his mom," said Sebastian.

"Not a problem, although if she is like that all of the time, it is a congressional medal for valour that young man deserves, not a part share in a Tony," Bette replied. She stopped as Mrs Wilson walked past, and they both smiled at her, still trying hard to ignore that hat… Then Sebastian guided Bette across the room to introduce her to two starstruck young men, knowing that it would tickle her no end when he told her what Callum and Alan had done to support themselves through college…

The eventual arrival of the happy couple meant that they could all take their places at a table to enjoy the meal, which was a mixture of traditional fare and modern cuisine designed to keep everyone happy. There was plenty of it too, which impressed them all. Both Luke and Duncan, and Colin and Edward were heard to discreetly ask about the cost of a wedding reception in the venue, although neither young couple was ready to marry just yet. The meal over, it was time for the moment that Beats had been dreading; his speech. He stood up, called for order, and then he began…

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I first met the groom on an August day nearly a decade ago when I was assigned to the same dorm room as him at Dalton Academy. Thankfully we hit it off, and we have been pretty much inseparable ever since. Izzy is of course fully aware of this fact, and that is also why the card of thanks to her parents is from their two new son-in-laws…" He got a laugh at that, which made him feel better, and so he carried on with more confidence. "Not everyone has always seen me as a good influence on Flint, and I have to admit that he has been through a few unconventional experiences thanks to me, but through one of them he did make an impression on the lovely Isadora; so in a way, all that we are celebrating today is thanks to me… I'll take your thanks personally later on. Anyway, no-one really wants to hear me speak, nor do you want to know half of the embarrassing things that Flint has done - though if anyone does, see me afterwards for details. Just now, we have celebrating to get on with. So I would like you all to join with me in raising a toast to the newlyweds, Izzy and Flint!"

As around the room glasses were raised, Beats breathed a sigh of relief that the speech was over; Flint meanwhile was just happy to be married and so very, very in love…

As the reception continued, everyone was glad that everything had gone without a hitch, and more importantly, that no-one had said anything to upset the mother of the groom, which given the way that she often acted was nothing short of a miracle. Of course, the fact that she was oblivious to much of what was going on behind the scenes was a great help in achieving that. She had greeted Callum and Alan happily as old friends of Flint's from Dalton; if she had known that they were the second set of Preppy Boys, she could either have collapsed in horror, or thrown them out into the street. She had chatted happily to Nick and Jeff, but had she known that they were expecting their child any day now, she might have had quite a bit to say on the subject, and most of it would have been negative. Had she known that the grand ballroom that she was now presiding over - and everyone had agreed to allow her to do that - had been in use as a homeless shelter for women and children in the 1980s, then she would have reached for the hand sanitiser, and doubtless would have left all of the delicious food on offer untouched as if it was tainted by the buildings past.

Of course, the fact that Sebastian had brought a bona fide big name Broadway star to the event made her happy, and had she had her way, she would have been included in every single photo taken that day. The first dance, which could also have been another flashpoint, passed off without complaint after Flint and Izzy decided to just go with tradition; they danced to a tune that was part of the whole heritage of these events, using steps that their great-grandparents might have done. That first dance was however their sole concession to the needs of Mrs Wilson, and after that they moved to a selection of their favourite contemporary music, some of it performed live by the Warblers, or the New Directions. Mercedes sang of course, and when Bette also agreed to sing for them, Mrs Wilson had almost exploded with delight, and demanded her husband filmed the moment on her phone as she stood in the shot. Then she would get one of the young people to forward the proof to every member of the Ladies Circle back in Kansas…

As the night went on and the dancing continued, two young men found themselves sat together in a quiet corner, watching as Thad danced with Flint's mother. "He is either very brave, or extremely reckless to agree to that," Beats mused, which made Ethan smile. Beats was now on his own, as Elliott had headed to the Spotlight, to allow Dani to make an appearance to congratulate the happy couple. "I certainly wouldn't be waltzing with her, not even for Flint," he continued. "Look, she is bending his ear off even as I speak, no doubt asking him if he has someone special, and whether he would like her help to find a nice girl or boy…"

"Why on earth would she do that?" asked Ethan confused.

"Well, given how well rehearsed he was for the service, and how he knew it all back to front, Flint told me she now thinks he is Jewish, and as a result, she now feels she should contact the good women of the synagogues in the vicinity of Dalton so that she can find him someone to share his life with…"

Ethan let out a loud guffaw at that notion before he could stop himself, which earned him a reproachful look from Thad as he danced past. "I take it then that she is unaware of his commitment to Wes? He has my sympathy, but I am sure Thad will find a way out… Changing the subject, Flint and Izzy look very happy…"

Beats smiled wistfully and said, "Yeah, they do, but it is going to feel strange tonight going home and knowing that he isn't in the apartment downstairs, or just along a hallway. Look, I want you to know that you are welcome to come up and pay us a visit anytime when you are feeling alone. I mean it is going to be hard for me to adapt, but I guess it will be harder for you…"

Ethan smiled, then replied, "Actually, it might not be quite as bad as I thought it could be, thanks to you, ironically. Flint's cousin Leo is now set on applying for one of the engineering apprenticeships at the MTA, and if he gets one, which he seems to think is more or less a certainty, given what he has heard of the calibre of the applicants so far from you, then he will need a place to stay, and Flint did hint that in the short term he could move in with me. It makes sense, as he knows the West Village and the neighbours from his visit, and it is better than the other option, which would be that he lived with the newlyweds…"

"Anything would be preferable to living with two newlyweds - no offence intended…"

"None taken; I can imagine that they will be at it like bunnies… So, I won't be on my own in the apartment for long by the looks of it, but honestly, I'm no longer dreading the solitude. I will have to get used to living on my own one day, and so why not now?"

"True," responded Beats, "but the offer still stands."

"And vice versa; after all, what is the point in being someone's friend if you aren't going to be there to look out for them?"

The reception carried on into the early hours, with the bride and groom at the centre of the celebrations. They would still be taking a trip to Venice in the early fall; Izzy had agreed with Flint after seeing the photos that Nick and Jeff had sent back that it was the only place they could possibly think of going. She had however suggested that they should visit a few other places in Europe whilst they were there; as a result, Berlin, Paris and London had been added to their itinerary. If they happened to bump into Drew whilst they were in the latter, Flint knew it would be wonderful, but he was sensible enough to realise that the chances of bumping into an Oxford based man in the capital city was small, particularly in the limited time frame. Eventually though the happy couple decided that it was time to call it a night, and once that announcement had been made, that other great tradition of weddings was on the cards; the throwing of the bridal bouquet. To the surprise of most people there, Tina did not rush to join the throng; when she was asked why, she stated that she was quite happy to wait until Mike was ready, and in any case, she did not want to be next…

"So, when did the body snatchers get her?" Santana asked in a voice that carried just a little too much when she was told…

There was still a quite considerable group of people that did gather for the moment and in the spirit of equality for all, a fair spattering of young men joined the throng, which made Mrs Wilson's head turn just a little… The flowers were thrown, but with a little too much of an upward arc, and thus they sailed right over the top of the waiting crowd, to land with a thump in Cooper's lap. Amid much laughter, he blushed, looking very flustered, then handed them over to Grace, who just laughed and shook her head. "Well, CJ, it looks as if the fates have decided that we should come clean, and I'm sure that if we do, it will be a relief to Nick, Jeff and the boys too…"

Cooper nodded, then said, "Yeah, anyway, so we wanted as quiet an affair as possible, but Grace and I will be getting married at City Hall at the end of July, and you are all invited to join us there for the ceremony…"

As the congratulations rang out around the room, both Jeff and Mason did look as if the weight of the world had been lifted off their shoulders. Meanwhile Sam sat quietly, trying to look as if it was news to him too; he had of course accepted the job of best man weeks ago, but he had been told not to tell Rachel; now he had to look surprised, or she would never forgive him for not telling her…

With the date of another wedding in their diaries, the party spilt up, people making their way home with a smile in their hearts for the newlyweds; they were heading to a grand hotel for the wedding night, before heading to their new home together on the Upper East Side the following day. This would be the first time that they had shared a bed with each other, having taken the old-fashioned approach to wait for marriage first. Tonight therefore would be one of discovery, and one they had both looked forward to for some time, with hope and a little trepidation…

Ethan made his way home to the West Village in a cab with Beats, Nick and Jeff. The latter two were their usual chatty selves, but the other two sat in contemplation. It was all now very real, and although they had both known it was coming and had accepted the facts, it was hard. Flint had been such a very big part of both of their lives, and now…

"He will still be around you know, on a weekly basis at the very least," observed Nick out of nowhere. "He loves you both so much as friends, and he will still need you in his life; after all, he will eventually need babysitters, and who fits the bill better than the two of you?"

As Jeff snorted, Beats and Ethan looked at each other, then burst out laughing. What Nick had just said had a ring of truth about it, and of course, there were another pair not a million miles away who might one day soon be calling on their services.

It was still strange though for Ethan when he stepped into the hallway of his apartment knowing that it was just his place now… He walked into the kitchen, and he spotted it almost at once; a card and a framed photo propped up by the coffee machine. As he looked at the photo of himself sitting between Izzy and Flint, he opened the card and read a message in Flint's neat script. _'Always my brother; never alone. Call anytime you need, and we'll be there. Thanks for everything, Flint.'_ Like David before him in a room in L.A., Flint felt the heaviness in his heart lift a little. It was good to know he still had friends…


	96. One Niff and a Baby Part I

**One Niff and a Baby Part I**

With the wedding over, life became quiet again, although now they all knew that there would be another ceremony in just a few weeks. Flint had said farewell to his family the day after the wedding, although he was pretty sure his cousin Leo would be back in the fall to stay, and that his mom would be on the phone almost daily as before; the difference now would be that she would be asking if there was a grandchild on the way yet. He expected the first call with that question to come in August, just in case he had been lucky on his first attempt. Married life was on the whole good, although he missed his short commute to work from the West Village; the Lexington Avenue subway line was much, much busier… He knew that he would be nagging Beats very soon as to why the Second Avenue line wasn't built yet. He had returned to work on the Tuesday, and ignored the more crude comments made by some of his colleagues, apart from reminding them all who his father-in-law was… As Izzy was on late shift that week, he headed to the Spotlight after work for dinner, where he was joined by Ethan and Beats. As they sat there and discussed their days, to the outsider it looked as if nothing had changed, apart from the gold band on Flint's finger. That was how all three of them wanted it to be…

Whilst Flint and Izzy were merely at the planning stage for their trip to Europe, one of his bird brothers had already packed their bags in preparation for their first transatlantic foray. As a reward to himself for winning Nationals again, Thad had decided that he deserved a proper holiday, and his choice of destination was quite obvious. He had talked to Sebastian, and he had been only too pleased to make the necessary calls; thus Thad would be spending a week in Paris in the company of François. As he had never been out of the United States before, it was all new to him, and French had never been his strong point at Dalton. Kurt had tried to help him out by giving him some one on one brush up lessons, but he had made limited progress, and he would just have to try and muddle through; after all, if need be he could use one of the translation apps that was installed on his phone. He knew what he wanted to see; the inevitable list of all of the tourist traps - but he was also keen to see some of the hidden parts of the city, and François had promised to help there.

Of course, he would not be heading to Europe alone, but no-one else would be able to see the person that would be at his side pretty much every hour of the day whilst he was away. He, Wes and David had all talked back in the day at Dalton about their hopes to one day see something of Europe, and for him and Wes, the French capital had always been high on the list, a place where they could immerse themselves in the culture, art and architecture of one of the greatest cities in the world. It would of course be a bittersweet trip for them now; it was a city that was synonymous with romance. Even if they were prevented from showing the love that they felt for each other by the conventions of the angel/mortal relationship, at least they would be with each other, and that was enough. They would see the historic buildings and the great artworks side by side, and if a hand happened to slip into another, then that was perfectly okay, and would be fairly unobvious to the casual observer.

The photos that Thad posted on Facebook whilst he was away might only have shown him, but all of his closest friends knew that Wes was there at his side, enjoying the trip every bit as much and taking in all that they could see. Wes also found himself meeting some French angels, and he conversed with them as best as he could with his own limited knowledge of their language. Thad could see them too, naturally, and he marvelled at just how many of them there were in the city, mixing with the crowds with no problem whatsoever. He was not in the least surprised to find them in clusters around Notre Dame and the Sacré-Cœur, having always thought that churches would be the natural gathering point for angels. He was more shocked however on the night that François took him to the Marais and walked him past the infamous bar of Sebastian's youthful indiscretions to find a crowd of angels gathered around the entrance. Wes later explained it to him, having spoken to one of those outside in halting French; they were the guardian angels of those inside; they had to watch over them, but obviously not in such an establishment. They therefore waited outside for their charges to emerge, and then they could resume their duties once more.

By the end of his week in Paris, Thad had fallen just a little in love with the city, and the whole way of life; it was more relaxed and open, and he could have sat for hours at one of the pavement cafés on the Left Bank, listening to the students debating the issues of the age, just as they had done for decades. The fact that the young people back home had begun to do the same sort of thing in their schools the year before, and had become more vocal had filled him with a kind of hope for the future of his own country; something he had not known for a few years. He hoped that 2020 might bring with it a change at the White House; for that, the powerful sentiments of that young generation would have to be translated into a willingness to get to the ballot box and vote; in so doing, he hoped they would create a real change in the society that they inhabited.

Thad arrived back in Ohio on the first day of July, and on switching his phone back on when he got to the airport in Columbus he received a piece of news that made him smile. It was a message from Mike Chang, who reported that Nick and Jeff had left their house in a tearing hurry at around 4am; he knew this as Jeff had called him and asked him to go and feed Caleb. They were on their way to the hospital that their surrogate had just been admitted to in the first stages of labour… The news was still fresh in his mind as he arrived back at Dalton. The Carmichaels had appeared almost the moment that his cab drew up outside his apartment door, both to welcome him back home, and to ask if he had heard the news from the West Village.

"Yes, I had a message from Mike appear the minute I switched my phone back on. I can just picture the two of them, running around in a flap. Jeff will be overexcited and a little hyper, whereas Nick will be stressed that he has forgotten something critical in his preparations."

"I still can't believe that two of the boys of your generation are going to be fathers," said Edith, shaking her head. "It seems like only yesterday that you were only just freshmen…"

Thad had to agree on that; he had to reflect on the even bigger irony that it was two of the younger members of his particular group that were about to experience the joys of being a parent…

It had taken Nick a few moments that morning to realise that his phone was ringing. Normally he turned it off at night, not wanting some telemarketer or robot dialler to disturb his sleep, but for the last few weeks it had lived on his bedside table, with the volume turned up to the maximum, and the vibrate function on. It still took his brain a lot of time to process what was happening and to answer it. When he heard the voice telling him that she was a nurse at the maternity department at the hospital, and that their surrogate had just been admitted as she was in labour, he was alert in seconds. He thanked her, whilst starting to shake Jeff violently at the same time; he had no choice but to be harsh as his husband was a very deep sleeper. The look of hurt and indignation that he was rewarded with evaporated in moments however when he repeated the words he had just been told. Jeff was almost at once out of the bed, throwing on clothes and getting ready to head to the hospital - and then he noticed that Nick hadn't moved an inch…

"I'm going to be a dad… We're so young Jeffie! What if we aren't ready? What if we get it wrong? What if…"

Nick was cut off as his husband firmly placed his hand over his mouth. "Yes, my love, we are young, but we might never be any more ready than we are now. Yes, we will make mistakes, just like every other parent in the history of the world ever, but we will have the benefit of all the help and advice in the world from our parents and our friends. Yes, it is scary; I am so frightened by all of this, but it is done now. We can't send it back now, saying we've changed our minds…"

Nick took a deep breath, and when his husband removed his hand, he replied, "I love it when you are the sensible one, Jeffie. I really do not know how I would manage without you."

"Muddle through, as I would without you, but together, we can achieve anything that we set our minds to. In Niff there is strength…"

"Right now I need to get out of bed, and then we need to go to the hospital. We have to be there to welcome our child into the world." Nick got out of bed, and began to dress quickly. As he did, he looked at his husband and started to laugh; then he pointed out that Jeff had put his shirt on back to front - and inside out…

As New York was a city that never slept, they managed to find a cab almost immediately to take them to the hospital. Once there, they eventually managed to find the delivery suites, but only after they had detoured via the Burns Department, having misread a sign in their hurry. As they doubled back, Nick had chided himself internally for not having come here before now to find things; a good expectant father would have done. As they walked up to the reception, the young woman at the desk looked at them warily for a moment, then realised who they had to be.

"I am surmising that you are the Sterling-Duvals? Your surrogate and her birthing partner are in Room 3/6; they found that allocation amusing for some reason…" She paused at the two young men in front of her just stared at each other, then grinned. "In any case, your child is on the way; the room is just down that corridor if you wish to go and join them."

As she pointed along the corridor, they all suddenly heard a string of expletives being uttered in an all too familiar voice. These were then followed by another list of words in another language that neither Nick or Jeff understood that well…

"Do we have to go in, Nicky? I mean, you are the biological dad, so maybe you should, but I might just stay outside and out of the way," said Jeff, the colour draining from his cheeks.

"I think I might too, as it happens," said Nick quietly, half to Jeff and half to the receptionist. "After all, she does have someone in there with her, and as you say, I would just get in the way."

The receptionist smiled, and replied "Don't worry, it isn't compulsory for fathers to be in the room. I would take it though that you want them to know you are here?" As the two young men nodded in unison, she shook her head, then called the nurse in the room, so that she could inform the mother-to-be that the fathers had arrived…

They were still sitting in the corridor outside Room 3/6 several hours later, their ears still assailed every so often by screams of pain that would make Jeff jump, and cause Nick to lose his train of thought for a good few seconds. This was an issue as he had been forced to bring his work laptop with him, and was currently working his way through the usual amount of E-mails and reports. His employer did not believe in the idea of paternity leave, and had barely been able to hide his distaste at the very idea of Nick and his husband having a child at all. Nick knew therefore that he would never agree to the idea of him taking time off for the birth without booking it in advance. Even the fact that he was working in the hospital corridor would earn him no brownie points, as he had missed the sacrosanct Monday meeting. He would just deal with whatever fallout came along though; the birth of his child was more important than anything else right now. As for Jeff, he had brought a sketch pad and was drawing little doodles just to keep his mind busy and his hands occupied; the longer things were going on the more tense he was becoming.

Eventually, after a bout of squealing that had Nick lose all the colour from his face and made Jeff so tense he snapped his pencil in two, there was a brief silence, and then that most wonderful of sounds; the noise of a child crying for the first time as it emerged into the real world…

The affect that one sound had on them was a strange one; both of them froze initially, then turned to each other to see if they really had heard it. Then Jeff broke into a broad smile, and whispered, "You're a dad, Nicky. You have a child…"

Nick was still trying to process the enormity of the reality of the situation, but he was still able to reply swiftly, "No, Jeffie, we are dads; both of us. I might be the father, but both of us are their dad. Like everything that we do in life, we will be doing all that happens from now on together. The sleepless nights, the dirty diapers, the worry…"

Jeff didn't lose his smile at all as Nick spoke, even thought the prospect of having to change diapers was not one that filled him with unmitigated joy. As far as he was concerned, what had just happened was better than almost everything in his life so far. All of the good times so far paled into insignificance compared to this. At his side, Nick was excited too, but it was tempered with a healthy amount of fear. He worried of course that he might not cut it as a parent; that in his desperation to be nothing like his father, he would be unable to exercise any kind of control over his child, giving in to them all the time. Then there was the possibility that his work would keep him away from home all the time, and as a result he might not develop the crucial bonds, leaving him distant from his own flesh and blood… Then he realised that such thoughts were irrational; he would not allow it to happen, and in any case, he had Jeff at his side, and a better partner in the business of bringing up a child he could not wish to have.

At that moment the door to Room 3/6 opened, and a nurse emerged; she looked at them and smiled, but said nothing, walking past them to go and clean up and prepare herself for the next patient. "Shouldn't she have spoken to us, Nicky? You don't think there is something wrong with our child, or that she doesn't approve of what we have done, or…"

"I'm sure that isn't the case, Jeffie. She will just have other people to look after, and in any case, she won't have been the only nurse in the room…" replied Nick, trying his best to hide his own concern…

"You can come in now; everyone is decent, and there is no danger of you seeing lady parts and fainting…" came a voice. Nick switched his laptop into sleep mode, then popped it away in its case, before he stood up, and with his husband's hand firmly in his own, stepped into the room as they embarked on the next stage of their journey. The walk into that room seemed a lengthy one, but what they saw inside made their hearts fill with warmth. Before them was their newborn child, a mother, two nurses, who looked as if they were about to step out, and one tired looking birthing partner.

"Well, that was an experience that has made me think twice about ever having a child of my own. If the pressure that was being placed on my hand was related to the pain she was experiencing in giving birth, then I want to be knocked out cold for the whole process," said Santana, albeit with a smile on her face. "You guys owe me big time by the way; godmother at the very least, and a regular supply of cookies for my own personal consumption. Anyway, my work here is done, so I am heading home to catch up on some sleep. I will not say anything to anyone, at least for the next 24 hours. Oh, and just in case you are interested, you have the most adorable son."

On hearing that last word, both Nick and Jeff smiled broadly. Although they would both have been perfectly content to welcome a daughter into their home, both had been secretly hoping for a son, and not just because they knew more about being a boy… Jeff held back for a moment as Nick stepped over to where his son lay, so small and yet from the moment that his father saw him, the most perfect child in the world ever. He had the mix of characteristics that they had been expecting; Nick's hair, thick and luxuriant even now, and a tiny nose that was shaped a lot like his father's own. It was however from his mother that his eyes came, along with the tone of his skin. Nick felt tears begin to well up in his eyes as Jeff finally moved over to stand by him, and wrapped an arm around him.

"He is perfect; we could not have wished for any better," whispered Jeff. "Of course there was never any doubt that he would be, given who his parents are…"

Santana laughed in the background as Nick turned his eyes to their surrogate and spoke. "That is of course largely down to his wonderful mother, without whom none of this would even have been possible. At least now we can end all of the subterfuge and get things in our worlds back to normal."

"Yes, it will be a relief to get back home, although once Santana saw me over in Brooklyn, she became a regular link to all of you. Of course, my husband was around too, but now he will be relieved that he can stop lying to his little brother…"

"We owe you so, so much for doing this, Michelle," said Nick, turning once again to look at his son, lying asleep in a crib by her bed; a boy that would be loved by all of them, at least in part because of his blood line…

At that moment the nurse that had until then been dealing with paperwork appeared at Nick's side. "Now, Mr Sterling-Duval, I think that it is time for you to take a seat, and then we can introduce you properly to your son. It is important that we establish the bonds between father and child as early as possible, so if you would just take a seat on that chair over there, we can make a start. Your husband can take the chair next to it of course…"

Nick was nervous, but the moment had to happen, and it was better that it did here in the safety of the hospital rather than later at home. Jeff seemed a lot less stressed he noticed; what he did not know was that his husband had been taking every chance he got to hold babies; no baby had come into the Spotlight Diner over the last two months without an eager Jeff running over and asking the mother or father if he could hold them; once he explained why, they usually decided that he was a sweet, endearing soul, and not a crazy man about to snatch their child away.

For him therefore this was a piece of cake; for Nick, it was frightening. He worried that he might do something wrong and hurt his son; worse still, what if he actually dropped him at this early stage. He was a bundle of nerves, but Jeff saw this immediately, and as the nurse busied herself at the crib, he leant over and whispered to his husband "It will all be fine Nicky; there is so little to it really. Just remember first and foremost to support his head, and just be gentle."

Nick nodded, and then arranged his arms in the position that Jeff was now demonstrating to him. The approaching nurse couldn't help but laugh, before she gently laid the little boy in his father's arms. Nick froze at first, but then, when there was no outbreak of howling and screaming, and no horrible thud, he relaxed. Looking down, he saw that his son was awake, and staring back up at him were a pair of tiny brown eyes, and that was all it took for him to melt. His heart swelled with pride at the thought that he had helped to create this precious new life that was now cradled in his arms… "Hello, son. I'm your dad, which means that you and I are kind of stuck with each other. The blond guy at my side who is staring at you with a goofy smile is my husband, your other dad…"

"Your papa, actually," interrupted Jeff.

Nick smiled as by the door, Santana found herself chuckling at just how endearingly sweet all of it was… "Yeah," he continued, "he is your papa. So I am not promising that this is going to be an easy ride for any of us; there are still so many people out there who think that we shouldn't be allowed to have you. We will get things wrong as we raise you, and as you get older, we will doubtless disagree on stuff. But I promise you this here and now; your papa and I will never stop loving you. You're our son, and we are so happy that you are here…"

It was about half an hour later that Jeff got round to sending out the message to everyone in their friendship group. He had already called Grace, Nick's mom and grandparents, his mom and dad, and Elspeth. He had also called his cousin Luke directly; as he was the closest member of family he had in the city, he felt that he should hear the good news first hand. Only then did he send out the word to everyone else. He had asked Santana to keep two major facts quiet from everyone else for now, and she had agreed; strictly she wasn't supposed to even be there after all. Jeff's message was short and to the point. ' _Nicky and I are now proud parents. We have a perfect child, and just now, that's all we are saying! More to follow, and once we know exactly when we will be bringing them home, we will let you know._ '

Across the city and the country, phones buzzed and beeped, smiles greeting the news universally, but still leaving them all pondering the big unanswered question…

"Why did Jeff have to leave out such a crucial bit of information!" Sebastian moaned to Thad an hour later.

"Oh, I know! Do we have a new mini Dalton student or a new Crawford girl? Fortunately, he did say child, so that rules out the notion of it being twins or more, and I quickly stamped on the rumour that 'it' might be a hermaphrodite." Thad heard Sebastian chuckle at that idea on the other end of the call, but they both knew that they would be like all the others; in suspense until the moment that the baby arrived home. It was a given that they would both be there for that moment, and indeed Thad had begun to pack for a trip to New York the moment he had got back into his apartment. He also knew that David was doing the same in Boston, as where Mitch and Gabriel, and even Cameron had announced that he might head down when he knew the date…

There was also the other mystery; who on earth had the surrogate been? That was the last great unsolved dilemma of our times to some. None of the New Directions girls had shown any signs of pregnancy, and they all knew that it couldn't possibly be Grace. Trent had a suspicion that it was someone that they all knew all the same, as he pretty sure his two friends would never have considered using a total stranger. Their identity might well be revealed in a few days, when the entire flock gathered to coo over a baby. To his own shock, the person that was absolutely desperate to do so was Sebastian. When he had become the kind of guy that got gooey over babies he wasn't sure, but he wasn't as upset about that as he might have expected once upon a time. In fact, if he was being honest, he was starting to feel that he wanted to be a daddy himself quite soon…


	97. One Niff and a Baby Part II

**One Niff and a Baby Part II**

The first person that would arrive at the hospital to see the new arrival after his parents was the most obvious - Aunt Grace. She was Nick's only relative in the city at the moment, although she knew that everyone else was on the way. She also knew that Luke had been specifically told to wait until everyone had arrived before he came and greeted the newborn, as had she. Unlike Luke, she had decided to ignore Jeff's request as firstly she was desperate to see her brother's child, and secondly she was curious as to why her brother and his husband seemed so anxious to keep the sex of their child a secret. She had already purchased a teddy bear to give to the child, with a white ribbon tied round its neck; it was thus unisex and therefore ideal in the circumstances. Jeff had asked the reception desk not to let any visitors in, but she managed to get past the receptionist by telling a little white lie. She had pulled out her card, with the words 'Family Law' written below her name, and said that she had urgent paperwork that needed to be signed in connection with the surrogacy. If the receptionist spotted the name Duval she did not make the connection, and she quickly directed Grace to the relevant room.

Grace could barely stifle her giggles as she headed to Room 3/6, walking quietly up the corridor; on arriving, she knocked on the door and walked in without waiting for an answer. The first thing she did was stare at the person lying in the bed, but then she realised why they had chosen Michelle, and it made her smile. She was asleep, and so Grace turned her attention elsewhere. There was no sign of Jeff, just her brother holding an infant tenderly in his arms, and looking down on it with the kind of paternal pride you saw in Hallmark movies. She walked over and took a seat in the empty chair at his side, before pulling out the teddy bear.

"I told him there was no point in even attempting to stop you coming," said Nick quietly, his eyes never leaving the child in his arms. "He was going to speak to the staff anyway, but they're busy, and all you did to get past them was flash them your business card…"

"You know me too well, little brother…"

"Right, so I'm taking it that Uncle Coop isn't with you? Because I want all of this to stay a secret right now, even from mom. Her grandson is related to Wes Montgomery, and that makes us all so happy."

Grace, whose eyes had been focussed on the babe in her brother's arms replied, "A son…he is beautiful, Nick. I can see you in him, and Wes too for that matter. All I will say is this. If dad finds out, he will go mad; he wasn't happy about you being gay, and the fact you are now gay with a mixed race child will cause him to explode…"

"That actually makes me happy to think that; it would be an unintentional bonus to give him a heart attack or a stroke…"

"As for a name, well I'm guessing it might be…" Grace whispered in her brother's ear, and he nodded with a grin. She smiled too, and then glancing up, she saw that Michelle was now awake, and looking just as pleased. She was pretty sure that she wasn't going to be the only person that instantly fell in love with this new little boy too…

When Jeff returned with coffee and sandwiches for himself and Nick, he also had company with him. He had met Ollie Harwood in the corridor by the canteen, and he had needed no persuasion to come and pay a visit to his wife. On the threshold, Jeff paused and shook his head as he saw that Nick had relinquished his hold on their son, and that his Aunt Grace was now talking nonsense to him as he lay in her arms. As Ollie went over to Michelle, Nick got up from his seat and headed over to take his coffee from Jeff. "I told you that she'd get in," Nick said with a grin. "Look at it this way, it lets us eat together."

"I know, but I was quite looking forward to feeding you your sandwich," said a crestfallen Jeff.

"You still can if you want," said Nick with a wink, which made Jeff smile.

They ate their food, and then for the first time since he had made his appearance in the world, their son began to cry. Jeff was on his feet in a millisecond, and raced over to take his son from Grace. "Okay, come to papa… What's wrong, little man…" he began, and then he knew what was wrong…

"Okay, so time for the first diaper change," said Grace with a wicked grin, "which mean that it is time for doting aunts to say goodbye…" Michelle began to laugh at that, and at the fact that Nick was now desperately looking around for diapers, and finding none. She shook her head, and pressed the call button. Grace took her leave, but as she headed out, all she could think was that this was going to be the making of her little brother. Fatherhood appeared so natural to both him and Jeff, and a lot of that was down to the education they had received, and the love of their friends. Of course, it was just as natural to her to keep secrets like the one she would have to keep from Cooper that night…

It was late that night before Nick and Jeff arrived back home, to discover that they had just missed Mike; as their cab turned into the street, he was just heading through his own front door at the other end. As they walked into the house they both realised that this would be the last time it was just their own. As they stepped into the kitchen, they were immediately attacked by Caleb, who greeted them like long lost friends. As ever, he made an attempt to get fed again, but he quickly gave up. These two humans were smart cookies. What intrigued him more was the strange smell on their hands as they stroked him; a not unpleasant smell, and one that indicated a new human…

The last few hours at the hospital had been interesting. They had negotiated their first diaper change under the watchful eye of an impressed nurse, although they had both wondered how so much could come out of someone so small. The job done, they had been asked to step outside whilst the nurses and doctors carried out a series of routine checks on their boy, which was stressful. Nick had pulled his laptop back out, but he could not concentrate on his work, and instead had just stared into the screen. In the end, Jeff took it from him and put it away again. He had no sooner done so than the doctor emerged and gave them the good news; their son was perfect, and as there were no issues, they could take him home the following afternoon.

That information had prompted Jeff to send another text to all of their friends, and a series of rapid replies confirmed that they would all be in town by then, and in the case of Thad, he was actually en route, just waiting at the gate at the airport, with the promise of Flint's spare room to stay in. Jeff had called Mike, and asked if he would be free the following afternoon, and he had been only too pleased to say he was, making a note to cancel something the minute Jeff hung up. As a result, the Warblers amongst them were all told to assemble at Niff's home in the West Village for 3pm so they could greet the new arrival, and Mike had agreed to be there to let them all in. Now that they were home, they both agreed that they just wanted to head to bed and sleep; after all, quiet nights would soon be a thing of the past; not that they minded, as it meant so much to have a new life depending on them.

The next day saw people descend on the house in the West Village. The first to arrive were a veritable army of parents and grandparents; only half a dozen in total, but more than enough to send fear through the heart of any man. After an hour of praise and congratulations over coffee and cake, during which literally dozens of gifts were unwrapped, ranging from toys and baby clothes (hand knitted in the case of Elspeth and Nick's grandmother), through to a few small items for the two new fathers, they headed to the hospital, leaving Mike in charge of the house. He had a strict set of instructions as to what he was to do when the other Warblers began to arrive, down in fact to a seating plan of sorts. Having witnessed these gatherings before, Mike felt that he had little hope of achieving what Nick wanted unless he could enlist the help of Thad from the start; but then, even he might object to the fact that he was to be seated in a particular seat on the two seater sofa… Shaking his head, he went in search of Caleb, for a little loving; and for the cookie tins, as those were always a useful device for keeping wayward Warblers in check.

Meanwhile, as the party of eight arrived at the hospital it swelled to a party of eleven. Luke and Duncan had made their way to the hospital on their own, and were waiting for the others with Cooper; Grace might have been at work, but he wasn't, and he could not wait to meet his new, soon to be official, nephew. The nurse at the desk looked up as they all walked in, and did not look even a little pleased at the size of the party. She might have said something had Nick not walked straight up to the desk and presented her with a big box of homemade cookies, along with a cake, to express his thanks and gratitude to all the staff. With such sweet temptations in the way, she decided that she could for once turn a blind eye to the numbers present, and waved them through to Room 3/6.

Nick and Jeff went in first, to check that everything was ready, and then they were invited in. If anyone was shocked to see Michelle in the bed, then nobody said anything. Nick's grandmother was the first to head over and thank her personally for what she had done for the two boys, and that ice broken, they all began to chat quietly as they waited for the main event. It happened suddenly, Nick amongst them with his son in his arms, introducing them all. Faces lit up with delight as they all saw how lovely the baby was, and smiles broke out as they saw Jeff take his place at Nick's side, and immediately begin fussing just a bit over the little one's clothes. For the next half hour, a small bundle containing a precious cargo was passed from one new grandparent to another; between great-grandparents; to two second cousins and an overjoyed new uncle. Then a diaper needed changed, and despite the offers to help, they insisted that they carry out the task themselves. That drew them adoring looks from the women, and smiles from the older men; meanwhile, Cooper, Luke and Duncan watched the process, trying to commit each stage to memory for when they had to do it themselves…

After a round of checks, Nick and Jeff were given permission to take their boy home. The rest of the party allowed them to do so alone; Cooper had to head to the theatre and Luke and Duncan had to go to work. Michelle was being discharged at the same time, and as Ollie was working, she found that she would be doing so in the company of the new grandparents. That made her realise that strictly her own parents had just become grandparents too, but they would never be told; she would only ever be Aunt Michelle to the little boy, and she was content with that. She and Ollie had plenty of time to start a family of their own after all. He had a week's holiday due, and they were planning to head to Boston to see her parents; after all, she had not seen them face to face since she had begun to show… Now as she was heading home, being cosseted by those with her, she felt content and proud of everything. She was also pretty sure that her angelic cousin would be visiting the West Village just as soon as he could…

Back in that house, Mike had his hands full of Warblers. All of them were happy to be there, and enjoying each other's company, but they had begun to ask Mike questions that he simply did not have the answers to; he was just as much in the dark as they were. Those that had come in from out of town had been there the longest, but the text that was sent to say that they would be leaving the hospital within the hour had brought Beats, Ethan and Flint from their work, along with the younger boys from the house next door. Mike had shown Thad Nick's carefully written instructions, and although he had bridled a little, his curiosity was also peaked, so had agreed to enforce them with his boys. As the noise grew in the room, and the cookie tin began to empty, Thad told Mike he would take charge down in the kitchen, and sent him upstairs to await the big moment that had brought them all there…

Mike did not have to wait long for a yellow cab to pull up outside the house. He watched as his former roommates emerged, Nick with a baby carrier in his hands, whilst Jeff struggled with a plethora of bags. Mike's instincts kicked in and he headed out to assist with the latter. Instead when he arrived on the pavement, Nick handed him the baby carrier with a smile, and he found himself looking at the most perfect baby he had ever seen. He felt tears beginning to form in his eyes as he wondered about certain things; and then Nick was at his side, whispering in his ear "I think he likes his Uncle Mikey." Then he answered the question his friend had not asked, but needed to know succinctly. "Michelle's mom was never ill; she has been living in Brooklyn…"

Mike's eyes went wide, and he whispered "So he is related to Wes! That is going to blow quite a few minds in there, in a very good way…"

Nick smiled at that notion, then carefully took the carrier back, before carrying his son inside the house that would now be his home. Jeff had proceeded him, and was already on his way down to the kitchen. Nick took a breath, and with a little help from Mike, he began to prepare himself and the newest addition to the extended Warbler family to face the others…

As Jeff stepped into the kitchen, all the conversation that had been going on in the room came to an abrupt halt. All of them knew that his arrival signalled that the moment that had brought them all there that afternoon had finally arrived. Thad turned his eyes from one person to another, and on seeing this, the few people that had not already been in the spot that Nick had designated for them quickly moved to it. Perched on the arm of the sofa by Thad was Sebastian, who did not repeat the comment that he had made earlier about Nick having developed OCD as a consequence of early fatherhood. To Thad's right sat David, in absolute silence, his anticipation equalling that of Trent, who was perched on the other arm of the sofa. As he sat there, David could hear nothing but the steady breathing of the three men standing behind the sofa; the three that had graduated with him and Thad, the fourth being absent and unaware that the happy event had even taken place. Flint and Beats made no mention of this fact in front of Ethan, who was standing right behind Thad to Flint's left. The rest of the group were gathered around them, waiting.

Jeff looked at them carefully, scrutinising where they were all stood. "It's like being inspected by an officer before being part of a presidential guard," Seth whispered to Skylar; both of them blushed fiercely as Jeff looked at them, shaking his head, and Thad spun round to scowl at them.

"Okay, so on behalf of myself and Nick, I would like first of all to thank you for agreeing to our wishes, and all sitting or standing as directed. I know that it is a bit of a hassle, but there are reasons, and no, Nick hasn't gone all OCD on me - Sebastian…" There was an outburst of giggling from them all as they all knew Mike had to have said something, apart from Sebastian, who turned a very deep shade of red. "Mike only told me," Jeff continued, "and don't fret, I won't tell Nick. So I am going to tell you… nothing else. Nick is just sorting a few things, and then he will be down…"

At that moment Mike reappeared at the kitchen door, a smile on his face, and Jeff hastened over as he knew that his husband was about to appear. When he did he stepped carefully over to stand in front of his assembled friends, all of them now with their attention focussed on the little bundle in his arms. He stopped right in front of them, and then spoke. "If anyone had ever said to me that I would be the first of our little group to be a father, I would have laughed and called them a fool; of course, as it happens, I am. It's a strange feeling to be a dad; I have never felt prouder of anything that I have ever done and that includes marrying Jeff. Everything pales into insignificance compared to this. There is a new life that is totally dependant on me, and that is good, but so very scary. I would definitely say to all of you that fatherhood is wonderful…" He smiled contentedly as he looked down and his eyes met those of his child, and no-one watching missed that moment. "Right, so now it is time to put you all out of your misery…"

He stepped forward in the direction of Thad, who paled immediately at what his movement was suggesting was about to happen. Jeff was quickly at his side, telling him how to arrange his arms, but that didn't stop him being fearful.

"Gentlemen, allow me to formally introduce the newest member of the Warbler family, my son…"

Nick paused, as he saw appreciative nods at that little snippet of news; not that they would have objected if it had been a girl, it was just that this was a future Dalton boy…

"My son, whose mother was someone known to all of us; Michelle Lau…"

There were gasps of surprise and then delight as the all realised exactly what that meant, and then Nick took the final steps over to the Head Warbler, who was already tearing up before he said the final words….

"Please greet my boy, Wesley Sterling-Duval…"

As Nick said those words, he gently placed his son into Thad's arms, and that was all it took. One glance at the little face staring back up at him had Thad's tears streaming down his face; this was a new Wesley, the second cousin of his much loved boyfriend. He glanced over at David for a moment to see that he was crying too, and staring right at the little one that Thad was holding in his arms. He could hear other people around him sniffing too as their eyes grew moist; Trent for his part was nearly sobbing, and Sebastian was full of joyful tears. Thad knew that he should say something to mark the moment, but he could not find the words to describe how he felt as he tenderly held a relative of the man he loved….

It fell instead to David to break the silence. Looking down at the baby, he placed an arm around Thad's shoulders, and said "Hello, Little Wes! I'm your Uncle David, and the guy that's holding you and crying like your supposed to is your Uncle Thad. So let me say this here and now; if your dads ever get too much to bear, and we have lived around Niff, so we know what they can be like, just call either of us, day or night. Also know this; the two of us will always love and protect you, because of who you are. You see, I've seen his baby pictures, and you look so much like him, your late Uncle Wes…" David paused to swipe at his tears, and then continued, "Anyway, that guy on the other side of Uncle Thad is your Uncle…"

"Bazzy. He deserves an Uncle Bazzy," said Sebastian quietly.

"He will tell you about all the naughty stuff when you're old enough…"

Before Sebastian could react to David's last words, the latter heard a voice over his shoulder. "And I'm your Uncle Trent. I'm probably the sanest one here, but that isn't saying very much…"

Trent's words made them all dissolve into laughter, and that was before he began to pull funny faces as he looked right at the newest arrival. With a nod of approval from Nick, Trent got up from his spot, and reaching down, carefully took little Wes into his arms, with a little help from Thad. To them all, it looked as if he had been doing it for years, and he had some practice with his nephew by marriage, Séamus and Becca's son. It was thus a lot less daunting to him than it had been to Thad. He settled back into his spot on the arm of the sofa, and began to gently rock his arms back and forth, making little cooing noises as he did so.

"Okay, so not only is Trent sane, he is the baby whisperer," said Beats as he leaned over Trent's shoulder to get a good luck at the boy in his friend's arms. "You will be wanting one yourself next…"

"In good time, yes I do. Rory and I both want to have a family, but we aren't yet at the stage of going out to seek a surrogate just yet. However, one day I do want to have a little pair of eyes looking up at me, just as his are doing now, and see just a hint of a smile as I burble nonsense at them." Trent returned then to what he had been doing as the others gathered around him, and the two new parents just smiled from across the room, and wished that Trent wasn't so far away in Washington most of the time; he would be the perfect babysitter.

After a moment or so, Thad got up from his seat, and walking over to Nick and Jeff, he pulled them both into a tight hug. "Your little boy…he is perfect. He is deserving of that illustrious first name, although I think that he is unlikely to be called anything other than Little Wes by all of us for many years to come. I can't believe that you managed to keep it all so quiet; and yes, I do realise that my brother had to have known about it, as Michelle's husband, and said nothing about it to me, but I can forgive him for that. The child she gave birth to is just…"

Thad's voice trailed off as he began to cry fresh tears. Nick signalled to Jeff discretely, and he broke free from the hug, leaving Nick to deal with the Head Warbler. Instead he headed over in the direction of the sofa, where Trent now sat on the seat, with Sebastian at his side, David having moved to stand behind them. In his spot behind the couch, he pulled out his phone, then paused before he took the picture. "I'm taking this one for Mercedes and for Mrs Carmichael too I guess," he said in explanation, and Jeff nodded in approval, knowing full well what the reaction of the latter would be. She and her husband for that matter would share the unmitigated joy of knowing that there was a new Wes, a joy which filled Jeff's heart to bursting point…

Nick meanwhile had managed to discretely steer Thad out of the room, and they now sat side by side on the stairs. Caleb, disturbed by all the noise that had erupted in the kitchen had also retreated to the hallway, and now returned to jump onto Thad's lap unbidden. Nick was about to lift him off when Thad shook his head, and started to gently stroke the cat. Nick just sat silently at his side, waiting for Thad to speak and say the words he needed to…

"We didn't get a chance to talk about children whilst he was alive, Wes and I; well, we did, but not as a couple. I knew that he wanted them someday, and so did I - and it is did, because I do not relish the idea of being a single gay dad in Ohio… He told me after he was gone that he always knew he would need a surrogate, and Michelle had always been his first choice; in fact, they had it all agreed…"

"I know. Wes mentioned it to me once Jeff decided that it was the right time and I still wasn't sure. He had already spoken to Jeff about it, so just maybe he was pushing us towards her. He wanted a child with strong Warbler connections brought into this world."

"Has he seen him yet?"

"No, which has come as a bit of a surprise. I half expected that he would pop in to see Michelle last night, but as far as she is aware, he didn't, unless…"

"He came in whilst she was asleep," Thad finished. "He would have, because this birth will have been as special to him as it is to me. To know that there is a little of his DNA in your son is just so wonderful. You have made me, and David for that matter, very happy. I just hope that all of the gifts that we have brought are suitable for him…"

By the time that Thad and Nick returned to the kitchen, Jeff had taken back custody of his son, and like Trent had been, he was enthralled by the little boy in his arms. Nick hastened to the kitchen proper, anxious to ensure that there was adequate refreshment for his friends, but discovered that Mike had that under control, with assistance from Flint, and so all that there was for Nick to do was take a seat by his husband, and just enjoy looking at his son once again. As he had expected, the moment he did so the air was filled with the sound of phone camera's clicking, and that was more than okay, as he wanted to see that image of him and Jeff as doting parents himself, and he could only wonder which of them would be the first to forward the picture to him.

Suddenly in his field of vision he beheld a parcel, wrapped in sky blue paper, and he looked up to see that it was being held by Thad. "It is from Mrs Carmichael. She has had her knitting needles out every day since she was told you were having a child; this one is specifically for a boy. By the way, she loves the photo that David sent her…"

Curious as to what she had made, Nick took the parcel, and unwrapped it carefully, slowly revealing the garment inside, wrapped in tissue paper. Removing that, he turned it over, and started to giggle at what he saw. He held it up, and first Thad, and then the others began to giggle too. It was a navy blue cardigan, fastened with two little gold buttons; it had little lapels, around which was red piping. Even better, it had a patch pocket on it, with an all too familiar 'D' logo embroidered carefully on it…

"I honestly had no idea whatsoever that she was knitting that," said Thad, once he had stopped giggling. "It must have taken her hours on end, because it is absolutely perfect in every detail."

"All of that work, and he will grow out of it so very quickly," sighed Nick. "I suggest therefore that when he does, I wrap it up carefully and store it safely, to be passed on to whichever of you has a son next. That way it can realise its full potential, and be admired for longer." There were nods of agreement for that statement, although none of them were quite sure of when that would happen; not that the arrival of the newest member of the Warbler family hadn't made several of them feel just a little bit broody…

Then the atmosphere in the room changed. Nick blushed, and Jeff went scarlet, before getting up and apologising profusely before he headed off to change a diaper. "Does it always smell that bad?" asked Edward as soon as Jeff was out of the room.

After a few moments of silence, when some of them looked a little disapprovingly at the young man for having asked that question, Nick replied, "Oh, yes. In fact, that one was quite mild. However, don't let that put any of you off having kids. He is, as I said, the best thing that has ever happened to me and Jeff; and for all the joy that he will bring to the two of us over the years, a few dirty diapers are a small price to pay. It is not going to be an easy thing to do, raising a son, but we will manage it, because I know that we will have the full backing and support of our friends and family. I'm sure that you will all be there to help us if we need it."

"Oh, I agree, but I draw the line at diaper changes," said Ethan, deadpan, which made them all laugh again. No-one said anything, but Flint was secretly relieved that he lived in the Upper East side now, and Sebastian was quite happy that he lived in Maplewood, New Jersey, and was even less likely to be called upon to do any changing…

Eventually Nick and Jeff's house slowly emptied again, although not before Tina arrived, closely followed by Artie and Kitty. They all watched with just a little bit of astonishment as one look at Little Wes had Kitty melting, and demanding that she be given the chance to hold him. Given the chance, she then proceeded to coo over him for a good 15 minutes, leaving Artie to wonder just how long it would actually be before she was suggesting they might have one of their own…

Once the house was empty, and all the visitors were gone, Nick and Jeff had to face the biggest and most important introduction of the day. As Little Wes slept soundly, with Nick ready to grab him out of harm's way, Jeff approached clutching Caleb firmly in his arms. The cat had been put out by how busy the house was, and had been wondering what the reason for it was. Now he was being shown…

"So, Caleb, this is our son. He is very special to us, just as special as you are, but you will need to be very careful around him. I warn you now he is going to make a lot of noise, often in the middle of the night, or your naptime; he is going to make bad smells; and eventually, he will be crawling around on the floor and invading your territory down there. It is going to be a very big upheaval for all of us." Jeff paused and then looked the cat right in the eyes. "We promise you that we will do our utmost to keep the two of you apart, when we think that is for the best; and we also promise that we will still love you just as much as we always have." Nick nodded in agreement, all the time observing how Caleb was looking at the child in his crib.

As for Caleb himself, he looked down and saw a small human, a new addition to his family. Something in his DNA was telling him that when humans were that size, it was best to avoid them, as the bigger humans would get angry if you touched them and might forget to feed you. Later on, his senses warned him, there would be sticky hands that would play havoc with his fur. It would have been nice he thought if his humans had consulted him before they decided to go out and get the little one, but as long as they did not forget to feed him, and he still got his quiet sunspots in summer and the radiators in winter, he was pretty sure that they could all co-exist…

They went to bed early that night, having seen that Little Wes had been changed and fed, and settled for the night… They had chosen to keep his cot in their room for now, given how nervous they were about parenthood. It was just before they turned in that Nick checked his phone, and found a message from his boss, demanding that he return to work tomorrow for an urgent meeting; his exact words were ' _I don't care if you think that you are on paternity leave; I expect to see you in my office at 10AM SHARP!_ ' He considered what to say to Jeff, and in the end he decided to conceal the worst of it, and just told him that he had to go in to hand over some case notes. Jeff accepted that without any complaint.

It was 2am when Nick woke with a start, Jeff sound asleep at his side. Little Wes was being remarkably quiet for a newborn, and he was worried that he had not woken up during the night so far… He glanced over at the cot, and saw a familiar angel standing at it, his attention focussed entirely on what was inside. Nick got up quietly, careful not to disturb Jeff, and went to stand at his side.

"So you named your son after me… I am touched and honoured. He is a handsome boy, but that is down to his good genetics…" Wes stopped then, and sniffed, and Nick instinctively placed a hand on his arm. "He can see me, I think. He woke up, and he looked right at me…" continued Wes. Nick realised then with a start that his son was indeed awake, and had his own eyes completely on his namesake. "We did all think that he would be able to, given that both of his parents can. You will need to have a little chat with him when he is old enough about angels. By the way, in case you wondered, I have been appointed as his guardian angel. I will always be around if he needs me; although, like the others, I don't do diapers…"

Nick chortled at that, and replied, "Well you have a better excuse than the others; you are an angel, so I doubt you could physically handle him in the first place."

"Well, actually," began Wes, and then he lowered his hand down towards the child in the cot, and then carefully took his tiny hand in his own, bringing a gasp of surprise from Nick. "We weren't sure if it would happen, but there was an outside chance that he would inherit certain characteristics from his father. So in theory, I could actually change him in the very direst of emergencies, but it is not something that I would wish to make a habit of, trust me on that one! But if he is crying, the least I can do is come and pick him up, and rock him back to sleep until one of his fathers is around."

"That is good to know; four additional pairs of eyes."

"Though obviously only when you guys are around; to most people it would look like your child was levitating, and that would freak everyone out."

"True, so not in the middle of the Spotlight," Nick joked.

Wes smiled at that, but then his expression became more serious. "To be honest, I am actually more concerned about my namesake's father than him at the moment. Things aren't easy at work, are they?"

"No," Nick replied in a whisper, conscious that Jeff was in the room. "Mr Vallent is not a nice guy at all; he reminds me of my father. I knew that he was a misogynist, but now his homophobia is coming out as well. My concern is that things are just going to get progressively worse as time goes on. He reacted really badly to the idea of me having any kind of paternity leave, especially when he realised that I wasn't married to a woman. He wants me back at work tomorrow, and I doubt whether I have heard the last of the subject either. He had probably made a note of when Wesley was born in his diary, and will refuse to let me have that day off ever. I need to get out of there Wes, and I have been looking; but it is just so hard to find the kind of job that I want to do long term out there these days. Business law, or property stuff, dozens of vacancies. Jobs for prosecutors too, but when it comes to defending people's rights…"

"Something will turn up, Nick, trust me; until it does, you just have to stick to your principles, and be the Nick that we all know and love, for everyone's sake. In my opinion, by the way, you are doing the right thing in not telling Jeff right now; but if it does start to escalate, then you will have to let him know…"

Nick nodded, his brow furrowed at the idea of how he would start that conversation. He then found two arms were wrapped around him, as Wes instinctively knew, as ever, exactly what he needed at that moment. Safe in those arms, Nick was able to forget all of his woes for a few wonderful seconds…


	98. Problems and Prospects

**Problems and Prospects.**

The following day began as every day would in the Sterling-Duval household for the foreseeable future. There was a baby to feed, change and bathe, a task split between his two dads, both of them living up to the commitment they had made to always share things equally. Nick hated the fact that he had to leave that happy domestic world for work, resentful that the prejudices of one man were about to deprive him of valuable bonding time with his son. He was certain that this time would not be stolen from his heterosexual colleagues. He was held up as he left the house, and thus barely made it to his meeting on time. Mr Vallent's snooty P.A. gave him a glare as he dashed in bang on time, and then informed him he would need to wait. Half an hour later Nick was still waiting for his boss, but he made no comment upon it, nor did he show his displeasure, knowing that such actions would be frowned upon. When he was finally admitted into the office, he received no apology for the delay, but then he would not have expected one in any case.

"I've been keeping an eye on your progress, Mr Sterling-Duval, and it is adequate," the man began in a sneering voice. "I have to admit you work hard, and have a high success rate. In light of that, the time has come for you to assist me on a much larger case. I trust you will have heard of the Hudson Valley Markets case?"

Nick smiled inwardly, glad now that he had taken to reading the business sections of the daily papers now. "Yes, there was an issue with the way that they acted in regard to the closure process of several under performing stores. They were accused of ignoring the rights of their employees as mandated by state law, and the initial case unveiled a long history of them doing so."

"Good. It is helpful that you are aware of what is alleged to have happened. We have been asked to act in the case; it is an open and shut one in many ways, and the ruling that is given will set a benchmark for other cases of this type in future. There will be a lot of hard work, and long hours to be done, but this is your chance to make your name known in legal circles in the city. So, you may be aware that the entire case lies on the alleged activities of the firm's head of personnel…"

"Clifford Peterson," said Nick.

"I knew you would be the correct choice for this. He has been accused of neglecting his legal obligations, accepting bribes, extortion, anti-union practices and bullying within the workplace. We will be setting out the case for his defence, to prove that he did not breach any of those laws, or carry out any of the other actions. I trust that you won't find defending him an issue, Nicholas? After all, how you perform in that respect will affect your future position here in the firm, and in the legal profession in the city as a whole…"

Nick sat in silence; he knew about the case because it was all that half of the lawyers in town were talking about, but that was for one reason. They all were aware that the bulk of the evidence pointed to the guilt of the firm and a clear breach of the law. Had his employer just asked him to help him prosecute those behind this terrible attack on the rights of ordinary workers, he would have jumped in willingly. Instead he was being asked to defend the man that had been dubbed as cruel, heartless and unfeeling by the media; as an evil dictator that would stop at nothing to achieve his targets and goals…

"Of course, Nicholas, there is a whole wealth of opinion out there in the media, most of it against our client, but a good lawyer will not let that sway him; a good lawyer does not make his decisions based on hearsay, they review all of the evidence themselves and only then do they judge. Everyone is entitled to access justice in a free society after all, and I know that you believe in that. This is a case that will naturally present a challenge to you, but at the end of it, I am certain that you will be a better lawyer for the experience. I would suggest that you take the files and read your way through them to begin, so that you can get to know the evidence. Our plea will be not guilty, and I am certain that we can win that verdict if we both work with that goal in mind. However, if you feel that it is too much, or are uncomfortable in any way with the task ahead of us, then I am sure that one of your colleagues will jump at the chance to work with me; just as there are any number of law graduates that would jump at a position like your current one…"

The smile on Lionel Vallent's face as he uttered that final sentence told Nick all that he needed to know; he could turn this down, but if he did, he would find himself dismissed on some pretext within weeks, if not days. In his heart he knew that he should refuse to take part, should just say no and then resign; his new father's head though was saying the opposite. He guessed that it would do no harm just to read through the files…

"I can take a look through the files I guess; is there anything specific I should be looking out for in the opinion of the client?" replied Nick, the last words almost sticking in his throat.

"Anything that can discredit the claimants. I've already arranged for the files to be sent to your E-Mail account; read through them and schedule another meeting with me by the end of the week. The trial begins in four weeks after all, and I need you up to speed as soon as possible. Can I just say that I am so pleased that you have seen sense on this. I thought that you would decline, but maybe we can make a good lawyer out of you after all… So, Friday, at the latest…"

Nick knew that he was being dismissed, and hurried out. After all, he had a strong urge to wash his hands. He felt rather unclean…

After he had scrubbed his hands, he headed to his own familiar cubicle, and found himself surrounded by colleagues who wanted to see photographs of his son. Then when he was alone, he checked his E-Mail, just to see if the files were there; then he made a call upstairs, to his sister, to see if she had time for lunch with him. Grace was busy, but something in her brother's voice made her agree to see him. When he suggested that they get a sandwich and meet in a quiet spot away from the office, she was all the more concerned…

One look at his woebegone face when she got there was enough for her to know that all the bad thoughts she had were fully justified. She sat and listened in silence as he spilt out his heart, telling her everything that had happened, but her response could only be sympathetic, and not the solution that she knew he craved.

"I wish that I could tell you what to do here for the best, but the fact is that I think that you are correct in thinking that he will sack you if you refuse to assist him with this case. I know that it is going to be hard for you, but the one positive is that there is so much evidence against the client that any jury, unless they were bribed to the hilt, will find him guilty. Vallent does not like to lose, but in this case, he will. All you can do is do exactly as he says, and stay strong. You will get out from there some day…"

"Until then, I just have to accept my lot, I guess…" began Nick, but then his phone rang. He answered it, and a smile came on his face when he realised it was Jeff; he had decided that he should take Wesley for his first excursion to the Spotlight, and was just wondering if he was free to join his son and his papa… Nick couldn't resist the temptation, and with an apology to Grace, he raced off to spend a few minutes with the two loves of his life….

As soon as he was out of sight, Grace let out a string of invective under her breath. She could see that this would not end well for Nick, and that the whole thing was a Catch 22. Vallent did not just not like losing, he abhorred it. On the few recorded instances when he had done so, he had made the lives of those that had assisted him in the case a living hell. He had a reputation of punishing them until they resigned. The only way Nick would not be destroyed by Vallent was if by some unjust miracle Peterson actually was found not guilty. That result would be a horrendous one for anybody that believed in true justice. If it did happen, then the effect on her brother would be every bit as devastating as the other…

Grace's concern for her brother had to be put on hold for a while though. As the end of the month of July approached, so did the date that Cooper had circled on the calendar at the start of the year. They had decided that they wanted a low key affair, with the whole media circus excluded as much as possible. Admittedly, that wasn't going to be that easy, given that Cooper had won a Tony, and was in one of the current top shows on Broadway. Isabelle had done what she could to help there through her contacts in the media, the price for that being the presence of one of _Vogue's_ photographers, but that was okay. No mention was to be made of the absence of both of the happy couple's fathers from the event. Grace would be walking down the aisle on the arm of her grandfather, and to her that was all the more perfect.

Sam had accepted the job of Cooper's best man with a few reservations, but they were brushed aside when Blaine told him that he would help him write a suitable speech. Burt and Carole would join Pam at the front of the congregation, as he still saw them as his other parents. Instead of a bachelor party, Cooper was taken out on an experience day, and Sam would later admit that he had been frightened by the speeds that Cooper had achieved as he drove the power boat along the Long island shore. Grace had also eschewed the normal wedding party for a meal with colleagues and friends at a good restaurant, which she deemed far more appropriate for a legal professional than some drunken party.

Her forthcoming nuptials had been greeted with smiles and warmth by her immediate boss, a man that was the polar opposite of Lionel Vallent, but on the Friday before her big day, he had to deliver news to Grace and her colleagues that tinged the celebratory atmosphere with sadness. He was a man in his mid fifties, and was loved and respected by his department. That afternoon he sat stony faced as he told them that he had been summoned to the boardroom that morning, and there he had been told that the decision had been taken to make him retire, albeit on a generous package, with almost immediate effect.

"Someone has told the board that this department is not cost effective enough under my stewardship; that we are in fact a deadweight on the organisation, impacting the potential profits for the shareholders. It was suggested that this department should be closed down entirely, but the board refused to countenance that. Instead, it will be subjected to a close examination, and swinging cuts will be made. I am to go, and a new head will come in my place, taking responsibility for you on top of their current department. I am afraid that person is Lionel Vallent. He wished to introduce new rules as of Monday, but I successfully argued that nothing should be changed until I have actually retired. His first move will be to end the flexible working that several of you enjoy; in future, you will all have to work Monday to Friday, office hours, so that the floor can be closed overnight and at weekends. That is just the start; he also believes that we can manage the same caseload with a third less staff…"

Grace did not hear much more after that. The new rules would be devastating for her, meaning that she and Cooper would no longer have a shared day off on Mondays. She also had a sneaking suspicion that given how much her brother was despised by Lionel, her name would probably be right at the top of the list of those selected for dismissal…

She had been planning for such an event though, and had kept Cooper in the loop. The family law department was one which dealt with a largely female clientele, but some in power seemed to be ignorant of that fact. For some time now, Grace had been in discussion with a number of her colleagues, and along with a number of other senior female staff, they had talked about the possibility of going it alone, taking their reputation and client base with them. Between them all, they had the financial clout to take such a step…

At the end of the day that Friday, they had gathered in a quiet bar some distance from the office to discuss the scheme. They all now agreed that it was certainly time, but that they could make some key changes to the execution of it now. The longest serving of them all, a lady with over 20 years of experience at the firm, suggested that they could ask their boss to come in with them as a silent partner; he would be useful in bringing clients in with his sound reputation for fairness. He would not practice, as this was to be an all female law firm.

They all agreed that it was a sensible idea, and then Grace made her own proposal. "I suggest that we all start to do things that will annoy Mr Vallent, and put ourselves right in the line of fire. He will make us redundant to get rid of us, and that will come with a financial pay out, as the board is obligated to provide. That extra cash could come in useful, and as such, it is better than simply resigning…" There was immediate mirth at the audacity of her idea, and backing. After all, it would be a good way to pay back the man whose machinations they suspected were behind all of the changes in the first place…

All of those work related issues were put to one side on the final Sunday of July. It was an early rise that day for everyone attending, as the couple getting married that day both had jobs that kept them busy all week, and their honeymoon as such would be one night away together at the beach house in Port Jefferson. Having the ceremony first thing therefore maximised the time that they had to spend alone. They had chosen to marry in City Hall, rather than some lavish venue; it was after all close to the place where they had first met, in the most tragic of circumstances, at the trial of Hunter Clarington; the day that Cooper had admitted he fell head over heels in love in a heartbeat. There was no elaborate decoration, no grand gestures or expensive clothes, just a group of friends gathered to watch as a city official made Grace a Hummel-Warbler, and officially gave Nick a new brother-in-law.

The dress code had been smart casual, and the ceremony was short. On top of that, much of the attention that would normally have been given to the bride was lavished instead on her nephew, the youngest guest there. His proud parents had dressed him properly for such an occasion, able to do so thanks to Mrs Carmichael, whose tiny Dalton blazer cardigan was much admired. The reception was then held at the Spotlight Diner, which lead some to accuse Cooper of being cheap, given that he had used his partner's discount. His response had been to point out that the only thing that had influenced his choice was the guest list, and coming to the diner let them all do what they loved; perform. That would be far more conducive to the party atmosphere he wished to create. It was also the day that Michelle returned to work by coincidence. She went about her business that day with her usual smile, accepting the warm greetings from everyone, and getting a good look at her 'son'. Not that she would ever regard him officially as that; he would be an unofficial nephew, and she just one of his many aunts. She and Ollie had plenty of time after all to start a family of their own.

August was soon upon them after that, and with it a sense that the winds of change were blowing once again; some of the change would be good, some of it bad. The first person to be hit by those forces was Santana. Since graduating from NYADA the previous year, she had been on the whole contented with her lot. True, she had been forced to leave the comfort of the familiar loft in Bushwick for a while, but the place in the West Village was pretty cool, and handy for work amongst other things. Brittany also had less travelling to do to her job at NYU, where she still surprised seasoned academics with her mathematical ability. Complex problems that had left others puzzling for years seemed easy to her, and the research programs were all glad that she was on board.

As for Santana, she enjoyed the role she had been given at NYADA, to the extent that she did not even attend auditions these days, unless she was pushed into doing so by someone in her immediate circle of friends. It was a surprise to her then to receive a phone call on the first day of August, asking her to come to a theatre and sing for a part. She suspected at first that Rachel was behind it, but when she challenged her, she denied it point blank. In the end she realised that it was Carmen that had put her forward, submitting her name to the producers, and suggesting that she was the ideal person to take the part. Making a mental note to say something to her when she got back to NYADA, Santana had headed to the theatre, and had performed her usual audition piece; this done, she was asked to perform another piece off the cuff, singing the song that the director hand handed her the sheet music for. After that, she had been expecting to be told in the normal way that she would hear back from them in due course; being asked to wait instead was most unusual…

It was a dazed and stunned Santana that walked into the Spotlight an hour later, and stumbled over to a quiet corner table. Of course, she immediately attracted the attention of the staff, especially Sam. He made his way over, and was joined by Sebastian, who had popped in for lunch just a few minutes earlier at the invitation of Beats and Flint. Artie and Kitty followed, having also come for lunch, but now concerned like the others for their friend.

Sebastian took the initiative, and asked, "Okay, Satan, what is it? What has happened to leave you like this?"

"Carmen has happened. She fixed up an audition for me, with no warning, as she does every so often, but this time…"

"This time it was worse than usual? Or was it all a bit seedy, because if it was, we can go and sort them out for you," said Kitty with a look in her eyes that made Artie shiver a little.

"No, this time they didn't say they'd call; this time they actually offered me the part there and then. Its just…. It's a revival of a classic, and they could choose so much better than me for the role…"

"Like hell they could, Satan! You can do anything if you set your mind to it, and if they want you, then I suggest that you grab that part with both hands, before Rachel finds out about it…"

Santana couldn't help but chuckle at Sebastian's statement. "She would probably kill for this part, that much is true, but I think she would be totally unsuitable for it. Then again, so am I. It is such an iconic role, and if I get it wrong, then I would never work on the stage again, or even at NYADA for that. I am going to kill Carmen for doing this to me; she had no right…"

"She obviously has faith in you, as she did in Cooper and Sebastian," replied Sam, "or she would never have risked her own reputation in putting you up for it."

"Sam is right, so spill. What is the part?" asked Sebastian.

Santana sighed, and said, "It is a revival of _Evita_. They want me to play the lead. How on earth can I do justice to the part of Eva Peron?"

Around the table everyone fell silent, all of them reflecting on what she had just said. This was a show that even the least Broadway focused of them had heard of. This was not some little part in a minor show from the past; this was bigger even than Fanny Brice, and Sam paled just a little as he imagined the response to the news from Rachel…

"Wow! Santana Pierce-Lopez, I am glad that I was here on the day that you finally made it, deservedly, to the big time. This is your breakout moment, the spark that will send your career into overdrive. I want tickets to your opening night, because I want to be able to tell my kids I was there when a legend first performed on the great white way," said Sebastian, all be it in a very hushed voice, as he knew only too well that there were a great many gossip merchants at the Spotlight who would kill for this sort of news. "When do you start rehearsals?"

"Your congratulations are a trifle premature, Meerkat. I've not said yes yet, and I am not sure that I will be saying it. The more that I think about it, the more certain I am that the part is not right for me."

"Not right? It is perfect for you. She was a feisty, determined woman that stood for no rubbish, and fought tooth and nail for what she wanted. If that isn't you, then who is it?" countered Sebastian.

"A dozen other hopefuls, or a star name that will sell tickets just because they are on the Playbill cover. I have told them that I need 24 hours to think about it, and that is what I am going to do. So, if you could all excuse me, I think I will head home."

"Is that really a good idea? Would it not be better to talk the situation out amongst friends?" asked Kitty.

"Right now it is that, or going to NYADA to give Carmen a piece of my mind."

"Get home safe," said Sam firmly, knowing that shouting the odds at Madam Tibideaux would do her no favours in the long term. She had to make the decision in her own way; after all, when it came down to it, it was her choice and hers alone…

Santana didn't head straight home in the end; she arrived back in the street just as Brittany did, and found herself being taken next door by her wife to see Jeff and little Wes. As Brittany held the baby, Jeff made coffee and brought out cake, which he apologetically said that he had made himself, so it might not be up to Nick's usual culinary standards. "Nicky is so busy at work right now," he continued. "He's helping his boss out on a big case, and he is late getting home, and looks so tired. I am trying to help out by doing a bit more of the cooking."

"And how are you bearing up with doing that on top of being a more or less full time dad?" asked Santana, glad of the distraction.

"I am exhausted too, to be honest, but it is all so rewarding. He is such a good baby; he hardly ever cries, and he sleeps at night, which is such a good thing. Of course, that will probably all change when he is teething, so just now I am making the most of it. By then the big case will be over, and Nicky has told me he will try and be home early every night…" He paused to chuckle, knowing full well that his husband would struggle to keep that promise. "The fact is that I would nor alter any of this for a moment. I knew the risks when I said to Nick that we should have a child now, rather than wait, and as time goes on, things will get better. So what is new in your life? It does look to me as if you have a problem on your mind…?"

"Oh, that is nothing really blondie, trust me. Something trivial that I have already come to a decision on…"

"I wouldn't call being offered the lead role in a major Broadway revival trivial, Santana," came a voice, and she and Jeff both turned to stare at Kurt, whose eyes were focused on little Wes. He was stood at Brittany's side, his arms folded across his chest, and ready for a fight…

"You've been offered a leading role! Why didn't you say?" asked Brittany. She walked over to the other two, and handed the baby back to his papa. "That's fantastic. What is it? When do you start?"

"None of that matters, because I have decided that I am not taking the part. I was going to tell you when we got home, but twink angel here decided to open his big mouth and spoil things. I am not good enough for the part they are offering, you see, so I am going to say no. It is too big, too iconic, and it needs a star that can really do it justice."

"That is absolute nonsense, and you know it! You blew them away with your audition, and there is certainly no bit part celebrity wannabe that will be better than you!" snapped Kurt.

"Flattery will not get you anywhere this time, Kurt. There are people out there that are much better than I am, and you know it!"

"Oh yes, I agree, that is true - but they're too old or just plain wrong for the part. I mean, I can probably sing _Don't cry for me, Argentina_ better than you, but even if I was alive, I would never get the part, because it is Eva, not Evan, Peron."

"I am guessing that the purists would never approve of that casting change," mused Jeff. "I imagine that you would be very good at that song though…"

Kurt paused, and then replied, "Oh, I am; ask David, or Thad, or even Ethan. I sang it at Dalton for my first audition for a solo; you and Nick were auditioning too, and that is why you were not there to hear. However, that is a story for another day. Today is all about getting Santana to admit that she wants this part, and that she is a perfect fit for it."

Kurt turned his attention back onto Santana at that point. "The thing is, I think that she knows that she is the perfect choice for the part, but she is a little scared that she will make a mistake when it comes to the crunch. That she will be up on that stage, on her gala opening night, with everyone watching, and she will dry up, and flop. For as long as I have known her, reputation has been key in everything for her. If the critics savaged her, it would kill her, and so she is thinking of turning down the chance of a lifetime, just in case. Of course, she knows deep down in her heart that the opinions of a handful of columnists in the press is important, but it is the audience size and their perceptions that really matter. A show can open to rave reviews, but flop if the public does not agree with them, and vice versa. Someone like Santana, an unknown, playing an icon will get people interested. She is young, and that will be a talking point for a start. She is a Latina, and that will be noted too, but it will be her voice that people will hear; a powerful instrument that was so often relegated to the chorus by the presence of you know who. Will she be jealous that you have been offered this? Most certainly. If she had known what was going on, she would have auditioned like a shot. The fact remains that the auditions were not open; they hand picked the candidates because of what they could bring to the role. You, dear Snix, bring the feisty, nobody gets in my way attitude to the part of a very formidable lady who had the same characteristics. You would be so good at this, and Brittany would be so happy for you. Of course, I bet that your Abuela would also be there in the front row too, so proud that you were not only a star, but had become so by portraying such a strong woman…"

"You're right, she would be proud of that; she would boast to all her friends about her granddaughter, the Broadway star, playing Evita… And yeah, the idea of the critics hating me does make me feel sick. I'd be so tempted to go all Lima Heights on them…"

"As I see it, you have nothing to lose by saying yes and developing the part. It isn't as if you are going to be on stage next week; it might not even be this year. You will have time to get it right, and to gel with your co-stars…"

Santana sighed. "Why did you have to be so smart, Hummel? This could be the biggest mistake of my life…"

"…or the start of your greatest triumph. I mean, if you play it right you might even get a Tony, and can you just imagine Rachel's face?"

"Oh, yeah, I can. Should an angel be appealing to the devil in me though? What would your mom and Wes say?"

"It is all just tactics to get you to make the right decision, which is you agreeing to take the part."

"Fine! To save your angelic soul, I will say yes, but I am warning you now, if I think that it isn't going to end well, I will walk, even if doing so ruins my chances of appearing on a Broadway stage ever again."

Santana got no further before she found herself wrapped in her wife's arms, being showered with kisses. Kurt walked back over to where Jeff was standing, shaking his head but with a smile on his face as big as Brittany's. Kurt smiled back, knowing that this issue had been an easy one to resolve. The one between Nick and his boss was a far harder problem, and given the way Wes looked every time someone mentioned Jeff's husband, it did not appear that it would be resolving itself quite so easily or indeed satisfactorily.

Across town, Sebastian was now in his dressing room, getting ready for tonight's show, but his mind was on other things. He couldn't help but wonder how Santana would act when she had to give her answer over the part the following day. He knew she could do it, and should take it, but she was stubborn, and might well turn it down for that reason alone. Then there was the whole security thing of sticking with what she knew best; she was a good teacher, and as people grew under her guidance, she felt a lot of satisfaction and pride in the fact that she had got them to that point in their work.

Sometimes though, change had to come, as it was inevitable. He had left the city that he loved living in to head to the suburbs for the sake of his nephew; he missed the bright lights and the short walk home after work, as the train could be hell. However, the quality time he had with both Peter and Julian made up for that, and made change worthwhile… He kept that thought in his mind as he looked down on the letter lying on the little shelf under the mirror, still open; the letter that had bean handed to him by his director, who permission had been sought. The letter about the forthcoming revival of _Oklahoma!_ and the offer to him of the part of Curly Mclain. It was another lead, and in many ways his next step; he couldn't be a Mormon boy forever. If Santana was able to leave her comfort zone, then shouldn't he be ready to do the same…


	99. Nick Sterling-Duval makes a choice

**Nick Sterling-Duval makes a choice.**

As two NYADA graduates contemplated their future, the start of August brought to a head the problems for the graduate of Columbia Law School. The first Monday of the month saw Nick back in the court building on Centre Street, a place that he had become reasonably familiar with since he had started his job. However, he had never felt quite so conflicted about being in the building as he did that day. He had spent hours over the last few weeks looking for any little thing that might redeem the accused in his eyes; anything that could cast even a smidgen of doubt on the evidence of his accusers. If anything, he had found only more to convict the man in question. He had of course not been able to say anything to anyone about the case, due to the needs of client confidentiality. He had finally met the man last week, and he had been left feeling soiled and dirty afterwards, and had spent hours in the shower that night trying to scrub himself clean.

Jeff had noticed that something was wrong, and had done his level best to make sure his husband was as unstressed as possible; he had taken on more work at home, and had left him to sit in his study bent over papers for hours. It broke his heart to see how forlorn he often looked after those marathon sessions though. He had held him close during the night, trying his best to act as a comfort as his sleep was disturbed by nightmares. That Monday Jeff had been up early and had made his husband his favourite breakfast, and then as he was about to leave, he had enveloped him in the tightest of hugs, hoping to instil love into him. After he had gone, Jeff turned to their son, and said "Hopefully now that the trial is starting, your daddy will soon be feeling better…" Inside, he wasn't so sure that would be true, but there was nothing he could do to alter facts. He then packed the baby bag, and with Wes strapped into his baby carrier, Jeff headed off to his shift at the diner. The one good thing about working there was that nobody objected to him bringing little Wes along…

At the court, Nick had arrived well before his boss, as he was told was always the case with Lionel Vallent. He was allowed into the courtroom, and began to set up at the defence table, averting his eyes from the prosecution team doing the same thing; he couldn't help but feel that they were looking at him as if he himself was personally guilty of all of the crimes the client had committed. To be honest, that was exactly how he already felt. Just by being where he was, by having to try and defend the heinous actions of the most immoral of men, he felt that he was breaking every pledge he had ever made to himself and others when he began to train as a lawyer. He hated that he had been placed in this position, being forced to give up his own moral compass... The last time he had done so in his life had been to keep Jeff safe back in his Senior year at Dalton; this time, he had done so just to keep his job, and to be honest, he wasn't sure that it was even worth it; he would probably be on the scrap heap soon enough anyway. In fact, he would never have done it had it not been for the fact that he had a son; not that he would ever hold it against the boy or indeed his husband, who had been so keen for them to start a family…

The door still hadn't opened again to admit his boss, and a glance at his watch made him worry, as the trial was due to start in moments. He headed to the door to look to see if he was on his way, praying that he would not get caught doing so, as that would infuriate the man. He opened the door just a crack, and what he saw immediately made him stop. There in front of him, in an otherwise empty corridor of the court, unobserved by even CCTV, were his boss and the client. The client was handing his boss a fat brown envelope, stuffed with… Nick stumbled his way back down the length of the court room, and slumped down into a chair at the defence table, his head in his hands. His boss was taking bribes right this minute, and what had already been a very bad situation had just got a thousand times worse. There was only so much that his heart and mind could tolerate; only so much his conscience could stand. That threshold had just been passed. He could bear this no longer…

"Sterling-Duval. I trust that we aren't keeping you awake?" came the voice of his employer, delivering his words with the usual mix of smarm and acid. "You see, this is the reason why you shouldn't be a father at your age, if indeed ever. I know that not having children had made me focussed and the successful lawyer that I am today."

"No sir, I am not tired. I was just having a moment of contemplation, now that I can see where all of this work is going to end up. I think that I can see exactly where that is now."

"Excellent, though I am afraid that the decision is not up to you, but a bunch of plebeians called a jury. Still, we get to select the jury, and that is where all of the work that you have done should make our lives easier. You did do an adequate job in researching the jurors, and we have a list of those that we want on the panel. That way we get the right jury; as I stated, we want to ensure there are no ethnics or coloureds, no poor, and ideally no women. No-one that will allow stupid feelings to get in the way of making the right verdict happen."

"That is not likely to be possible; the other side will have a veto."

"Oh, such things can be made to happen…" said Lionel, stopping as the judge walked into the court to stand as required, much as he hated that. Nick stumbled to his feet, and for the first time saw who the judge was….

That was the final straw; before him was the judge that had presided over Hunter's trial. The woman that had been so kind to them all, who had been so sympathetic and so just… He couldn't go through with all of the charade now, not when his conscience was screaming at him that it was so very wrong…

Before anyone could say a word, Nick found himself blurting out, "I can't do this! It's wrong! I won't do this…"

The silence in the room seemed to grow all the louder after that. Across the room, the prosecution team were staring at him as if he had just grown an extra head, full of curiosity as to what it was he would not do. The judge too was looking at him, with recognition written plainly on her face as she suddenly realised exactly who the young lawyer before her was. She was still clearly wondering why he had just said what he had…

If looks could kill though, then Nick would have been lying flat on the floor, breathing his last at that moment. Lionel Vallent was glaring at him as if he had just punched him in the face in a fit of pique, followed by spitting in his eyes and placing a knee firmly between his legs. Nick knew that this was going to be a pivotal moment in his life; one in which his whole existence altered, and now he was going to have to face the consequences of saying what he had…

"Think very carefully about what you say next, boy," came his employer's voice in a low hiss, before he said in a much louder voice, "I know that the amount of paperwork involved in assisting in such a major trial is heavy, Mr Sterling-Duval, but you will manage; after all, this is your first one, and I am sure we can overcome whatever little error you have made."

Nick stared at the man, whose conciliatory tone was so out of character, so fake for all that truly knew him. It would be so easy just to accept that out, to pretend that was the reason for his outburst, and allow the processes of the day to continue. He could hope that the jurors selected would be unswayed by his boss's arguments, that true justice would prevail, and that they would lose. Yet Nick knew that was a slim possibility; Lionel Vallent did not like to lose, and with his client clearly funding everything necessary to ensure that things didn't go that way, the odds were slim. He could not let that happen, as he would not be able to live with himself if he stood by and let justice be taken away from those that deserved it. He knew what would happen to him in any case; even if he carried on and accepted the way out, he would end up with the same punishment, and be out of the door as soon as the trial was finished. No, the band-aid was part way off; there was no sense, and no honour, in not finishing the job…

"That is not what I meant. I can't be here. I can't take part in this charade. The evidence is overwhelming and it is indisputable. I can't be party to trying to defend this case; I should have said no to you right at the very start."

"You do realise what you are saying?" Mr Vallent hissed at him, his face bright red.

"I do, and I think that everyone else will know too. That is what concerns you the most. So, I repeat, I refuse to take any further part in this. I suggest you call for a replacement to assist," Nick hissed back.

"Mr Vallent, is there an issue between yourself and your assistant?" came the judge's voice. Nick looked over at her then, and although her face was stern, he was sure that she had heard every word, and approved of what he was doing. She had a reputation of her own after all; she was known to be fair at all times, having fought for the little people herself when she was a lawyer. She would know and understand why he was doing this, although she might have wished he hadn't opted to do so so late in the day…

Before his boss could speak, Nick said, "My apologies, ma'am. I am feeling a trifle indisposed, and I believe it would be best if I left now, so as not to delay the progress of this case any further."

"Thank you for your honesty, Mr Sterling-Duval. Mr Vallent, I trust that you can replace your staff? I suggest that we adjourn the case and reconvene in 3 hours time, if that is acceptable to both sides?"

"It isn't ideal, but if young Mr Sterling-Duval is unable to continue, in the interests of fairness, then we accept," said the prosecution lead, with a smile on his face. He knew why Nick had taken his stand after all, and was more than happy he had done so. His assistant was already gathering up their papers, and the judge rose once more, and with a nod to Nick, she left the room. She was followed by the court staff and the prosecutors, leaving just Nick and a silent Lionel Vallent in the room; a man whose face was suffused with rage…

"Well, I hope that you are pleased with yourself. You have made yourself look like a complete fool; the other people in this room can now quiet clearly see that you are not cut out for this line of work. It was not a very wise move, because you have also brought shame on the firm, and worst of all, on me. This isn't law school, this is the real world. You probably think you are so smart, but actually, you are really stupid. I will still win, because that is how the system works, and anyone that has a real future in the law knows that. Right, so head back to the office. Leave the papers here, as your successor will require them, although they will struggle to do much with them due to the inadequacy of your work. When you get back, clear your desk, because you're fired. We should never have hired a faggot like you in any case; you're all the same, no backbone, just an obsession with your rights. Your kind are the ones that are destroying our nation, with your disgusting ways, your sham marriages and your half-caste children. I will return to the office in one hour; if you are still there, I will have you arrested and charged with as many felonies as I can possibly think of. Now get out of my sight…."

Nick made to get up, but then Mr Vallent spoke again. "Actually, two things first. One, I hope that your sister will forgive you for putting her name right at the top of my dismissal list; and two, the law association will hear about this, and trust me, you will never work as a lawyer in this town again. I will personally see to it; no-one crosses me, you little fag. Now go, and you now have 50 minutes to clear out…"

Nick didn't wait any longer; with all the dignity he could muster he got up from his seat and headed for the door. He resisted the temptation to say anything more. As he left the room he turned back and was sure that he saw the judge had been standing in one corner, hidden from the defence table all this time, but he could not be certain, nor was he going to wait and check it out. He moved on autopilot out of the court and into the hustle and bustle of the city, heading back to the office. It was only as he was out there on the street, walking fast, that it truly hit him; he had just been fired. He had saved his soul, but at the cost of his livelihood.

As he walked his head started to fill with everything that he knew about Mr Vallent and the way that he did business. He would definitely go for Grace now, even though none of this had anything to do with her, and the thought of that horrified him. Would she ever speak to him again after all of this? She had to work, it was her life blood; she couldn't and wouldn't depend on Cooper's salary. Could Mr Vallent stop her getting another job too? Was he that powerful? Nick felt his blood run cold as he considered his own future now. If he was that powerful, then the law degree he had worked so hard for would not be worth the paper it was written on now, not in this city… Did his power extend into New Jersey and Connecticut, because there was no way he would move out of New York, so they were options… Without knowing it, he found himself in the foyer of the office, walking past the front desk to the elevator. The staff on the desk were unaware of the situation as yet, but that would soon change. He would soon be the hot gossip of the week, but thankfully he would not be around to see it…

He did not manage to make it to his cubicle unassailed. Miss Pittman, the assistant that he shared with his fellow newbies on the floor, was waiting for him with a box. "I thought that you might need this," she said sadly, then in a whisper added, "I am so proud of you for doing this. That man is guilty as hell, and his holiness is only interested in his cut. You on the other hand are a good man, and I am so pleased to see he hasn't changed you like some…"

"Was it worth it though? He is going to go after my sister now, and he says that he can stop me working in this town again…"

"I am afraid that he can, but his sway only applies to the bigger firms; the smaller ones are different, and many of them will see what you did today as a reason to hire you. If it is any sort of consolation, the cost of this delay will fall to the firm, and there is a rumour already that the judge is going to quit the case this afternoon, which will delay things even further. As for your sister…"

"I can look out for myself, Nicky," came Grace's voice, and Nick turned round to see her standing there, arms open. He allowed himself to be pulled in for a hug, before she continued, "So you will have got the time ultimatum to clear your desk?"

"Or he is calling the cops on me…"

"So get packing," said Grace, letting him go and then taking the files from his in-tray, and glancing through them before handing them over to Miss Pittman. Nick placed his few personal effects in the box; photos of Jeff and of little Wes. He was starting to feel sick now, hoping that his husband would be just as understanding about all of this as his sister had been…

Miss Pittman had returned the files to her desk, and was about to return when her phone buzzed; for years, the doorman had given her a heads up when Mr Vallent walked in through the front door, and that signal had just been given now. She hurried back over, and spoke urgently. "He's back, in the lobby, waiting for an elevator. You need to go now, Nick." She hugged him briefly, then added "Take the service stairs; if he sees you waiting for the elevator, he will charge you, trust me. I have seen it before…"

Nick nodded, and he hastened to the stairway, Grace at his side. As the door to the landing closed behind them, they heard the elevator door open. They hurried down a couple of flights, before stepping back into the elevator lobby, taking care not to board a car that was coming from the floors above. As they headed down, Nick suddenly whispered, "What have I done, Grace?"

"The right thing, little brother," she replied firmly. "It might seem like a disaster just now, but if you had stayed here, done that trial, then it might have changed you so much that the real Nick would have started to vanish. We will talk later, but I will say this again now. Don't worry about me; I have plans for the future too, and this might actually be a help in achieving those. Now go, before he comes down and finds you still in the lobby."

Nick nodded, then head held high, he left, handing his pass to the doorman on the way out, who nodded sadly in response. He walked north, his work satchel slung over his shoulder, carrying his box, eliciting sympathetic eyes from many that he passed, not that he noticed them. All Nick could think about now was the fact that he was unemployed, and possibly unemployable; and he had to tell Jeff. He had let them down, his husband and his son. He had no idea how he would even begin the necessary conversation…

That conversation was still his primary focus as he turned into the street in the West Village that he called home. That he had made it there without being killed or injured in some way was a miracle, so blinded was he to the world around him by the turmoil in his head. He was not aware of the invisible figure at his side, that had guided his every step, ensuring that his path was safe and secure, particularly as he crossed the busy thoroughfares of the city. Blaine had been entrusted with the task, and he did not even attempt to speak to his old school friend as he walked, knowing there was nothing he could say that would offer any comfort to him, as he coped with the fact that in minutes his entire world had been turned upside down. He knew that Nick had done the right thing, but all he could dwell on now was the immediate future; his friend had put so much time and energy into getting to the point where he could practice law, and to lose all of it now had to hurt…

As they turned into the street, Blaine saw a familiar figure up ahead; knowing that Nick was safe now, he left his side and hastened towards them, aiming to give them a nudge in the direction of Nick. As it happened, his intervention was not required; Mike had already seen Nick, and had done an immediate double take, given that it was before lunch time on a Monday after all. Then he noticed the box, and was at once reminded of images he had seen on television whilst still in high school, when the financial crash had occurred. His blood instantly ran cold, and praying that he had the wrong idea, he hurried along the street. Seeing this reaction, Blaine took his leave, needed as ever in the angelic life elsewhere...

Mike got to the bottom of the steps of his one time home to see Nick just standing there at the door, not even looking for his key, but just staring blankly ahead. Mike dug in his own pocket, glad that he had retained a key to the house, for emergency purposes, and give the way that Nick was acting, this was certainly one of those moments. He walked up the steps, and then squeezed round a virtually catatonic Nick, and unlocked the door; pushing it open, he waited for his friend to notice. When he didn't, Mike gently placed a hand on his back and guided him inside. Closing the door behind them, he walked round to face Nick, and carefully took the box from him; seeing what was inside told him at once that his assumptions were correct. Shaking his head sadly, he placed the box on the hall table, and turned to face Nick again, as he stood there expressionless, but now with tears gently running down his cheeks. "Oh, Nick…" said Mike sadly, and gently wrapped his arms around him. That was all that it took for the floodgates to be opened, and in moments, Mike found himself on his knees on the floor as Nick collapsed onto him, sobbing his heart out…

Half an hour later, Mike was shaking his head in disbelief in the kitchen as Nick finished his tale of woe. He could not take in exactly what he was being told…

"I knew that this would happen if I didn't go along with it. He made it quite clear in his tone when we talked that day; that not so subtle threat. What I hate, what I cannot forgive myself for is the fact that I nearly did go along with it all; it was only when I saw who the judge was that I knew that I couldn't, because she reminded me of that trial. I guess that stupidly I was hoping for some sort of miracle, that Lionel Vallent would suddenly develop a conscience; that will never happen, as he is rotten to the very core," said Nick sadly, his eyes still red and raw.

"He will be found out for what he is one of these days; people like that don't keep on winning forever."

"I hope that you are right, Mike, but just now all that I can think of is those poor people that he is going to try and destroy with his tissue of lies," sighed Nick, grateful that he had company at this moment. "Of course, the worst of all the consequences is still to come; he promised that he would destroy my career, and Grace's for that matter; and I think that he can and will. I might never work in the law in this city again, and all because I tried to see that justice was done."

"Surely people will see that, and pay no heed to him?"

"You would think so, but other people like him will just do what he says; for others, the fact that I jeopardised the whole trial by my actions, and failed to follow the instructions of my principal, however wrong, will count against me. I might manage to get a job in some small law firm on a tiny salary, but that will be about it. Principles, it would seem, are an expensive commodity in the law…"

"I would rather have them than any job," said Mike. "You will bounce back from this, trust me."

"I hope so Mike, I really do. Before that though comes the hardest part; I have to tell Jeff what has happened, and I do not know how I even begin to do that…"

"Start by cooking dinner, and then just tell him. All that he will care about is you anyway; your happiness is all that has ever been important to him." Nick nodded, knowing that Mike was right, but all the same…

Jeff knew that something was wrong the moment that he and little Wes got back from the Spotlight that night. It was before six, and the whole house smelt of cooking; dinner for certain, but he could detect an undernote of cookies. He had been expecting to be the first home, as Nick was always late home on trial days, and he had told him that morning that it would be after eight before he arrived home. By the aroma coming from downstairs, he had been home for hours…

He said nothing though as he walked down the stairs to find Nick at the stove, stirring a pot, in his shirt and tie, his suit jacket thrown casually on the couch. He smiled at his husband as he saw him, pausing to stroke Caleb, who was as usual rubbing himself in greeting against his legs. He placed a sleeping Wes in his crib, and smiled as Nick left his cooking to come and stand beside him, looking down at their son. "He has been good as gold all day," said Jeff cheerily. "Everyone at the diner fussed over him, as usual… So, what has happened, Nicky? Your suit jacket isn't hung up for a start. You've been home for hours, and don't deny it; I can smell the cookies that you baked."

"I can't hide anything from you, can I Jeffie… Yeah, something pretty big has happened. I've managed to get myself sacked. If my boss has his way, I will probably never work as a lawyer in this city again…"

Jeff looked at Nick uncomprehendingly; he couldn't understand what he had just been told. "You've been fired? But why, Nicky? You are such a good lawyer, and you have a good heart. Why would anyone want to sack you?"

"Because I broke the number one rule Jeffie. I said something out loud in the court which meant that the other side knew that I had no confidence in my case. I said it of course because I didn't have any in it, because I knew that the man in question was guilty, and I couldn't bring myself to stand there and try to argue that he wasn't. I am such an idiot, because I couldn't do what I am always supposed to do, and put my client first. That is why Mr Vallent fired me, and in that way, he was right to do so."

"No he wasn't! If he was guilty, and all of the evidence was there pointing to that fact, then you had to say something. Anyone that had a sense of right and wrong would do that!"

"Not if you're a lawyer, apparently. According to Mr Vallent, a good lawyer has to play it the way that the person that is paying them tells it. Maybe all of this is a good thing, because maybe I have been kidding myself all along; maybe law isn't for me, not in the real world. The big guy always wins, and the little folks lose, and that is how it has been since time began. Mr Vallent just pointed out what I should have known from day one; I am just not cut out for a law career."

Jeff snapped at that statement, driven by the sadness in his husband's face and tone. "That is baloney, Nicky, and we both know it! You have a sense of right and wrong that everyone else should envy, not try and defeat. You would never let anyone get away with breaking the rules, and you would defend someone's rights until your last breath! That is a good thing, and if the rest of the world cannot see what a wonderful, kind, loving man I am married to, then they are the ones with the problem!" Jeff stopped his tirade as he saw that Nick's eyes were now wet, and so he did what he needed to do. He took his husband into his arms and held him close, ignoring the tears that were forming in his own eyes at seeing the man he loved so broken and downhearted.

Eventually Jeff managed to steer Nick to the dining table, and into a seat; then he went to serve the dinner his husband had cooked. Nick had prepared spaghetti and meatballs, and if the sauce was a little overcooked and burnt, neither of them mentioned it. For dessert, Nick had prepared tiramisu as a treat for Jeff; he served it up as he insisted that Nick just sit at the table. Once he had plated two portions, he came back over to the table, and before putting a spoon in his mouth, said, "Okay, so I will call up Michelle in the morning, and tell her that I want to come back to work more or less full time; there are always shifts at this time of year, so it shouldn't be an issue. You can stay at home and look after little Wes; when you need to go to interviews and stuff, you can bring him to me at the Spotlight, because it won't be an issue for anyone."

"Jeffie, I can't let you do that," Nick blurted out. "You have your drawings to do, so if anyone should be asking Michelle for shifts, it should be me."

"And how do you get your CV out there if you're behind the counter at the Spotlight?"

"My CV? There isn't any real point in doing that, because even though he is probably the most odious man on the planet, Lionel Vallent has power. If he says don't hire him, then they won't hire me."

"We try first, and then, if that is the case, we go with Plan B, and exploit your other talent. We get you back into college so that you can earn all the necessary diplomas and stuff, and then we open up a bakery. Your cakes and cookies would sell so well, and you enjoy baking just as much as you love the law."

"That's true," said Nick with a hint of a smile for a second, but then despair and anger set in again. "It is just so unfair, Jeffie! The bad guys have won, and I hate it!"

"They will lose in the end, and you will win, trust me. Right, so just now I suggest we eat our dessert, wash up, and then after we get little Wes settled into his bed for the night, we run ourselves a nice hot bath and try and forget everything for a little while."

"That sounds good, my love," replied Nick, with a smile painted on his face. Inside his heart was broken, and it was all he could do not to just burst into tears again. He had to try for his husband and son though…


	100. Legal Problems

**Legal Problems**

News of what had happened to Nick on that first Monday in August only came to everyone else's ears the following day, when the man himself announced it on Facebook. As a true friend, Mike had said nothing about it to anyone, even Tina. There was a sense of moral outrage amongst them all that something like this could have happened. Thad was the first to call, to tell him that everyone he knew at Dalton was right behind him, and would support him as best as they could. Ethan and Beats asked around the moment they heard at their offices, to see if their respective employers needed a good lawyer on the staff, but to no avail. Flint did the same, and told his father-in-law the whole story. Mr Bernstein confirmed what Nick already knew; if Lionel Vallent said that you would never work in the law in the city again, then the chances are you wouldn't. He did say that if he had a vacancy, he would have offered it to him, but at the moment, there was nothing. He still promised to put a good word out for Nick in the ears most likely to be sympathetic.

Across town, someone else was doing the same thing; someone that felt that rather than censure, Nick Sterling-Duval deserved a medal for speaking out in the way he had. As it happened, she had some sway of her own, and she was determined to use it for him…

That first day afterwards was a hard one for Nick; he had woken at his usual time, not having reset his alarm, and for a moment he almost got up out of bed to get himself ready to head to work. Then the reality of his situation had come flooding back, and he realised that he had no reason to get up quite so soon anymore. There was no longer a desk with his name on it, and his pigeon hole would have been reassigned already. He lay there as his thought swirled through his brain, wondering exactly what was now in store for him, and where he was going now. He couldn't doze off again as a result, and Jeff was still sound asleep beside him; Nick climbed very carefully out of his bed as he did not want to wake him. He loved his husband, but as in all marriages, a little alone time was sometimes a bonus. As he walked past his son's cot, Wes stirred, and Nick was quick to pick him up and take him down into the kitchen with him.

Wes did not cry in his father's arms, just gurgled a little as he stared up at his father. Nick still could not help but feel that he had let his son down in some way; the paternal need to protect and provide was strong, and now he wasn't doing the latter. He wondered if he could be counted on to do the former… He prepared a bottle of milk for his son before even considering his own needs, and when he did, he chose a glass of juice over coffee; far safer when he was holding something so precious and special in his arms. He sat down at the table, and a little lightness entered his heart as he glanced down at his boy. In his arms was the evidence that he had done at least one thing right…

"You really do need to stop being quite so hard on yourself, Nicholas. After all, you did the right thing; that man is guilty as sin. To even attempt to defend him is in my opinion wrong."

Nick started a little at the sudden voice, but if he was honest he had been expecting to hear it long ago. "I know that, Wesley, but I almost did," he replied tetchily, using the full name of angel in question as he had used his. "I cast all of my principles to one side in my determination to hold on to a job that I didn't even particularly like, but that I felt I needed."

"And from that moment on, I knew that there was a deep internal conflict burning away inside of you, ripping you in two. All that matters is that in the end, you made the correct choice, and put the cat well and truly amongst the pigeons in the process. The trial is being postponed for four weeks, as the judge has also rejected the case, and the whole cost of that is being charged to your erstwhile employer. He has also been told that he can under no circumstances sue you for that cost, as it would be a major breach of professional ethics. What Lionel Vallent has done to you has attracted a lot of unwelcome attention on to him, and I think it is safe to say that his time will be running out very soon…"

"Whilst that is nice to know, I do wish that I had just said no right at the start, and had been able to resign with my head held high. It would have made it so much easier to find another job."

"That much is true; he does have a degree of influence, and even those that are not caught up in that will regrettably think twice about employing someone that has done what you did. However, there is always hope, my dove; trust me when I tell you that your life will be better now that you have taken this path."

"I guess so; running a bakery has to be less stressful that dealing with judges, bad clients and corrupt lawyers."

"Possibly, but would that be as satisfying for you at the end of the day?" mused Wes, a knowing smile on his face; after all, as an angel, he knew what was coming for Nick in the near future. "On a positive note, my namesake gets to spend more time with his daddy just now, which is no bad thing. My advice to you just now would be to see this as a holiday of sorts, and time in which to bond with your son. After all, you had no time just after he was born thanks to that man. Plus it also gives Jeff a break, because he does need it, not that he would ever admit that. It will let him use those talented hands of his for what he does best. For a start, he could draw a proud father and his son…"

That notion put a smile on Nick's face, and he resolved to suggest exactly that to his husband later. Posing for such a portrait would be a good way to spend his first day as an unemployed lawyer…

When Grace arrived at her office that morning, it was to find a letter from Mr Valllent sitting front and centre; she knew what it would say before she opened it, and sure enough, it was confirmation that her position was under review as party of the firm's drive for efficiency and modernisation. Grace knew that her dismissal wasn't being considered, it was a done deal; she put the letter back in its envelope, and placed it carefully in her bag for evidence in any case she brought against them later. She dealt with her morning workload, then headed out to lunch, meeting up with her fellow conspirators in the firm some distance away. She was greeted with warm smiles, and a toast was proposed to her brother. After all, his actions had angered Lionel Vallent so much that he was being less diplomatic than usual in his conversations with people, and was expressing his views much more frankly. All he was saying had been noted and in a couple of cases, it had been recorded…

"We know for a fact that he wants Grace gone ASAP, and we have a number of witnesses to that fact; people that will have no issue with testifying at a tribunal. We will win that case easily, given that he has told three people you are only being sacked as a further dig at your brother…" was the comment from the most long served of the women there.

"And any cash I win at such a tribunal I will plough almost entirely back into the new firm, save some for my poor brother. I think that we should begin to actively seek out premises…" replied Grace.

"I am ahead of you there; there happens to be a very well appointed suite of offices, recently refurbished, just a block away from here. The rent is reasonable, they are available now, and they do not require a large deposit. We will need to seek out an office manager though, and some level of secretarial cover."

"Well," said Grace quietly, "I might know someone that could easily run the office for us, and is just as fed up at that place as the rest of us; Valerie Pittman. I can talk to her later if we are all agreeable to such a move."

"Much as we would love to have her, she has been with the firm for years, Grace; she will never agree to leave."

"My brother's dismissal might just have been the straw that broke the camel's back on that score… Incidentally, speaking of Nick, might there be a job for him with the new firm, given how much he has helped us inadvertently. I know we said all female, but in the circumstances…"

"We said that for a reason, Grace; we have done extensive research, and that is what there is a real demand for. Women want a firm where they know it will be safe to come, and know they will be treated with real sympathy. I do feel sorry for your brother, and I know that without him taking his stand, we might not yet have reached this point, but we just can't have him working with us, however sympathetic he is to the rights of women. In any case, family law is not where his interests lie; he wants to be a human rights lawyer and he may well now get that opportunity. Lionel Vallent does not have everyone in this town in his pocket…"

"I am sure that he doesn't, but I know my brother; he has just had a son, and losing his job like this will be causing him to get totally stressed out."

"All I can say is this; if he still doesn't have a new job in three months time, then we can review this decision. I suppose that he could work for us behind the scenes, and do research work for us. Maybe in time we could open up our services to those in his own community with similar problems; after all, he is not the only gay man with children, and some of them will need a family lawyer somewhere down the line…"

Grace nodded, but knew then and there that her little brother would never be content to sit in an office all day, hidden from view, going through the files; nor for that matter would he ever want to head up a branch of the firm that was going after the gay divorce business. As the other women chatted, she tuned out for a while, and started to plan in her head how she was going to approach Miss Pittman that afternoon; how she could get her on her own, and ensure that no-one overheard the proposal that she was about to make to her…

As it happened, as she headed back to work after lunch, she ran into her in the lobby, and once she realised they were the only two people travelling in that particular elevator, she arranged for it to stick temporarily between two floors. Turning her face away from the CCTV camera, she made her offer to the older lady, and to her delight she discovered that her hunch had been correct. After two decades of loyalty to the firm, the way that Nick had been treated had been enough to convince Miss Pittman that it was time to quit. If in doing so she could go to a new position where she would feel she had got one over on Mr Vallent, then it was a case of so much the better…

The month of August felt like the longest one ever to Nick; as his sister desperately tried to get herself fired, he was equally desperately trying to get himself hired. He contacted all of the firms that he had before, asking if they had any vacancies for him now, given that he had the benefit of a year's work experience. All of them sent him a response, but all of them were in the negative. It was the tone of some of those replies that left him the most devastated. The bulk were terse, stating that they knew exactly why he was looking for a new position; and that in the light of what they saw as nothing less than insubordination, they could see no way that they would ever be in the position to offer him a job.

Two were more honest; one told him that if they had a vacancy at the moment, then they would offer it to him in a heartbeat for his brave stance, but unfortunately they were currently fully staffed, and there was no chance of a position opening up in the immediate future. The other said much the same, but added that the partners in the firm had no time for Lionel Vallent, and when they conducted their next business review, they would press for finance to open up a role for him; unfortunately, that review was not scheduled until January next year. To Nick, those letters were just another disappointment, but to Jeff the last was a reason to have some hope for the future. It wasn't as if they were short of money as a couple, and they could easily hold on until then. Nick could take on some shifts of his own at the Spotlight, just to keep him busy, along with some work at the free law clinic. In the meantime, he would also have more time to spend with his little family.

Nick knew that was true, but it would not make up for the fact that he no longer had a job. As the days turned into weeks, he began to despair of ever working again. Matters were made worse when the free law clinic declined his services after some of their other volunteers, associates of Mr Vallent, stated they would withdraw their own assistance if he was allowed on board. As the final week of August came, Nick decided that it was time to give up on the idea of the law, and began to look through online prospectuses for catering college…

Still, he hadn't given up entirely, and by the following day he was rejecting that idea once again. He said as much to Michelle as he worked the early shift with her at the Spotlight. As his shift ended, Jeff's began, and after the briefest of greetings, Nick left and headed home, little Wes strapped to him in a papoose. It saddened him to see Jeff having to work so hard, and worse was the fact that he was seeing less of him; it was like being back at college, where differing class times had kept him away from the man he loved so much. Worse still was the fact that Jeff seemed to have no time for his own art; in fact, his husband looked so tired just now, coping with childcare and work, and having no chance to break off and do what he loved. He had to fix things, and soon, before it all started to fall apart. He resolved to start calling law firms in New Jersey and Connecticut, even though the daily commute would kill him; and if he could only find a vacancy in property or family law, then so be it. He would have to swallow his pride for the sake of his family….

At that moment, his phone rang with an unknown number. Nick was usually very wary of those, but he reasoned that it could be a job offer this time, and so he answered it cautiously. "Hello?"

"Oh, hello, is that Mr Nick Sterling-Duval?"

"Yes."

"Good. I would like to speak to you about a very important matter, and it is something that I prefer not to do over the phone. Could we possibly arrange to have lunch tomorrow?"

Nick was taken aback, but he found himself saying, "I guess…" Ten minutes later he found himself sitting in the kitchen with a lunch date the following day - but still no idea who it was actually with…

When Jeff returned home that night, Nick said nothing of his plans for the following day. He knew so little about what was going on himself for one thing; all he knew was that he was meeting someone for lunch, and Jeff might feel much more wary about such an assignation than he had done at the time. Then there was the simple fact that he did not want to raise his own, or indeed his husband's hopes; there was the possibility that all this was, was someone trying to get information from him. If that was the case, then it would lead to nothing, except possibly more trouble. They had said that they had a proposition for him, but that could be just an offer of some cash to spill more details of his time working with Lionel. Nick wasn't sure that divulging stuff like that was the correct way to go, even if the man in question had conspired ever since to ruin his life. He did want the whole sorry affair exposed, but through the proper channels, not in the pages of some sordid gossip magazine.

His final consideration was that he could see the moment his husband walked in that he was tired out. He had looked after little Wes from first thing, then had done a full shift at the diner on a busy afternoon when someone had called in sick. For that reason alone, Nick would not tell him that he would be going out for lunch the next day. If Jeff had been off work, of course, he would have needed to find a plausible excuse, but as luck would have it, his husband had already agreed to go in over lunch the next day to cover for the missing member of staff. Of course, the flip side of that was that Nick now had to sort out a last minute babysitter for his son. He wasn't all that worried, as it was still college vacation time, albeit only just, and someone amongst his friends would no doubt be at home over lunchtime so that he could go to his meeting…

However, as the poet said, the best laid plans of mice and men…

By 11.30 the next morning, Nick was nearly pulling his hair out. It seemed that he was the only one of the entire group of friends in the street that was actually at home, Aunt Grace was at work of course, and his final thought, Uncle Cooper, was also out at the theatre, helping to rehearse a new understudy in their part. He was due at the restaurant in just under 30 minutes; he was already dressed and ready to go, but in his arms was his son; a little boy he could not leave alone, or with strangers. It was too late now for him to take his son to the Spotlight and hand him over to his papa with apologies as he could not find a sitter; firstly because he would be late for the meeting as it was in Midtown, the opposite way, and secondly because Jeff would immediately want to know why he was only hearing about the meeting now, and had been kept out of the loop…

As Wes observed his father with his tiny eyes, Nick suddenly knew he had no other option; if the people that he was meeting for lunch at that restaurant near Grand Central didn't like it, then that was there problem, and frankly, he would probably not be able to work for them if they felt that way. He had all of the necessary bags packed in anticipation of finding a sitter, including one which held a collapsible crib, a gift from his mom. He quickly changed Wes into the little Dalton blazer cardigan so he looked smart, then strapped the papoose on over his suit, and placed his son inside it. Then he gathered up his bags, and headed out of the door, crossing his fingers and hoping that the subway would be on time for once, and get him swiftly across town to his destination.

By some miracle, the trains were punctual, the first arriving just as he got onto the platform, and then by another miracle, he made the connection to the shuttle at Times Square smoothly. He arrived at the restaurant with a literal minute to spare, and stepped in the door, laden with bags, to the slight glare of the snooty looking hostess. "I am sorry for bringing so much in with me ma'am, but I have a very important lunch meeting, and I was thwarted in my search for a sitter. The person I am meeting should be waiting for me - my name is Nick Sterling-Duval…"

The hostess no longer looked angry, instead she looked sympathetic from the moment that she heard his name. She nodded, and then taking the bag with the crib from him, she showed him over to a table where two men in their fifties and a woman in her thirties were waiting. He saw them stare at him with a little surprise when they saw what he was bringing over with him, but nonetheless they stood up as he approached to greet him.

"Mr Sterling-Duval? It was good of you to come at short notice…"

"It was not a problem, but first off, can I just make an apology. I tried and failed to find a sitter at short notice, and as my boy here is just a few weeks old, I had no option other than to bring him with me. I hope that will not be an issue…"

"Far from it," said the woman with a smile. "We had been told that you and your husband had recently been so blessed…"

The hostess had whilst this was going on set up the crib for Nick, and with that in place, Nick began to undo the straps on the papoose so that he could take his son out. With gentle care he placed little Wes in his crib, where he lay peacefully; he had fallen asleep during the journey, and remained so now, with a smile on his face…

"He is just perfect," the woman continued, as she glanced down at him from where she was standing at Nick's side. "And so well behaved too. Now if he needs you at any point during our discussions, do not hesitate to attend to him. Now, time for introductions; my name is Claire Worthington, and these are my two immediate seniors, Dr Hugo Schultz, and Dr Ernest Hansen. We have been told quite a lot about you in the last few weeks, and we wanted to meet you informally face to face…"

Nick immediately wondered who it was that had told the three strangers all about him, and could only hope that whoever it was, was on his side, and not in league with his erstwhile boss. The last thing that he needed was to be made to feel stupid all over again, or that would criticise him for not supporting his boss in a case that should be, in his opinion, unwinnable.

As if they were reading his mind, Dr Schultz spoke at that point. "Let us set your mind at rest, Mr Sterling-Duval. All that we have been told about you is positive, and that includes, at least in our collective opinion, the circumstances in which you were recently dismissed from your job. In fact, we believe that there is a clear case for a wrongful dismissal lawsuit there. If the system was more equitable, then we would strongly argue for you to launch a suit against Mr Vallent and the firm as a whole. We do however know that as things currently stand, you would probably be unsuccessful, and that is one of the many things that we would like to see alter in this country."

"What are your personal opinions on workplace rights, Mr Sterling-Duval?" asked Miss Worthington.

"I believe that in general, as long as they have followed the policies and guidelines set out by their employer, workers have a basic right to a degree of job security. No-one should ever lose their livelihood on the grounds of sex, religion, race, or sexuality. No employer should be allowed to bully or intimidate staff to the point that they are scared to dissent when requested to do something; where they are afraid to go against their employer even when they can see that something is clearly wrong. Unions should be recognised and family friendly policies should be the norm; at the same time, nobody should be forced to join a union if they do not wish to do so. People will no doubt say that such policies will cost a lot of money to implement, but happier staff work harder and more productively, and the drop in absenteeism alone would be a gain to the employer." Nick stopped at that point, aware that three pairs of eyes were focussed on him; three people were nodding in agreement and smiling at him as he spoke…

Over the course of the lunch, Nick found himself answering many more such questions on rights related issues, but increasingly on a much more global scale. He answered all of them from his heart, but nor before carefully thinking about what he would say, thus avoiding any potential traps he might stumble into; he did not want to blow any chance of a job in the future from the get go. Human rights were a subject that he was passionate about after all, and since leaving college he had not had much of an opportunity to express his views. He relished this chance to expound his views and theories to what appeared to be a very receptive audience. He hoped that he was reading the signs correctly and that they were indeed with him on the issue.

His next big surprise came just after dessert arrived; Mr Hansen asked him about his research into the female victims of the Montgomery scandal. He immediately wondered who at Columbia might have had a hand in setting this meeting up; after all, the school pledged to take care of its alumni. He relished the opportunity to talk about his work, having been scared that the paper he had prepared on the subject would have been consigned to lie in a dusty filing cabinet. Then as they finished dessert, little Wes woke up and began to cry. Nick excused himself at once, knowing at once why he was crying, and he headed off in the direction of the restroom. He was delighted to discover that there was a baby changing station in the men's room, which was so unusual even these days. He made a mental note that once he a job again, he would bring Jeff here for dinner, safe in the knowledge that they catered for the needs of fathers with babies…

When he returned to the table, Miss Worthington was the first to speak. "We are glad that we have had this opportunity to meet you face to face, Nick. It has served to confirm everything that we were told about you; that you are passionate about human rights issues, and about ensuring that justice is for everyone, not just the wealthy few; that you are an erudite young man, with a kind, loving heart. The way that you care for your son just proves the latter."

"Thank you for saying so, ma'am. It is just a pity that there aren't more people that appreciate those qualities in a lawyer in New York," Nick replied with a wry smile.

"Well, we do," said Dr Schultz. "Whilst you were away, we had a little conversation amongst ourselves; we all agree that you are the ideal candidate, and as such we would like to offer you a position here and now."

Nick blinked, and almost pinched himself as he heard those words. Had he just been offered… "What position is that, sir? With all due respect, I don't actually know who you work for, or indeed where you are based…"

The three others looked at each other, and then started to laugh. "You are of course quite correct in that statement, Mr Sterling-Duval. We decided that it was best to say nothing to you at the start, so that you would talk naturally, and not let who we were and where we work influence your words," responded Dr Hansen. "Quite simply, we work on the East River. We want you to come and join us in our work at the Human Rights department at the United Nations."

Nick found himself blinking his eyes rapidly, unable to believe what he had just heard. Had he just been offered his dream job? To work for any firm that always put the rights of people first had always been his ambition, but now he was being given the chance to take on a role that was much better. In such a role his job would not be about securing the rights of one or two people; it would potentially be about securing those basics for the entire world, and that was something to be savoured… However, he wondered if this might all just be an elaborate hoax or a waking dream; or maybe he had just misheard what had just been said to him… After all, an organisation like the United Nations had to be able to make their pick from far better qualified people than him, and they had to have a very strict and proper recruitment process; they would not just take someone into their employ after a chat over lunch at a restaurant…

"Mr Sterling-Duval? Are you okay?" came the voice of Miss Worthington, invading his thoughts. "You seemed to have zoned out for a moment there, though admittedly that is quite understandable given the circumstances."

"I'm sorry, it's all just a bit of a shock is all, to be honest. I wasn't expecting this meeting to be an interview…"

"Particularly given the setting, I suspect? Normally, we would indeed hold our interviews for positions within an office environment, but this felt more appropriate in your case," replied Miss Worthington. "We have actually had your information on our files for some time; you came to our attention when we conducted our annual review of student works in the field of Human Rights. Your paper on the Montgomery case was sent to us by your professors at Columbia. You probably do not recall that our name is one on the list of places that your CV would also be sent by the college careers service. You came out top of our selection, but this time last year we had no forthcoming vacancies. When a place did become available in July, we noted with regret that you were in employment, and we do not poach from other firms. We searched this years graduates, and all agreed that none were equal to you. Then at the start of this month, a conference and series of meetings saw all three of us out of the office, and it was only when we returned mid month that we finally became aware of your change of circumstances."

"That is a very polite way of saying that I was dismissed from my position for disobeying my senior's instructions and jeopardising the case as a consequence," said Nick in reply.

"From what I have been told, you refused to go along with a conspiracy to deny justice from people that deserved it," said Dr Hansen. "That is certainly the opinion of the judge that was then trying that case. I believe that she also had you as a witness in the case of Hunter Clarington?" Nick nodded, blushing slightly as he recalled what he had done in that courtroom. "She is a well regarded judge, and she happened to attend college with my wife. She knew that we had a vacancy, and she wrote to my wife about you…"

"I can't believe that she took the time to write to you about me," Nick said quietly.

"She did, because she recognised the same thing that we did; that you have a passion for justice and the law. That is the reason why we want you working for us on a permanent basis…"


	101. A Bright Future Awaits

**A Bright Future Awaits.**

It was after four that afternoon that Nick arrived home from his lunch date. He had ended up walking the entire way back to the West Village, a big smile on his face. It felt as if the weight of the world had just been lifted from his shoulders. The sun seemed brighter and the air clearer; the traffic noise and bustle of the city around him was almost soothing. His son was looking up at him from within his papoose with a contented smile, having gained several new friends in the restaurant for his good behaviour. On stepping through the front door, he was immediately greeted with an accusatory miaow, as Caleb reminded him that he had been much longer than he intended, and as a result, in the cat's opinion, he was nearing the point of starvation. Nick had hastened to feed him once he had placed little Wes in his crib, apologising to him as he did so, and showing that much by placing fresh salmon in his bowl. Caleb dove on to it in a heartbeat, almost sure that he had made a mistake in doing so, and not wanting to see it taken away again. As he ate, his contented purring filling the room, all anger at the tardiness of his human forgotten, Nick made a point of feeding his son too. Then, with cat and baby satisfied, he began to prepare dinner for himself and Jeff. He opted for home made burgers, cooking them on the grill. After all, it was getting on, and he knew that his husband would be home very soon, and would be hungry, as he always was…

Jeff could tell that something had happened which had drastically altered Nick's mood the moment that he walked through the front door and saw him. He had been getting more than a little worried as his husband had grown more and more despondent over time. He washed his hands, then settled down at the table as Nick did the final touches to the meal, serving up the burgers just the way Jeff liked them, with a healthy side of fries. Jeff ate at once, but waited in anticipation for Nick to speak.

"So, I had a lunch date today. I should have mentioned it to you last night, but I decided that it might turn out to be nothing, so I kept it to myself. I shouldn't have done…"

"It's okay, Nicky. I can guess why you didn't tell me; you didn't want to raise my hopes then dash them. Did it go well?"

"I did. I thought at the time that it was just a conversation I had been asked for, but with hindsight, I can see that I was being interviewed. Upshot is, they ended up offering me a job, and I might have accepted it…"

Jeff dropped his burger back onto the plate, and leapt up to hug his husband. "That is wonderful Nicky! I knew that you would get another one! I am so pleased for you, as long as you aren't just settling for the first thing that comes along…"

"I am not settling in any way, shape or form, trust me on that. The job is at the UN, Jeffie. The UN…"

Jeff's jaw dropped for a moment, and then he smiled all the wider. "That is your dream come true, isn't it! You so deserve this after all you have been through! I hate Lionel Vallent, but now I am kind of glad that he did what he did to you. It left you free and able to take up this job instead…"

"I never looked at it like that," said Nick with a grin of his own. "If he hadn't decided to involve me in that case, then I would still be stuck in my little cubicle, trying my hardest to win for the little people, but finding myself frustrated at every turn. Maybe they would have approached me in any case eventually, but I don't think so. My being available was an advantage, particularly as they want me to start work next week…"

"That soon! Well, I am just so pleased for you, because I know that the last few weeks have been a living nightmare for you. I will need to let Michelle know that I want to reduce my number of shifts at the Spotlight again."

"There are a couple of other things that I need to tell you about my new job first. I will need to work the occasional Saturday, and even a Sunday in an emergency, but it is more or less a Monday to Friday, eight to five-thirty job. I won't have the late nights anymore, as they have an evening shift for that already. They also were at pains to point out that they have a well regarded crèche facility for children of employees, so when our little boy is older, we could start to take advantage of that. I know that you don't mind taking care of him, but there might be times when you need to do stuff, so it is a benefit. A standby for those emergencies."

"You do make a very good point, and it would help him to make friends," mused Jeff.

"Now the bad things. I will have to work abroad for a year at some point in the future. It is a requirement of the job, and it will be before little Wes starts at school. You would both be able to come with me, or there would be regular flights home at the organisation's expense. Even before that, I will have to travel to Geneva every so often, for a few days at a time." He paused, and saw a sadness on Jeff's face. "I should possibly have waited to say yes after I had spoken to you, given the impact that will have on our little family…"

Jeff's smile had faltered a little, but it came back now. "Maybe Nicky, but I probably would have told you to take it anyway. I will miss you like crazy when you are away, but if it is only for a few nights at a time at the most, I will survive. I have good neighbours and friends close by to keep me company."

"The funny thing about it all is that the first time we went to Europe, we passed through Geneva airport en route to Prague, and I had a funny feeling then that I would be seeing a lot more of that airport in future…"

"My big concern though is the idea of you being abroad for a whole year. I know that you said we could come, but I don't like the idea of taking our little boy somewhere dangerous…"

"I expressed that same opinion, but they assured me that it would be in a safe, and probably English speaking nation, or Berlin, given the fact that I am fluent in German. It is a while off yet in any case, and I do have some say as to where we actually end up."

"In that case, it is less a worry and more an excitement as I consider it. We will need to choose somewhere with good landmarks and scenes for me to sketch whilst you are at work all day though; plus there have to be things for Wes to enjoy himself as well."

"Agreed. The two most important people in my life will be depending on me to make the right choice then; my beautiful husband and my son…" At that moment, they both heard Wes stir, and Jeff was quickly out of his seat and heading across to his crib to see that he was okay. Nick watched and stifled a laugh as Jeff's first action was to sniff the air cautiously, and then to pick their boy up and cradle him in his arms, his face lighting up as he did so. Nick was more convinced than ever now that Jeff had been right; it really was the perfect time for them to have a child, whilst they were young and fit. Losing his job had made him doubt the wisdom of their decision for a while, but that had been a blessing in disguise. He now had a better job, and he had been given valuable bonding time with his son.

Jeff came back to sit at his side once again, whispering "Your daddy is so smart and clever," to Wes as he did so.

"As is your papa," Nick added as his husband settled back into his seat. "Right, so there is one final thing, and it will be the hardest of them all. We can't say anything about this to anyone else until Saturday, as the United Nations likes to announce all of its appointments in the press first. So it stays between you, me and little Wes until then. I know that Grace will be overjoyed for me when she finds out, but I still can't help feeling so guilty that she is going to lose her job too because of all of this."

"That isn't your fault, and she has told you as much. Mr Vallent had every intention of sacking her regardless of your actions, and she has plans for the future of her own. Of course, there will be certain other people that do know; a group of angels, who can of course be trusted not to spill the beans."

Nick laughed, and then wrinkled his nose a little. "Okay," said Jeff with a laugh, "I guess that it is my turn to change him. I suppose that dessert could wait a little while if we put it back in the fridge; instead we could give our boy his bath now and see that he is really clean; it isn't too early."

"It can wait, and we can bath him together. Then we can get him settled for the night, which might mean we can have a bath time of our own tonight?" asked Nick with a coy smile.

"That would be very nice, Nicky. I love you so much right now; I am so proud of my international rights lawyer husband…" Jeff leaned over and kissed him, then stood up to head for the bathroom, with Nick right behind him.

Nick's lunch on Wednesday had proved to be his dream come true; he still woke up on the Thursday morning and wondered if it had all been a dream. When he checked his E-Mail and saw one from the UN, with a contract and formal job offer letter attached, he knew it had not been. He smiled again as he saw that; at that moment, Jeff walked into the kitchen, and he promptly ran over to grab him, before virtually waltzing him round the room, to the sound of Jeff's laughter and the consternation of Caleb. He fled to the safety of his bed as his humans had one of their mad moments. The impromptu dance only stopped as the sound of the kettle boiling was heard, and seconds later, their son made his presence known too. As they sat down to breakfast, Jeff secretly wondered how he was going to manage to resist telling someone the good news; then again, given the complete reversal of his husband's mood, it was more likely that he would unconsciously give the game away.

His husband's good fortune was great for him too, as with all the extra shifts he had been taking on to avoid them having to dig into their savings had meant that his own work had been seriously neglected. He had not lifted a pencil other than to write on an order pad in nearly two weeks, and he had so much that he wanted to draw, not least his son. It would have to be done whilst he was asleep, as otherwise he would not be still for nearly long enough. He resolved to ask Michelle for a week off in the near future, so he could get back into the swing of things, not least because he had a lot of his illustration work coming up, and he hadn't even started to prepare for it as he usually did. Nick knew this of course, and he too had begun to plan how they could achieve the best work/life balance for them all. It helped that the UN had such wonders as a crèche on the premises. Maybe not yet, but certainly once he was a little older, Wes could go there at least one day a week to give Jeff some extra freedom.

Nick and Jeff were not the only people in the circle of friends that had something to keep quiet. Santana had been busy with her work on _Evita_ , having bowed to the inevitable and agreeing to at least do the workshop for the part. She still declined to perform the most iconic of the songs yet though. She had happily run through all of the rest, and had worked with the other key cast members, and was actually starting to believe that just maybe she could manage the part. The thought of singing _Don't Cry for me, Argentina_ was still a daunting one. She had tried a few bars of it at home, when Brittany was out, but to her mind she had sounded pitchy and off key. What made it worse was the fact that she had no-one that she could copy, to listen to in a room live and in person, so she could compare her own efforts. The show's director and producer had been patient with her up to now, but sooner or later…

There was someone though that had been watching, and now knew what had to be done; also knew that they had to assemble a good audience that could give Santana a spectrum of opinions before she had to show those directly involved in the actual production. The word went out, and a number of calls were made, one in particular to the crew at the theatre. That Thursday was to be the time…

Santana had no idea anything was amiss until after a break she returned to the auditorium in the theatre they were using for rehearsal at 6pm to find that the rest of the cast and crew had headed home, but instead there were a number of familiar faces seated in the stalls. She noted Isabelle first, and at her side Carmen Tibideaux, who had got her here in the first place. Brittany was sitting alongside Kitty, Marley and Artie in the front row, and behind them sat Flint, Beats and Ethan. Across the aisle sat Nick and Jeff - and to her eye Nick looked a lot happier, so something was going on. Beside them was a tetchy Sebastian, glancing at his watch, as he needed to be two blocks further north in an hour or less.

"Okay, so what is this? An intervention of some kind?" asked Santana.

"I was approached by Mr Hummel, and he informed me that you were having issues with one song. Thus with his help I have assembled an audience of your peers to listen and give their opinion first," replied Carmen.

At that moment they all heard footsteps coming down the aisle, and they all observed Mike and Tina first. Behind them, to everyone's delight and surprise came Puck and Quinn, with Trent and Rory. They all quickly sat down as Santana just stared and muttered under her breath "I am going to kill him for this!"

"It's too late for that Satan," said Sebastian, whose hearing was as sharp as ever. "So any chance we could get on with it? Some of us have a mission…"

She glared at him briefly, then spoke again. "The thing is that I haven't even sung a couple of lines of the song in question myself. If he thinks that I can just sing it right now, with no rehearsal or warning, then he is mistaken. It is not that simple…"

"I know that it isn't, Santana, which is why I have arranged for you to hear it performed first by a professional," came a voice. Santana spun round to glower at Kurt as he stood by Blaine on the stage. "Oh cheer up. It isn't Rachel that will be singing it. It's going to be me…"

Before anyone could say anything, the first notes of the introduction were playing, and Blaine was moving to stand at one side. Trent, who had taken a seat next to the other three musketeers, sighed and smiled broadly as he settled back in his seat. The other three and Rory looked at him, and he replied "Trust me, this is going to blow you away… it did that to me the last time that I heard him sing it at Dalton. And to be honest, he should have got that solo…"

"Yes, that was one of the few mistakes that I made as Head Warbler; he should have been given that solo," came a voice from behind them, and without turning round they all knew who was there. They could all picture him now, probably staring at his namesake as he slept in his father's arms. Then the music stopped and Kurt began to sing. Trent closed his eyes, and could picture himself sitting there in the Senior Commons at Dalton as a sophomore, feeling his heart melt as the countertenor's voice had filled the room. The same memories were filling the heads of the three senior boys that were sitting close by. They agreed with Wes that they had robbed Kurt of his chance when they had voted to go with convention instead of being brave and trying something new…

For the other's in the room, this was the first time that they had heard him sing this, and all of them sat spellbound as Kurt filled each line of the song with the emotion that it deserved. Jeff could feel tears beginning to prick at his eyes, as he thought how much worse the world was for the loss of such a powerful voice. Nick saw this and gently took his hand in his own, which gave him the strength not to burst into sobs. Sebastian for his part sat open mouthed and wide eyed at the sheer talent that was on the stage before him, something that he had never fully recognised in Kurt in his youth.

Kurt's former classmates from McKinley were equally in awe. Quinn was having to share her tissues with Puck, not for the first time. Mike had already taken Tina into his arms before the first note had even been sung, anticipating rightly that it would reduce her to tears. Artie too was crying, and not ashamed of the fact that his friend's performance had reduced him to that state. For Isabelle and Carmen, this performance was just another sign of the talents of the young man who had found a place in both of their hearts. The latter was convinced more than ever now that had he lived, Kurt would have been crowning glory of the New York theatre scene; the King of Broadway.

Of course, the focus of Kurt's performance was the reluctant Evita before him, whose wife was leaning into her with moisture building up rapidly in her eyes. As she watched, Santana began to see exactly how the song should be performed. It was a cry from the deepest reserves from the heart; a plea for forgiveness and a hope for a better future. It was the lament of a strong woman that had allowed others to sway her from her path in life, and now sought the love and respect of all those that she had hurt in the process once more. She had the ability to sing this; she just had to fix her mindset on a situation that had been similar in her own life, the things that had caused her the heartbreaks of her own. She knew at once that if she thought of the pain she had felt when her Abuela had rejected her, she could fill each syllable of the song with the same level of emotion that Kurt was putting into them right now.

As he sang the last note, Blaine swept in from the side, and pulled Kurt into a tango, a dance filled with heat and passion. As they swept across the stage, leaving Mike to wonder who had choreographed them so well, the assembled audience felt nothing but delight in their hearts.

Then the music stopped, and the dance was over. Kurt was immediately addressing Santana again. "It is all about the emotion; you have to take your rawest emotions and expose them. I think that when I first sang this in public I was thinking about how I had been forced out of McKinley by Karofsky; how I had nearly lost my dad; how someone was so oblivious to me at the time…" Kurt paused as several former Warblers laughed as they knew immediately who he was talking about, and the fact that Blaine was staring blankly at them did nothing to help. Eventually, Kurt was able to carry on. "The key to this song is to fill it with your pain, just as the key to _Another Suitcase…_ "

"Is to fill it with despair," replied Santana. "I get it now, and yes, I think that I will be able to sing it. There is enough pain in my past to draw on for inspiration after all…" Kurt nodded, aware of exactly what things she was alluding to. "And I might also suggest the dance at the end to the director too; it was raw, full of passion, and it should resonate well with the audience. Whilst we are at it, I think that you were a massive hit with this audience too…" Kurt looked up at the assembled guests, and suddenly found himself being applauded warmly and loudly…

After Kurt had taken his bows, and encouraged Blaine to do the same, the applause eventually died down. Before anyone could say anything there was the sound of someone clearing their throat, and everyone turned their attention to the source, Sebastian, who was standing on his feet and looking a little sheepish. "Firstly, can I just compliment Kurt on his performance; if I had known just how talented he was back in school, I would never have been so unkind to him - though then I would nevre have gained the nickname Meerkat, which I used to detest but have since grown to love. Secondly, from what I have overheard in the gossip circles, Santana is going to blow everyone's minds with her performance as Evita Peron, and the idea of adding that tango at the end of the song is just so inspired. I hope to be able to join you all on her opening night, just as long as it doesn't clash with my own…" He paused, and watched just how quickly some people caught what he was implying. "It isn't just _Evita_ that is being revived in the near future; an even older musical is coming back, given the recent success of _Carousel_ and _My Fair Lady_ \- and I have been offered the lead. I admit that I wasn't sure at first, but then I thought that if Santana could give up her comfort zone, then so could I. So we began the first read throughs for _Oklahoma!_ at the start of this week, and I have to admit that it is more than a little scary, given that Aunt Eller is none other than Laurie Metcalfe. She is far too young for the part in my opinion, and I told her that… Anyway, I now have an Aunt Laurie to go alongside Auntie Bette. So anyways, I hope that we don't clash, but if we do, you can all come to my second night instead…"

"Congratulations, Meerkat," said Santana with a grin. "The good thing is of course that we won't be competing for a Tony…"

"That's true," said Sebastian with a chuckle. "Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, I do know who the new Elder Price is going to be…"

It was about an hour later that everyone got the notification on Facebook, as Sebastian had said nothing more, mainly because he realised he was going to have to run to reach his own performance on time. It was a picture of Sebastian handing the Elder Price badge over to Mason, who looked as if he was about to explode with happiness. It was not a public post, and all of them were sworn to the tightest secrecy. For Carmen Tibideaux, the news was proof that she had once again selected correctly when choosing the students for NYADA. Three of her former students would soon be leads on Broadway, with a fourth in a major role in a big show. Sam Evans was also doing well and earning a name for himself, and it was strongly rumoured that he would be moving to a new address very soon - _Avenue Q_. It appeared that Ohio had been a fertile breeding ground for talent in those few short years, given how Marley had made a name for herself with her singing voice as well. Of course, she also counted Kurt and Blaine amongst her success stories, even if they had never performed in their lifetime on the great white way, and then there was Cooper…

She still had further ambitions for them all, and as she returned home that evening she had one idea firmly in the front of her mind. One show that would see two of her great success stories united on stage, recreating a moment that she had seen when a memorial had become a wedding. That would have to go one hold for now, but she had already sown the seeds of the scheme with a number of producers and she was certain that once Santana was established, it would only be a matter of time before it came to fruition…


	102. A New Start for Nick

**A New Start for Nick**

With good news for those involved in the theatre, the friends were all already happy when Saturday morning came along. Nick was up and about early, not a difficult task with a baby in the house, and he had taken a morning stroll with little Wes in his papoose, mainly to buy a copy of the _New York Times_. He smiled as he quickly found exactly what he was looking for, and when Jeff came down a little later, he was just as pleased to see the confirmation in black and white, as it meant he no longer had to keep the whole thing a secret. About 7.30am, Nick sent a quick text to his sister, knowing she would be up - _'Today's Times; Page 14, 6_ _th_ _Column_ _'_ \- and waited…

Across town in Murray Hill, Grace was getting ready to leave for the office when his missive arrived, and she regarded it quizzically for a moment before heading out. She picked up a copy of the paper at the drugstore on her way to the subway, and once outside, turned to the relevant page. She scanned down, then stopped as he eyes widened. She suddenly found herself punching the air in a most unladylike manner and laughing, much to the confusion of those other New Yorkers that were early on the go. In a moment she was calling her brother. He answered immediately of course, and she was quick to speak.

"The UN! Nick, I am beyond happy for you! This is your dream job! I am going to take great pleasure when I get to work in photocopying the article in the paper, highlighting it, and sticking it on the bulletin board. It will be another nail in my own coffin, but that is more than okay. We are planning to leave en masse in late September, just as soon as our new offices are fully ready. But enough of me, this is your big day, little brother… Have you told mom yet, because I am sure she will be every bit as delighted as me… And can I tell Coop?"

"No I haven't and yes, you can," replied Nick with a laugh at how overexcited his big sister sounded. "At the moment, the only other person that knows is Jeff, and that will be it for now, because I seriously doubt anyone else will see that little article in the _Times…_ "

As it happened, Nick was wrong in his assumption that morning. Ethan had woken earlier than usual that Saturday, having had one of his very occasional disturbed nights, when thoughts of Drew filled his head. He had used the extra time to begin the process of sorting out Flint's old room for his cousin Leo, who had been accepted for the MTA apprentice scheme, and would be coming to live in the city in just a couple of weeks time. This begun, he had decided on a whim to head to the local bakery to pick up some fresh bagels for his breakfast, before he headed down to the temple for a chat with the rabbi about his nightmares. This was the best day to purchase them, as they were always plentiful and delicious. As he passed the drug store on the way home, he remembered that he would need new toothpaste soon, so popped in to buy some, and on a whim, picked up the paper too.

Sat at the kitchen table with bagels, coffee and a glass of juice, he began to scan through the main section of the paper, pausing to read articles that interested him, and also to see what the President had done now… Why his eyes would have taken him to the little article headed _New Appointees at the U.N._ he would never be sure, but he paused when he saw it, and read. A smile spread across his face as he did. "Nice one, Nick!" he said out loud to the empty house, and decided that he had to call Flint and see if he knew - but only after he had sent a congratulatory text to the young man two doors along…

In Washington DC, Burt Hummel would come across the information in another source altogether. He had begun to read the weekly U.N. briefings as a way of staying on top of world affairs, but normally he would scan over the section on staff. It was no different that Saturday morning, and he flipped the booklet over to read the other page. Across the table Carole was eating her own breakfast, and chanced to look up at the page he had just ignored. She saw the familiar name in black and white, and smiled. "Burt, do you think that is our Nick?" she asked quietly.

Her husband looked confused for a moment, until she pointed at the piece she was reading. He flipped the booklet back over and read, coming across the words Columbia graduate 2018, and nodding. "Good for him! If there is anyone that would be a prefect fit for that job, he is. After what happened to him with that terrible boss of his, this news is all the sweeter." He picked up his phone, and sent of a quick message to Trent, telling him to read the U.N. briefing at once, and what page he needed to look at first…

Nick was pleased to receive the message of congratulations from Ethan, which arrived almost the moment that he had hung up on his sister. A few minutes later he had a message from Flint, and how he knew was obvious. The one from Burt was a pleasant surprise; obviously there were more people reading the _Times_ than he thought. At that moment his phone began to ring, and he picked it up in full expectation of what was about to happen next…

"Oh God, Nick! I am so, so happy for you! When did it all happen?"

"Wednesday. They invited me out for lunch, not telling me who they were, and it kind of turned out to be my interview… So, I am guessing that Burt told you, Trent?"

"Yeah; he told me I needed to read this week's U.N. briefing urgently, and what page to start on, and there it was; Nick Sterling-Duval, Legal Associate, Human Rights Division. I hope that you will send a copy of that briefing to that despicable boss of yours, ideally with a thank you note attached. Anyways, I am guessing that by the lack of post on Facebook you haven't told Thad yet?"

"No, I haven't; to be honest, I haven't told my mom yet…"

"You haven't told your mom! She might get the U.N. briefing through Sue, so I would do it ASAP unless you are feeling reckless. I will speak to you later, so you can get on and do it. By the way, next time I am up in New York, we will be having a celebration for this…"

Nick's mom would react in the same way as his sister had; thankfully, she did not read the U.N. briefing, but now that her son was going to be working there and might get a mention every so often, she made up her mind to subscribe. She told him that she would call his grandparents and let them know, but that he would have to call them up himself later as they would wish to speak to him in person. He readily agreed, knowing how much he owed them. If they had not given him refuge when his father had reacted to his coming out, he might not be in the position he was in now.

Then it was time to call the Head Warbler. When he answered, Nick said, "Good Morning Thad! How is everything at Dalton? Freshmen full of promise of Warbler glory and the prospect of an unprecedented hat trick at Nationals?"

"Hmm, you sound far too cheerful this morning compared to how you have been. In answer to your question, there are a couple of new boys that seem very promising so far, but we still have more auditions to get through. So, tell me, what has made you so cheerful? Please tell me it isn't alcohol or drugs, prescription or otherwise…"

"I am full of joy because I have a new job; I found out on Wednesday, but have only been able to tell people other than Jeff since it was made official and published in the media. You are now speaking to a very, very junior legal person at the United Nations…"

There was a moment of silence, and then Thad responded in hushed, almost reverential tones. "The U.N…. That is just perfect; it is where you should have been right from the start, not swamped by the pressures of big law. So you will be officially out of the USA every day during working hours Monday to Friday; that is also quite something. The Carmichaels are going to be so proud and pleased when they find out, because as far as I am aware, I don't think there has ever been a Dalton boy, let alone a Warbler, working in that particular global organisation. Does it mean you will have to travel abroad as well?"

"Yes, I will have to from time to time, and that is the only thing that worries me; you know how Jeff can get… Anyway, I give you permission to put it on the Warbler Facebook page, and to go and tell the Carmichaels; I can sense you are desperate to go and tell them…"

Thad laughed, then said, "Of course I can do that for you. Anyway, I am just so pleased for you; after all, it is time that you started to look forward to going to work every day after all…"

The first two people that would actually congratulate Nick in person that day were Beats and Mike; the former had heard the news from Ethan, and had not thought twice about dropping everything and heading straight round, not even waiting when he was told that Flint would be coming down in a little while and they could all pop in together. He had decided that he was going to get in first for once, at least in person. As he waited for his ring on the doorbell to be answered he was joined on the steps by Mike, who was clutching a copy of the _Times_ in his hand, and was grinning away like the Cheshire Cat. It was Jeff that opened the door, also with a huge smile on his face, and little Wes cradled in his arms.

"He is on the telephone downstairs to his grandparents, who are beyond pleased that all of his troubles are only 'little ones' again. As for me, I am just relieved that I no longer have to keep the news a secret, and I can say to anyone that enquires that my husband works at the United Nations. Admittedly, the job does come with a few minor compromises for me, most notably the fact that Nicky will have to travel to Geneva every so often; as long as he is happy, then that is all that matters to me if I am honest…."

Jeff stopped talking as they all heard the sound of feet running up the steps from the kitchen, and then Nick appeared behind him, smiling but shaking his head. "My grandfather can talk for hours if you let him; they are both so pleased for me though, and of course it is my grandmother's ladies circle meeting this afternoon, where she will no doubt be telling everyone ad nauseam about her grandson's new job in international law…."

"Which is true," remarked Mike. "You will be working somewhere that has influence in every corner of the world. Personally, the fact that you will be there and doing that fills me with a great deal of confidence for the future." With that, Mike stepped forward and pulled Nick into a tight hug, just as he had done in the same spot a few weeks earlier, only this time it was in congratulations, not in commiseration.

After a few moments, Beats cleared his throat, and with a chuckle Mike stepped to one side to let the beat boxer have his turn. "Who would ever have thought that one day Nick Duval would get the opportunity to help change the world for the better," he whispered in his ear, which made Nick grin, albeit thinking that it was a trifle early to be saying things like that. "I wonder what your father will make of this news when he finds out?" Beats mused in a louder voice as he let go of his friend.

That statement earned an immediate response from Jeff. "I think that he will be absolutely livid about it, as will a certain Mr Vallent…"

By lunchtime, Nick was tired. Whilst it was great that everyone was so pleased for him, visitor after visitor was taking its toll, not to mention the constant stream of text messages and the frequent calls to the house phone; in fact, Jeff had taken to answering the phone with the words "Nick Sterling-Duval's office; his P.A. speaking." Caleb had retreated up to the studio, with his tail raised high behind him, so disgusted was he at the constant disturbance to his peace and quiet; he had settled there in a sun beam, and was mollified a little when Jeff brought him some chicken. He had even been called by Isabelle, who after offering her good wishes, had asked if he would give her an interview, as she was certain that once the court case that had got Nick fired in the first place came to an end, everyone would want to read about how the young man that had placed himself on the firing line to ensure that justice could be done had got his just reward in the end - and the fact that Jeff was also quite a name would help too.

Sebastian had arrived en route to work, although Nick was quite unsure how the West Village was on his route from Penn Station to a street several blocks north, just to pass on his and Dave's best wishes. He had been there when Cooper had arrived, and had witnessed the moment when Cooper not only pulled Nick into a hug, but actually lifted him off his feet and spun him around, which saw his husband and Sebastian dissolve into helpless laughter as Nick squealed. By mid afternoon, things finally died down. Jeff had a shift at the Spotlight, something that he could now cut back on, much to his secret relief, and Nick found himself alone with just his son for company. As he held his son in his arms, he suddenly felt as if he could just burst with pure happiness at it all. He quite literally now had everything he had ever wanted; a dream job, a beautiful home, and a little family all of his own with the man he adored. Even if his father had walked in at that moment, he would not have been able to shatter the bubble of joy that surrounded him. He doubted that anything could…

Downtown, Grace had made the most of being one of the few staff in the building. On her arrival, she had been greeted warmly as always by the guard on the desk, and when she told him the news about Nick, his smile had widened all the more. "A certain someone will not like that one bit. I feel sorry for whoever he is with today, because they will be getting it in the neck about this all day. You be sure and tell your brother that we are all proud of him." With those words, Grace knew that he would be sure to turn a blind eye if she stuck a few posters up…

Her little poster was quite a creation, made up of her brother's staff I.D. picture and the column from the _Times_. She had copied enough to ensure that it was posted on every notice board in the company's part of the building, making sure that she put up even more on the floor that he used to work on, including half a dozen on the board that was directly outside the office of Lionel Vallent. He would know immediately that she was behind them, and he would probably place her redundancy letter in the mail of Monday morning. It would also place him in a foul mood on the first day of the rerun of the trial Nick had disrupted. After that had concluded, she was pretty sure that things for the man in question would not be all that rosy. Questions were being asked already at board level she had been informed and she was certain that his every move in the court next week would be scrutinised closely. All that they could hope for now was that he would slip up somehow…

On Monday morning, Nick rose early as he always had done, even whilst he was out of work, and dressed himself in his suit with particular care. This was the first time he had put a suit on for four weeks, and it did feel a little strange. As he made sure that his tie was perfectly straight, then checked his overall appearance in the mirror, he thought about just how hectic the last two days had been, and smiled as he remembered just how much love he had been shown. The knowledge that so many people cared about him had filled him with a new appreciation for all of his friends, and even for some people that he never would have pictured himself counting as such. The message from Sue Sylvester had been totally unexpected, as had the fact that she wished him all the best in his new job, along with her belated congratulations on being a father. He first thought that his mom had put her up to it, but she denied all knowledge, and he had chosen to believe her.

Burt Hummel had also made time to call him, and he informed him that he had spoken to a couple of contacts he had in the United Nations building on his behalf, and had asked them to come and introduce themselves to him in his first week, as it would not hurt to have a few contacts outwith his own department. The gesture from the Congressman was a kind one, and it had made his heart a little lighter; if Nick had one fear about his new job, it was that he was going to be working in such a big building in a huge organisation. It had sometimes felt bad enough in a law firm with a few hundred employees; the U.N. had over 6000 employees in New York alone. To know that there were even just two people in amongst them that had his interests at heart was a comfort. It was about an hour later that the text arrived from Rory, which informed him that someone that he knew from his work in Dublin had now moved to a post working for the Irish government within the U.N. building, and that they too would stop by at some point to say hello.

The other visitor that he had been expecting over the weekend had also appeared, doing so on Saturday night, shortly after Nick had put his namesake in his cot for the night. Nick had felt the draught, and had stood to one side to allow Wes to inspect the sleeping child in his crib, before coming over to join his old friend. "I had wanted to get here before now, but the work never seems to stop. So, I'm guessing this means no bakery..?"

Nick laughed quietly so as not to disturb his son, then replied, "The good citizens of New York will have to wait a little longer to sample my culinary creations, yes - but then, you knew what was coming, didn't you? That was why you pushed me to keep at it with law when all I wanted to do after everything that happened was quit."

"Naturally… It was in no-one's interests for you to walk away from your career because of the actions of one man. It would have been such a waste of your talents for one thing; your passion for law and justice is what drives you, and if you had gone into baking full time, I feared that you would lose the one thing that helps you to relax and overcome your stress. I am sure that this job will be the making of you, and the prospects are excellent. You do, after all, have a permanent contract, not a fixed term one, which means that you can safely spend the rest of your working life at the United Nations, frightening as that prospect must seem to you just now…"

"Actually, it is quite appealing if I am honest; the idea of spending the rest of my life trying to improve the lot of my fellow man would be totally fine. Even the idea of having to travel abroad every so often appeals, although the whole 'year abroad' concept is not quite so simple. That does worry me. After all, will it be before little Wes goes to school? Even if it is, who will take care of the house, and Caleb for that matter? After all, we can hardly take the cat abroad with us for a year; he'd spend more time in quarantine and stuff…"

"No, you can't really take Caleb, but I am sure that his Uncle Mike would have him, and probably spoil him rotten in the process. I just want to put it on record here and now that I am very proud of you, my Dove; you are living up to your promise just as we had all hoped…"

Nick pondered over Wes' words as he waited for Jeff in the hallway that morning. For his first day, he would not be travelling alone. Dr Schultz had told him that the U.N. was a family, and therefore he had been encouraged to bring Jeff and little Wes with him that morning, so that they could meet his new colleagues too. It had been quite a shock to Jeff, after being told that he could not come to Nick's office under any circumstances by his previous employer. He had agreed to come, and so it was that the two of them headed north on the subway that morning; they changed to the shuttle to Grand Central at Times Square, and then walked the few blocks from there to the big building on the East River.

As instructed, Nick presented his credentials at the gate, and after a quick check, he was handed a temporary pass along with Jeff and even little Wes; that would get him to the department, where his permanent I.D. was waiting for him. It was odd too to watch as his case was searched as he entered, but in this day and age, he supposed they could not be too careful. As the security staff checked through the baby bag Jeff was carrying, Nick also pondered on the fact that although he was still very close to home, he was technically no longer in the United States… Then Jeff was at his side, with little Wes strapped to him, and they joined the steady flow of people of all races and creeds heading into the building. At Jeff's insistence, Nick had to stop at the door so he could take a photo, as after all everyone would want to see them. Then it was on into a busy elevator, in which little Wes seemed to be the centre of attention, before finally alighting at the right floor and heading to his new place of work.

As soon as he stepped into the department, Nick was greeted by Miss Worthington. She smiled warmly at him and Jeff, then said, "Welcome to the world of Human Rights, Nick. We know that we have made the right choice in recruiting you for this work, and we all hope that you will feel at home here. Now I am guessing that the young man at your side is your talented husband. I am a great admirer of _The Judging Angel_ ; in fact I have one of the prints hanging in my office, and obtained a second one recently on behalf of the United Kingdom representative here at the U.N. It was requested by quite an important person over there, as they had read about it, seem it in photos, and admired it greatly." She stepped forward and took Jeff's free hand, shaking it warmly, whilst smiling at little Wes in his papoose. "I want to make it clear that you are every bit as welcome here as your husband, any time you wish. We are all a family of sorts here, and we look out for each other. Now, let me show you to your office, Nick, so that you can get settled in before the official welcoming ceremony."

She turned, and headed down the corridor a little way, before opening a door and gesturing to them both to enter. Nick stepped forward and promptly froze on the threshold. Just a few weeks ago, his private workspace had been a tiny, flimsy cubicle; now he was being shown into a room with a window that looked out over Manhattan, and there was just one desk in there… "I guess that it is a bit bigger than your last office judging by the look on your face," said Miss Worthington with a laugh. "We believe strongly here that people function best when they have a conducive space in which to work, so we ensure everyone has their own room with natural light. You can access secretarial services if you require them, but everyone has ample time to prepare their own work here. We have a fast pace of work, but outwith dire emergencies, things are not too frantic. Also, feel free to bring in any personal touches you wish to make it your own; photos, plants, knick knacks… Anyway, I will leave you to settle in, but I will be back at 10am to escort you to the reception."

Once she had left, Nick walked round his desk and slumped into the comfortable chair from where he could glance out at the city. "This must all be a dream, Jeffie. Please don't wake me up just yet…"

"It's not a dream, Nicky; this is you getting what you have always deserved. So, get those photos out of your case, and then I will snap a few pictures of you behind your new desk for friends and family to see…" In the end, they both agreed that the best shot to send out was the one of Nick holding little Wes in his arms, his staff I.D. in place, with the window behind him, nicely framing the Chrysler Building. It showed exactly how much his circumstances had changed in just over a month.

When the time came to head to the welcoming ceremony, Nick decided that he would ask Miss Worthington a question about what she had said earlier. "So, I am curious; do we know who it was in the UK that requested the print of _The Judging Angel_? Or is that a state secret?"

Miss Worthington smiled, then said in a low voice, "Technically it is a secret, but between the four of us, I believe that it was acquired for Her Majesty…" Nick had to hold Jeff up at that point, the idea that The Queen had even heard of him, and liked his work being enough to make him close to fainting. Once he had recovered a little, they headed into the conference room, where the whole department had been assembled. Nick was asked to join Dr Schultz at the front, and he introduced him with a short speech, in which he mentioned what he had done in the court in August; the round of applause he received at that made Nick go scarlet. The speech over, he was then introduced to the main members of the team, quite certain that he would forget all of their names, but thankfully he could always just glance at their staff pass for confirmation. It was as he came to the last of them that Nick looked up and saw someone that he had not been expecting….

Ten minutes later, Nick and Jeff found themselves alone in the former's new office with Judge Horowitz. She smiled at them both, then said, "Can I just say how pleased I am to see how well you have both done for yourselves in the last five and a half years. I can still recall the day that you both ended up taking the witness stand, and I saw then just how close your bond was. It was no shock to hear about your marriage, and I think that you will also turn out to be exemplary fathers. My congratulations to you also, Jeff, on your achievements in the world of art. I saw _The Judging Angel_ for myself that summer; would I be correct in assuming that it was Mr Montgomery in the portrait?"

Jeff nodded, and then the judge continued. "That would also be why you have called your son Wesley. He was such a wonderful young man, so passionate about law, and his death was a tragic loss to the world at large… Now, Nick, I have to say that your moment in my court last month was not the most appropriate, and some of my less liberal colleagues felt that I should have charged you with contempt. I refused to do so, and also passed the case to another judge. To be honest, I loathe the sainted Lionel Vallent; the fact that the verdict could be Not Guilty as a result of his machinations would have killed me. He might find that harder than he was expecting this morning though; the court might have swapped the pools of jurors this morning at the last minute, which should make things more just and interesting. As for you, young man, I think here you will have found your niche; I said as much to my old school friend Audra. Fortunately, she just so happens to be married to your Mr Hansen. She might have mentioned my feelings about you to him, and there we go…"

Nick's eyebrows shot up at that, suddenly conscious of the fact that he might only be were he was now thanks to a word in the right ear for the first time; and he wasn't entirely sure that he approved of that notion. As if she had read his mind, Judge Horowitz continued, "As it happened, your name was already in the frame by then; the case had been being observed by Dr Schultz, as he saw whatever decision was made there as possibly having relevance on a global scale. As he might have told you, he recalled your name from a list of people that colleges had recommended to the U.N. as being suitable for a position with them, and when he heard that you had essentially stood up and called the entire defence case rubbish, he knew that you were exactly the kind of young blood that this place needs. After all, both Dr Schultz and Dr Hansen are approaching the age when retirement is likely, and they wanted to ensure that the people that they had working here when that time came were of the calibre that would continue to uphold all that they have struggled so hard to achieve."

"I am reassured that I am largely here on my own merits then," said Nick with a smile, "But I am grateful for your intervention and kind words, and those of my tutors back at Colombia, I guess."

"You certainly are here because of them. I will be disappointed not to see you in action in my court room for my own part, but this is a well deserved step on your career ladder. Never lose that passion, and try not to become too downhearted if you find yourself unable to achieve all that you would wish to at first. It will be a struggle, but I like to think that one day the whole world will be able to enjoy the freedoms that those in the more liberal nations do. Now, do I get a proper introduction to your son?" Nick smiled as Jeff carefully handed little Wes over to the judge, and saw Jeff was smiling too. As she looked down at the child in her arms, she couldn't help but smile, recognising that the little boy was a symbol of the enduring love for each other of the couple before her, which had survived so much pain and torment…


	103. Another New Start with a side of Karma

**Another New Start with a side of Karma**

Working at the United Nations was like walking from the darkness into the light as far as Nick was concerned. Jeff had left not long after the judge had done, to get home to make Wes his lunch, and so in the time before his own, Nick had started to sift through his E-mail. He had barely begun though when there was a tap at his door, and one of his colleagues walked in; she asked him how he was settling in, explaining she was in the room next door. She then invited him to join her and a couple of the other younger members of staff for an early lunch. "I know that you probably think that you should start work, but the way I see it is this; if you have lunch now, then you will have a longer uninterrupted period to work this afternoon," she said, and Nick could not fault that logic.

He accepted her invitation, and soon found his way to the staff restaurant, whose food was on a par with the best that Dalton had offered daily. His new colleague, Helga Schmidt, was from Austria, and was in her late twenties. At the restaurant he met the two other members of the team that were under thirty; Daanish Swaraj, who hailed from India, and Jose Cortez, who was from Brazil. Having selected food, they sat together and made more thorough introductions; Jose was the only single one at the table, and until Nick had arrived, had been the youngest on the team. As for Daanish, he was married with two young children, so he had every sympathy for Nick. Introductions over, they moved on to a lively discussion on the rights of migrants, with particular reference to the ongoing saga of the group known as the Dreamers in the United States, and how politicians in general failed in most cases to observe the realities of the world in trying to satisfy small groups of their own supporters.

"The sad fact is that we are now seeing those that were invited to the West to work in the aftermath of the Second World War being hounded out of those very nations. They helped to rebuild and sustain those economies of those nations, and now they are being kicked out. I mean, just look at what happened to the Windrush generation in the UK…" said Nick, and was pleased as he three colleagues smiled and agreed with him.

That smile was still on his face as he returned to his office to start work. For the first time since he had left Colombia, he felt a strong connection to those people that he worked with. He had met minds that felt the same way as he did on a number of key issues, and who had the same deep seated passion and desire to seem that everyone in the world had the right to live as they had in the relatively free United States, although it was no longer the liberal nation that it had once been, given the current President and his policy of more or less governing by Tweet and decree…

As he sat down at his desk, he noticed that there was a small pile of reports in his in tray, with a note attached from Miss Worthington, asking him to read through them, collate the information in one easy to read and understand summary, and then give his own thought on what was contained within them. He recognised the names of two of the authors, people he had studied at school and held in relatively high regard. He settled down to read, making notes and asking questions; it was very much the kind of work he had always dreamed of doing. He noted as he did so that there were contradictions between the quoted evidence and a disagreement between two of the authors that left him to wonder who was in the right on this one. He started to do his own research online, and found to his delight that he now had access to the resources of the United Nation's own library, which meant he had much more information at his fingertips. In that, he found that neither of the respected authors had actually interpreted the actual data very well, or indeed the situation on the ground…

Just before 6pm there was a knock on the door of his office, and Nick glanced up from his work to say Miss Worthington standing there, regarding him with a smile. "You do know what time it is, Nick? At the moment I would suggest that you and I are the only staff members still on this floor, more or less…"

Nick looked at his watch for the first time in a while, and wondered where the afternoon had gone. "I am so sorry, I just got engrossed in these reports, and I guess that is because I think I might have discovered a major flaw in them. The data that they are using to justify their arguments does not seem to correlate at all with the stuff we have in our own records for the same period…"

Miss Worthington walked over to his desk, her attention grabbed. "Interesting - and you are the first person to have noticed that. Could you show me exactly what is concerning you?" Nick quickly pointed out to her the issues that he had found, and then postulated what he believed was the correct solution to the problem. "I have to say that on looking at your findings, I have to concur with your opinion; there is a major problem there. The figures in both reports have been, I suspect, massaged to give the results that the authors wanted, which is unethical in the extreme. There have been issues with rights in the area of study for decades now, and we thought that some progress was finally being made, but it would appear that such progress has been exaggerated for whatever reason. We will need to make further investigations into this, but that is for tomorrow. We at the United Nations have a particularly strict policy on family time, and you do have a husband and a son to get home to; though I am guessing that won't stop you being in here a little early tomorrow?"

"I probably will be, yes," replied Nick with a smile. "I want to check a few other things out, just to back up my findings, and make some more comparisons with other sources of past data."

"Excellent. Tomorrow we also have a conference meeting scheduled on the issue of rights for the LGBTQ community in Russia and the former Soviet Union. I would like you to come and sit in on the meeting, and then do some research for us to make our case. I have a list of contacts, and I would like you to talk to them and get eyewitness statements from them."

"That will not be a problem, unless of course it involves me flying to Russia…"

"Not at all; it will simply be done through Skype and other video links. Well so far Mr Sterling-Duval, you are really impressing me with your can do attitude. Sometimes things can be awkward with new hires, but you are really throwing yourself into things and getting on with the important stuff; safeguarding people's rights. Now, you live in the West Village, don't you? I have a presentation to give to a group of bankers in Wall Street tonight, and there is a car waiting to take me. It will be no issue to drop you off near home en route…"

To find himself walking back along the street towards home at 6.30pm was an unusual state affairs for Nick since he had joined the world of work. It had often been closer to 9pm when he worked in big law, and that would be followed more often than not by a departure just after 6am. Now he had been told that he should not come in before 8am at the earliest and that 5.30pm was the customary time for everyone to have left by. For the first time ever he did not feel dead on his feet after a day at work, instead having a positive spring in his step. He had stopped on his way home from the point he had been dropped off at a drug store, where he had purchased chocolate and red vines. His heart had felt so light that he suddenly craved the sugary snacks that he had used to share with Jeff in the quiet of Room 36 at Dalton. Those innocent days were now far behind him of course; life had taught him and everyone else he knew some very hard lessons - and no doubt it would do so again someday.

Tonight though things felt different; in fact, he might even have time to cook dinner if Jeff had not already started to do so. If he had, then he would prepare a casserole that they could heat up and eat the following day whilst Jeff worked on that evening's food. He entered the house to hear the sound of his husband singing softly to their son as he began to assemble all the ingredients that he would require to make the chicken pasta dish he had planned for that night. "I can do that if you like," Nick said as he entered the kitchen, startling Jeff a little at first, before he looked at the clock in wonderment. "Get used to this, my love; this will be my usual finishing time now, if not earlier. So, if you have been doing things behind my back, you will need to ensure they are completed much sooner than now."

"As if I ever would!" said Jeff with a grin. "I have to say that I like this new regime very much already; it means all the more time for me to spend with my handsome husband, and getting you back on the cooking rota more often will be good too. I do miss all of your experimental tastes…"

"Well, you won't be getting them every night…" said Nick happily.

"So apart from the fact that you finished at a humane time, is there anything else I need to know about your first day?"

"Well, I did have lunch with the other younger folk in my department today, and I have been invited to come and have dinner with them by two of them - and that includes you and little Wes naturally. That means that at some point we will have to host a dinner party; a proper one with place settings and sophisticated adult conversation."

"I have no doubt that you could easily rise to such an occasion with your culinary skills, my love. To be honest, having people here would be easier with managing little Wes…"

"I guess, but then again, one of them has two young kids of their own, so it would probably be polite of us to go there, and maybe even consider getting a sitter…"

Jeff suddenly burst out laughing, and Nick regarded him with curiosity. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking how grown up we have suddenly become. We have parental responsibilities, and the prospect of dinner parties with colleagues. We will have to start acting all mature…"

"Only in company, Jeffie," Nick said, and produced the chocolate and red vines. He smiled as he saw his husband's eyes light up at the sight of the latter. "You know, deep down, I think that when we are alone together, we will always just be two loved up prep school boys…"

Nick's new job was just the start of the good news in the month of September. A week after he started his new job, Grace arrived at work to be greeted by a security guard before she entered the elevator. He handed her a letter, sighed by Lionel Vallent which informed her that she was no longer an employee of the firm, due to issues of behaviour, vandalism of company notice boards, and suspicions that she was acting in cahoots with her brother in undermining the organisation. Grace smiled to herself at that last one, knowing full well that he had no proof whatsoever of that, and that as a result, the claim she would make against the company for victimisation would undoubtedly be successful. She was escorted up to her office, and then given ten minutes to clear her desk. As she did so, she immediately noticed that there was a letter inserted into one of her law books, but she did nothing about it until she had been escorted from the building, stripped of her staff pass, and left to make her way home again.

She walked only to the little garden nearby, and then pulled out the letter. It was from the head of their little plot to leave; a note of sympathy was inside, along with an official document that authorised her to collect the keys for their new premises. Grace smiled, and after a visit to the lettings agent, she made her way to those offices. She let herself in, turning off the alarm as she did so. Then she took a look round, before choosing herself a new office; not the largest of them by any means, but one that was conveniently located and comfortable. She arranged her books on the shelves, glad that the place was already furnished. Then she sat and waited, before the others all arrived at lunchtime, quickly followed by the contractors that would switch on the phone and internet connections. There was silence for a moment, then the lady that had written the letter spoke.

"Firstly, can I say how good it was of you not to select the largest room for yourself, though we all would have understood and accepted it if you had done so. We have all composed our letters of resignation this morning, and we will be submitting them tonight, stating that we are doing so in protest at the way you have been treated. As we speak, the mailing to our loyal clients has gone out, explaining what has happened, why we are leaving, and where they can find us. As a result, you might get a few calls on that this afternoon, once the phones are on. Miss Pitman resigned this morning, but told them it was effective immediately, and so she will be joining you here tomorrow morning. Ladies, this is the first day of our new collective future. We should drink a toast, but we must act with decorum at work later; although I am looking forward to seeing Lionel's face when he receives so many resignation letters, and even more so the moment he realises that his loyal, long serving and suffering P.A. has left already…"

Grace was glad that she would not be alone the following day, as having had nothing to do that morning had been so very dull. She had ended up spending time on the phone with Cooper, who had been sympathetic in the extreme; indeed, had he not been performing that afternoon, he would have headed downtown at once to keep her company. She had then called her mom, who on hearing the news had informed her that she would add employment law reform to the list of issues that she would have Sue campaign on. She had then called Nick, who had nearly burst into tears, thinking it was all his fault; she had calmed him, told him where she was and what was going on, then pointed out that the story of her life had just ended a chapter, and that the best parts were yet to come…

The ladies were still present in the offices when there was a loud knock at the front door, which startled them all a little. Grace was elected to go and find out who it was, the others all taking refuge in her room, just in case Lionel Vallent had discovered what was going on already and wanted revenge. On opening it, Grace smiled broadly to see it was Jeff that stood on the threshold, her nephew strapped to him in his papoose, and a bag containing lunch and a tin of cookies in one hand.

"Nick called me up and told me what had happened, and that you were here all alone, so Wes and I decided that Aunt Grace might like to have a picnic lunch with us," said Jeff with a smile. "He would have come and joined us himself, but he is meeting the German and Austrian representatives at the U.N. to discuss the issues raised by the return of the far right in their nations."

"It is a lovely thought, Jeff, but I actually have company in the form of my fellow conspirators, so to speak, at the moment," Grace began.

"It is okay Grace, we should be getting back to the office anyway," came a voice, and the ladies began to walk back out, relieved that it was only her brother-in-law at the door. After a few minutes when they all fussed over little Wes, they took their leave, and Jeff and Grace settled down to eat their lunch in the relative silence of the new firm's offices.

"They all seem like nice people," remarked Jeff as he brought out the sandwiches that he had made, along with a couple of slices of quiche, some fruit, and a bottle full of homemade cranberry lemonade.

"They are, and better yet we are all committed to the same goals. The legal scene in this city will be talking about all of us very soon and nothing else. After all, it will be quite the thing for almost the entire family law department of a major firm like my erstwhile employer to just walk out en masse. The publicity about all of that will do us no harm at all as we try to build up the business. Anyway, enough talk about me; how are you Jeff? Is your own work more or less back on track now that Nick is working again?"

"Yes, it is all getting back to normal, which is just as well, as my children's author has a new book in his series coming out next year, and as a result I have 50 illustrations to do in the next six weeks. At least our little boy is as good as gold just now, but then teething will come along soon enough, and that will all change…"

"I can imagine; I have a faint memory of being about six years old, and wondering why my little brother couldn't be quiet for five minutes… I am not looking forward to that process when I become a mother myself…. And before you ask, no, I am not pregnant. Just be aware that Cooper and I will be starting to seriously try very soon…"

"It would be nice for Wes to have a cousin," mused Jeff, "And of course, it goes without saying that they will have two doting uncles in me and Nick. Not to mention the fact that there will also be an extremely overexcited angelic one…"

Grace laughed as she immediately pictured the look on Blaine's face when he found out that she was pregnant. She was also pretty certain that if they had a boy, he might well be a namesake of his angelic uncle. If it was a girl, well that could be a little more complex, but she imagined that Elizabeth or Pamela would make it onto the list somewhere. That was of course a long way off yet; her first priority had to be the bedding in of the new business. That didn't stop her feeling broody every time that she looked at her little nephew, and that was a feeling she had never really had until he had come along…

After they had finished lunch, Jeff headed home again, and he was no sooner out of the door than the phone began to ring. Grace shook her head, and then answered it, remembering to use the company name they had all agreed on before her own. It was one of her own clients, who had been informed of her dismissal that morning in a brusque phone call from one of the male partners. Her initial reaction had been distress and disbelieve, until the E-Mail had arrived in her inbox; it gave her the new number to call if she wished the same lawyers to handle her case. As Grace had broken the rules and made a copy of all the documents for her clients on a portable flash drive, she was able to immediately accept the case again. This done, she moved on to listening as her client discussed the new issues that had arisen in her complex divorce.

When she rang off, having arranged to come and see Grace face to face the following day, Grace made a quick call to one of her colleagues, who promised that she would remove the actual paper files from the relevant cabinet, and give them to Miss Pittman to bring with her the following morning. She had no sooner done that than the phone began to ring again… The rest of Grace's afternoon was spent fielding calls, and she quickly filled her appointment book for the next few days. As she did so, she began to think that if things carried on this way, then leaving her previous job and moving to the new one would be the best thing she had ever done…

By the time that Friday came, Grace was relieved that all of her colleagues would be joining her at the start of the next week. She had been at full stretch since the second day, and even had a full appointment book for Saturday. Such was the level of demand for the firm that two of her colleagues had agreed to come in on a Saturday to take appointments. Miss Pittman had arrived on the second day and had the entire office set up correctly by lunchtime; the stationary cupboard was full, the management structure in place, and she had even found time to recruit the two secretarial assistants that their budget allowed for, poaching the best legal secretaries that she was aware of. The signage outside was in place, and the business cards printed.

Lionel Vallent had finally discovered what was going on on Thursday afternoon, and the four letter word filled rant that he had promptly had down his mobile phone was the talk of the legal community in the city in just an hour. Some were of the opinion that the ladies had acted badly in the situation, but the majority felt that they were to be supported and indeed congratulated. After all, it was a long time since anyone had successfully crossed Lionel Vallent, and it had been a long time in coming. It was also widely known that the managing board of the firm were not best pleased, and when in a meeting on Thursday night he had tried to blame everyone but himself for it all, they had just scoffed. Their opinion might of course have been coloured by the legal suit for victimisation filed on Grace's behalf; they could all see at once that she would win it with no contest whatsoever. That, combined with the exodus of senior staff and their lucrative clientele gave them a lot to hold against the man…

That would all pale into insignificance on Friday afternoon. The jury in the trial that Nick's actions had delayed gave a unanimous guilty verdict against Lionel's client in less than an hour. That result would be the sole topic of conversation across the legal community before half an hour had elapsed. Several people had called Grace at her office to let her know the good news; at the U.N., Miss Worthington had come to Nick's office to let him know what had happened. Nick had to admit that he had mixed emotions about the whole thing. He was ecstatic that the victims had received the justice that they had deserved from the start, and glad that Lionel had not won, but at the same time he felt heartily sorry for the young man that had been drafted in in his place. He was not a close friend, but he did not deserve the treatment that he would no doubt get because his boss had lost; treatment that would probably mean dismissal from his job in hours…

What no-one had been expecting was the next piece of news, that crashed over the legal circles of the city like a tsunami just minutes later. As he had left the court buildings, raging and fuming at the system and the world around him in general, already plotting the appeal, he was stopped and detained by two members of the FBI, over rumours that he had taken bribes and had attempted to buy juries, not just in this trial, but in several others in the past. He did not go quietly, and that had attracted the attention of a local news team that had just been finishing up a report on another case in front of the court buildings. The general consensus was that the young man that had been drafted in to take Nick's place was as smart as him; aware of his likely fate, he had been the one to gather the evidence against Mr Vallent and then hand it straight to the Feds…

So it was that by the time that October came, Lionel Vallent was no longer the ruler of the legal world in New York city, if indeed he ever really had been. The revelations had come in thick and fast after the initial exposé, and it was no great shock to anyone that he soon found himself backing up a box of personal items in his office whilst two senior board members supervised. This had occurred just two days after his initial arrest; he had been unable to obtain bail, as though it was high, he had the cash to pay. His big problem now was finding a lawyer that would be willing to defend him in court; all of those that had supported him strongly before were nowhere to be seen, as they had distanced themselves in case they too found themselves coming under close scrutiny.

His office had initially been sealed just minutes after his arrest on the Friday, and was systematically stripped of all legal paperwork by the feds over the weekend. On Monday morning, the firm found itself under siege, with all normal function on the floor on which Lionel had been based closed down. The former boss of Grace's floor, who was in his final days, was summoned to the board room, and offered a full apology; they then begged him to stay with them, offering a large increase in salary and multiple new benefits, but he turned them down flat. As he pointed out to them, as of this morning, the key former members of his team had also left the building, and that was down to the actions of the man now under so much suspicion. Instead he left the building himself, and went to pay a visit to the ladies in question. He joined them in a toast to the success of their new venture, something which seemed assured if the appointment book was anything to go by.

Whilst he was there, the telephone rang, and the ever efficient Miss Pittman answered it; a few moments later, she announced that Mrs Vallent was on the line, and would like to speak to someone in connection to the divorce proceedings she was about to take against her husband. This came as a bit of a surprise to them all, as they had npt even known that she existed until that moment, as she was never mentioned by her husband, nor had she been seen at any social function held by the firm. They all did agree on one thing; tempting as it was, it would be unethical of them to accept her business. In any case, her husband could use the fact they were acting for his wife against her, given the way they had left the business. Instead, the senior partner spoke to her, and recommended another firm, whilst apologising for the fact that they could not serve her as they might have wished.

That shock however paled into insignificance compared to the one that Nick received in the first week of October. He came into work one morning to discover a letter in his in tray; on opening it, he discovered that it was from his erstwhile employer, requesting that he represent him as his defence lawyer in his forthcoming trial. Had it been April, Nick would have dismissed it as being a prank in extremely bad taste, but the fact was he recognised the writing and knew it was completely genuine. In the letter, his nemesis begged him to be the lawyer that he had always claimed to be; the one that thought everyone was entitled to justice. The temptation to send back a barbed reply, attacking the man and stating that he had to have mental health issues if he even thought there was the tiniest chance of that happening after all he had done was strong…

In the end, he wrote a reply in which he stated that as he was now an employee of the U.N. he was unable to act in a private case of that nature, although he had to admit that even if that had not been the case, he could not have taken the job in all good conscience. Before he sent it, he decided to go and consult Miss Worthington. Her eyebrows raised as she read the letter he had received, and then she read his response. She smiled at that, then smiled. "We don't need to worry about sending you away for a course on diplomacy," she said. "This letter tells me that you will be a natural in Geneva… I was going to talk to you about that this afternoon; there is a conference there on the rights of victims of sexual assaults in mid November, which Dr Schultz will be attending. Given the paper that you researched and produced at college, you are the obvious candidate to accompany him there…" Nick nodded, then headed back to work; the confirmation E-mail was already on his computer when he got back to his office. He knew that tonight he would have to break the news to Jeff that he would be away for almost a week next month. They had known that this would happen, but it was still not going to be a pleasant conversation….


	104. The End of a Decade

**The End of a Decade**

When Nick came home that evening and told Jeff all about his forthcoming trip to Geneva, his husband's reaction was not as bad as he had expected it to be. Even though Nick would be leaving on Sunday evening, and not be back until late afternoon on Friday, Jeff was pretty calm. Neither of them were particularly looking forward to it, given that they had not spent any real time apart since the night that Nick had been beaten by his father for coming out publicly back in their Dalton days. It had to happen though as it was part of Nick's work, and they would still be able to talk via Skype…

On hearing that it was going to happen, the others in the street began to make covert plans to ensure that Jeff was kept busy with their company as much as possible, and also to be on hand to offer and babysit, although now that he had the first of his teeth coming in, little Wes was no longer quite such a placid child. Sebastian was the first to actually make a concrete commitment; he informed Jeff that he would be coming into the city on the Monday to do some early Christmas shopping, and would appreciate Jeff's help in selecting gifts for Peter. He also pointed out that it would be a good chance for him to spend time with little Wes, and would be good practice for the day when he became a father himself. Jeff had agreed, seeing through the subterfuge at once; he decided there and then that he would not be changing any diapers himself whilst Uncle Bazzy was around…

Nonetheless, when the day actually came that Nick had to leave, Jeff felt bereft for most of the day; Nick had anticipated that, and had decided that they should say their goodbyes at home. Mike had come over to say goodbye, and held little Wes as the two husbands held each other close, averting his gaze from them as a good friend should, so that he did not witness their tears. As the door closed behind Nick, Mike placed little Wes carefully in his crib, and was ready with his arms open when a tearful Jeff needed a hug…

In his cab, Nick quickly blinked his own tears away, then pulled out his conference notes to read, giving his mind an alternative focus; though he had to admit that he had read the same page several times in the end. He had to concentrate on his work, and in any case, he would be back home soon enough. Still, as he waited in line at the gate to board the flight, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick message to Jeff, telling him that he loved him; the reply in the same vein came little more than a heartbeat later…

When Sebastian arrived in the West Village the next day, it was to find Jeff acting a lot more downbeat than he normally was - and tired. Sebastian quickly found himself holding the baby as Jeff made his final preparations for going out. "Hey, Wes… Were you being naughty last night and keeping your papa awake?" Sebastian asked with a grin as the child in his arms stared up at him.

"No, he was as good as gold last night," said Jeff with a sigh. "It was the empty side of the bed that kept me from sleep. I guess I am just out of the habit of sleeping on my own. Even when we were both so busy studying for our finals, we always ended up in bed with each other at night. Nicky didn't get any sleep last night either, but at least I don't have to go to meetings today. He is already in his second one of the day, and he will be relieved when it is all over - and glad that they haven't got an evening session today. He said that he would call me the moment that he gets out of his meeting… So, would you mind very much if we held off going out just a little? I could make us both some lunch first?"

"Of course it would be okay, blondie, particularly as it means that Uncle Bazzy gets to spend a little more time with this perfect boy," Sebastian replied with a smile.

"You won't be saying that when you have to change his diaper," remarked Jeff.

"It has to be done to keep him clean and smiling," replied Sebastian. "I will admit that the prospect does not fill me with unmitigated joy, but it is all part and parcel of being a parent. Another human life has been entrusted to you, and you have to nurture it, teach it and show it all of the love that you can…" Jeff nodded, secretly wondering when the formerly rebellious Warbler had morphed into a wise adult. As if reading his thoughts, Sebastian continued, "I don't know when I became so mature, but it is no bad thing. Maybe it was all the stuff with Peter that was the final tipping point; the need to change my life for his benefit made me less selfish…"

They managed to get through a diaper change shortly after that moment without too much trouble, although Uncle Bazzy did go very white at one point as he wrinkled his nose in disgust. As Jeff prepared lunch, Sebastian was left to feed little Wes, taking great care and obeying all of the instructions that Jeff had given him to the letter. They had just sat down to eat when Jeff's phone binged with an incoming message from Nick, and within a second Jeff was across the room on the computer, logging in to Skype. Sebastian sat at the table and ate his lunch, tuning out all of the details of the conversation between two husbands miles apart, both of them feeling the pain of their enforced separation. After a few minutes Jeff shouted him over to join the chat, and when he did so, he shook his head at just how haggard Nick looked. At the same time though his conversation was animated as he described the conversations that he had been having, and all of the people he had met that day.

"Everyone here has been so welcoming, and it turned out that at least 50% of them had read my paper about the girls in the Montgomery case, which was a massive shock. They ask me for my views on something, and I give them, and they actually pay attention and take note. That is such a difference to my work world before… Anyway, how are you Sebastian? Any news on _Oklahoma!_ yet?"

"The read throughs have been done, and from what I have been told, we should have our official opening in March, after a few weeks of previews. It is so different to _Book of Mormon_ , but that isn't a bad thing. I am getting on really well with my main co-stars too, particularly Laurie Metcalfe. She is going to be quite the Aunt Eller, let me tell you…"

"Well as soon as you have a date, let us know so we can book our tickets; and you'd best let Trent know too, as he will want to be there."

"I will do, trust me. I just hope that the audience will be as tolerant of me in a new role as you guys are…"

Across town at that moment, someone else was looking at a date on a calendar in February 2020 with fear and trepidation. That date was not that far away now at all, and to be honest, Santana was scared. It didn't matter to her how many times the crew told her, or how many angels came and confirmed it, she was still convinced that the producers could have selected a better Eva Peron than her. Then there had been the issues with her original understudy, who had tried and failed to steal the part from her, and then the original choice of theatre had fallen through… All of that had been dealt with, and now the official advertising shots were being taken, ready for the big round of publicity to begin. On top of that, she was having to consider where her mother and her Abuela would stay when they came for her opening night, not to mention what she and Brittany would wear to her opening night party. If she was honest, the opening of the show was all a little too soon for her, but with the Tony Awards in mind, the date could not be pushed back any further. She did not see herself why that was so important, as it was not like she had any chance of winning one…

By the time that Thursday came, Jeff was getting more than a little bit fed up of the constant company of other people. He suspected that Nick might have been behind some of the visitations that he had received, and although he wasn't ungrateful to his friends, he was rapidly getting tired of it. The cookie tins were starting to look dangerously empty, and he had drunk so many social cups of tea and coffee that he felt a little over caffeinated by the end of the day. It had also thrown a spanner into his daily routines that he had built up around little Wes; he too had begun to resent the army of faces staring down at him. On top of that, Caleb had begun to act up. He was fed up with the noise as people trotted in and out - admittedly he didn't mind Mike, as he always remembered to bring him a gift, but the others he had much less time for.

On Thursday therefore, to avoid the visitors that might show up, Jeff had immediately after breakfast made up some sandwiches for himself, and had packed them, along with food for Wes and Caleb, and an ample supply of cakes, chips and fruit for his own needs, and had decamped to his studio, where he already kept a supply of juice and soda. Wes had a crib set up there for when Jeff was working, and Caleb had followed out of instinct, knowing he would find a nice sunny spot to relax in up there. In the top floor room, Jeff could easily get away with ignoring the ringing of the doorbell, and if anyone made comment on it later, he could say that he had been too engrossed with his work and hadn't heard it. As it happened, those that did call just assumed that he was out at work, the supermarket, or that he had gone up to the Met to check out his favourite paintings and drawings - and yes, check out the crowds around his own masterpiece…

For Nick, Thursday marked the end of a quite remarkable week. He had been able to assist Dr Schultz in all his meetings as planned, and had been allowed to voice his own thoughts and opinions too; on the first occasion he had spoken out loud he had blushed scarlet, waiting to be told off for speaking out of turn as everyone had stared at him. Instead, he was asked what he meant by his words, and had then been given the attention of all present as he explained his own viewpoint. That he was not ignored was great; that several of the people there nodded in agreement was just wonderful. After that, he was directly asked to give his views, and whatever he said was actually listened to.

His audience was mainly female, contributing their stance from around the globe, and there had been a degree of suspicion of the earnest young man from Manhattan at first. However, when Dr Schultz had told them all about his college paper in his introductions, there had been a few nods of recognition; the following morning, there were several more. He had found himself chatting to people over coffee and lunch, exchanging the usual small talk about family and friends, and eventually he had found himself showing off his wedding photos, and more importantly, those of his son. Now as the final meeting of the conference drew towards its close, Nick smiled broadly at those around him, knowing that he had made several valuable contacts and an equal number of new friends. Seeing that made Dr Schultz happy, as this was a touchy and delicate area for many concerned. That Nick understood and empathised with their position was universally appreciated. He had to admit that the young man was a natural for this kind of work; able to show empathy with the victims, but also the necessary toughness with the perpetrators of the worst kinds of human rights abuse. The world was, after all, still so full of prejudice and hate, and some political figures were amongst the worst at it. If in Nick they had found a young man that was capable of standing up and speaking out, then he would head towards retirement in a much happier state…

Nick found time to Skype Jeff that evening as he prepared for the gala dinner that came at the close of such major events. He was not in the least bit surprised to see that his husband was in his studio, but he didn't expect the reason why. "I haven't actually had a moment to myself to just work since you left, Nicky. I was okay with Sebastian coming on Monday, but since then I have been escorted out by Luke and Duncan, and then worse still, press ganged into a shopping trip with Kitty, Marley and Unique… I had to spend two hours in the dress department at Macys… TWO HOURS! Don't you dare laugh…"

"I wasn't really," said Nick, suppressing his giggles at his husband's reaction.

"On Monday Sebastian stayed for dinner and Dave came to join us; on Tuesday I was dragged to Beats' and Elliott's; and last night I ended up eating with Brittany and Sam of all people; Artie later told me it was a strange combo, but then he also said it was a meeting of three blonds… So I decided that today I would just hide up here, where I can just ignore the door, and hope people will just assume that I am out. Mike did call me and invited me to dinner with him and Tina tonight, but I declined, and he understood why. He promised he was going to do his best to divert people away from me…" He stopped as Caleb hopped up on the desk next to the screen, sniffed it, then lifted a paw up to Nick's face and meowed. "He is just as fed up as me with it all," Jeff continued, "and Wes really hates the fact he has teeth coming in. I can't wait to see you again in the flesh tomorrow, Nicky. I have missed you so much…"

"I missed you too, my love. The good news is that I have no more meetings scheduled until next summer, and hopefully then you will be able to come with me and we can stay a weekend and explore. Geneva is so beautiful…"

Nick returned home the following day to hugs from his husband, the kind of affection usually reserved for Mike from Caleb, and to a massive smile from his son. He had taken Wes into his arms the moment that Jeff had vacated them, and had then taken a seat in the kitchen as Jeff made him coffee. He smiled down at him, his heart bursting with paternal pride, rocking him gently as he waited for his drink, only half listening to all of the gossip that Jeff was telling him. When his husband returned with coffee and sandwiches, there was a moment of silence, and then…

"Dada…"

Jeff gasped as Nick's eyes opened wide. His heart burst as he looked down at his boy, who was grinning back at him with the look of someone that was quite rightly pleased with themselves. "His first word! Oh, Nicky, I am so glad that you were here for that," exclaimed Jeff, who knew it was also very early as the tears formed in his eyes.

"It is such an honour," responded Nick, "though had it been papa instead, I would have been less surprised."

Jeff shook his head, and then set about taking Wes from Nick so that his husband could eat. Wes looked anxious for a moment as the handover took place, and then his eyes focused on the man that was now holding him. It was one of those rare moments when everything aligned to make life wonderful, as with another smile on his face, Wes uttered his second word, one which made Jeff sob with happiness. To hear their little boy say "Papa" too, and thus know that he recognised them both was just the most marvellous feeling in the world….

The run up to Christmas that year was so different for many of them. David and Mercedes would be spending the day in Boston in their own home, celebrating both the holiday and their wedding anniversary. On top of that, David was celebrating a big promotion at work, recognition of his hard work and loyalty after a trying period for the firm. His wife meanwhile was riding high in the charts, and had a tour planned in the New Year; first though she would be performing on the big network show as the year changed from 2019 to 2020.

Trent and Rory would also be spending Christmas at home that year. They had originally intended to be alone for the first time, but after an unexpected win on the Irish Lottery, Rory's Nana had invited herself to spend the holiday with them, before she moved on to spend the New Year with Séamus, Becca and her great grandchild. She was travelling alone, and had actually booked herself a business class seat this time. Although at first it had seemed like an imposition, they both agreed that it would be for the best if she came now, as the campaign for the Presidential elections of 2020 was already starting to heat up, with already Republicans amongst those hoping to see a new face in the White House…

The trade war that the President had started in 2018 had cast a pall over all that Trump had done before and since, even the talks with North Korea. The treatment of the child migrants had left the world at odds with the nation, and the decision to pull away from certain areas of the U.N. had been disturbing… There were certainly now a lot of interesting names in the running from both sides, including a Kennedy….

Nick and Jeff were expecting a busy Christmas, with all four grandparents having invited themselves to spend the day with them seeing as it was their grandson's first Christmas. They all knew that he would not even appreciate the importance of the day, and that all gifts, unless they were a teething ring or tub toys, would be insignificant. Then again, when his excited parents unveiled the Christmas tree to him for the first time, his eyes did light up. That tree was also the focal point of the little party that Nick organised in the middle of December for his new colleagues. All of them were instantly wowed by the house; loved Jeff and Wes; petted Caleb, who sat patiently for a while and then made a move to hide under the tree; and waxed lyrical about the food, which Nick had naturally prepared himself.

For others, Christmas was a day when they actually got a welcome rest after a busy week. Monday, usually the day the theatres were dark, saw all the shows open, in compensation for the fact that most would be closed on Christmas Day at least. Sebastian was fortunate enough to also be off on the 24th, an arrangement the show had always had so that cast members could actually go home for the holiday. This gave him an extra day to prepare for his first family Christmas gathering at home, albeit with help from his maman. Paul Karofsky was also joining them, and in a move that was every bit as significant as the football match in No Man's Land during World War One, two mother's had called a truce with their mutual ex-husband for the sake of their grandson.

As for Peter, he was starting to grow tall, like his father and uncle, and had broached the subject of Dalton with his father at Thanksgiving. Julian had initially been shocked and almost tearful at the fact that his son would wish to go away to school, but now that he had had some time to think, he had decided that maybe it would not be such a bad thing for his boy after all. The fact that he knew that Thad Harwood would take him under his wing was a great help in that change of heart. It would also allow his boy to use the singing voice which was developing nicely as he aged. It seemed that he had inherited the melodic tones that were used to such great effect by his Uncle Bazzy…

Sebastian was also fully aware that this would be his second and last Christmas as Elder Price. Like Santana, he had now done the workshops for the new production of _Oklahoma!_ and as a result, the show was now scheduled for its previews in about eight weeks time, with the official opening night in late March, so just qualifying for the Tony Awards. He would officially hand over to Mason in the first week of February, and by now the younger man, although still scared at the prospect, was almost as good at the part as he was… He was now confirmed as the official understudy, and Sebastian had happily agreed that he would hand over all of the matinees to him as from the start of 2020.

Advertising for the changeover had already been prepared, and Mason had even been booked on to a couple of the morning TV shows; admittedly, Sebastian was also booked to be at his side on them, advertising his new show at the same time. He had already done a few short pieces to camera for the entertainment centred shows, mainly off the cuff stuff. It was the first time either of them had done this kind of promotion, but his Aunt Bette had shared a few tips of her own with them both, and it was not a concern. There was however one thing that Sebastian did not know, and that was what Mason and the director had cooked up between them to mark his last show. It was taking quite a bit of organising, and a lot of persuasive talk on Mason's part; it was proving hard to convince some of the people they needed on board…

For Rachel, the new decade was approaching with the offer of another lead, but this time in a brand new musical. The show was a period piece, set in England, and was a musical version of the life of the Brontë sisters, with Rachel chosen to play Charlotte. The offer had come out of the blue, and it had thrown her for six in more ways than one. The part when she received it might actually have been written for her own vocal range; and that intrigued her, as did the fact that the writer, creator and director of the show, all supposedly one person, was not named anywhere in the documentation. That was her biggest concern, but when she shared it with Sam, he had told her that she could do herself no harm by arranging to meet them in a public place, whilst making it quite clear that in doing so, she was not committing herself to the project in any way. She had to agree with that, although when she mentioned it to Kurt when he paid her a fleeting visit a few days later, he had told her to be careful; and to remember that she could say no at any point and just walk away from the meeting.

On the day, Sam offered to come with her, but she declined, not wanting anyone to think that she was not capable of making career choices on her own. The chosen venue for the meeting was a community theatre on the lower east side, which had the added benefit of being five minutes from the Spotlight Diner if she needed to flee. When she arrived, she was shown in by a security guard, and pointed at a corridor. She walked down it, heading towards a room from which the sound of singing could be heard. She felt that she had heard the voice in question before, but she could not quite place it. On the threshold to the room she stopped, and stared. It was not at the two other young women that were already there, who had to be playing Emily and Anne, but at the man who was singing at that moment. It had been a long time, but she would have recognised Jesse St James anywhere…

Her first thought was to turn and go; call her agent, and get them to call up with her apologies, citing illness, then decline the role. The problem was the fact that she had fallen in love with the part… Instead, she turned on her heel and walked a little way back down the passageway, and called Sam. He answered after one ring, which meant that he had to have been waiting for her to call, just in case, and that made her heart swell… She did not give him a chance to speak, she just said. "It's Jesse St James; the director is Jesse St James. So, it might really be the case that he has written this part specifically for me, which is great, but…"

"But what? I would love it if anyone wrote a part specially for me. I know that you love me, and I know that the two of you have history, but that is what it is; history. Go in there, and prove to everyone that is listening why he chose you for the part and created it for you."

Rachel could only thank him, and then she headed in, head held high. It was strange to see the young man that she had crushed on in high school again, but they were older now, and wiser. He welcomed her warmly, and then introduced her to the two other women there, one of whom just happened to be his girlfriend. She was filling in for the actress that was due to play Emily, as she was unable to attend. Everything went well as they ran through the numbers, and at the end, Rachel found herself agreeing to take the part, subject to it all being fully funded. True, it wasn't going to be on Broadway, but it had the tunes, the plot and the choreography to ensure that it would end up there eventually. She was very impressed to discover that as well as writing the show, Jesse had orchestrated the whole thing himself, and that he was already in the process of writing another show, which would also require a strong female lead. Rachel was nothing if not forward thinking; if she played her cards right, she could build up a partnership with him, and be in all of the shows that he created. If he was a success, then the faith that she had put in him now would be rewarded. On arriving home that night though, and telling Sam she had accepted the part, she did however ask him not to tell anyone else who she was working with just yet, particularly Santana; they might not understand how she could, after all that he had done to her back at McKinley…

The usual Christmas get together for the Warblers almost fell by the wayside that year; with a baby in the house, Nick and Jeff were less than keen to host a noisy party, and even if they did head elsewhere, they would have to head home early. That was assuming that they could find a sitter they trusted, and sitters in general were not something they were keen on. Sebastian was tied up with work except on a Monday, which was when everyone else was, and he also had to get back to Maplewood afterwards. With all his extra work in preparing for his new show, he too would have to leave early. The youngest of them all were still at school of course, and had evening jobs, which made planning anything a strain.

In the end, just as they had all reluctantly began to give up on the idea, and were preparing to consign the Warblers and friends Christmas party to the history books, Izzy remarked to her husband as he bemoaned the fact that it was so hard to organise that he should just invite everyone to lunch one Sunday, which would surely fit into most people's schedules; those that needed to get home early could then do so without feeling they were ruining things for everyone else. She also bravely suggested that they could even host it at their place on the Upper East Side; she knew she would probably be at work, but it meant that the new fathers could leave to be at home for their son's bedtime rather than being the ones to kick everyone else out.

Flint nodded, thinking quietly that his wife was not just beautiful but a genius, and then made the suggestion to his friends. It was almost immediately accepted with no reservations by them all, and scheduled for December 15th. Those that would have to come in from out of town could manage it no problem, as they could get home for work the next day on late flights, or in David's case, the overnight train. Sebastian knew that it would be no issue to ask Mason to work that Sunday for him. Nick and Jeff were the only people that were still unsure, until Grace intervened. She told them that she would be more than happy to babysit her nephew, and if they didn't trust her, then who would they ever trust? Nick knew better than to argue with his big sister, and accepted, and even offered to cook, as long as Flint and Izzy did not mind him using their kitchen. They didn't, so Nick decided to go all out and cook a full Christmas meal. he would cook the turkey there, but the ham he prepared at home and brought with him already sliced; he knew that whilst they were not strict religion wise, cooking pork in their house was a little step too far…

The meal was a triumph, and the gathering was the largest they had managed for some time. The only problem was the attendance of Cameron, as they had laid places for Wes, Blaine and Kurt. He was sitting as far away as possible from the spots in question, but nonetheless he noticed the three extra seats… He had come to the event with big news of his own; he had proposed to Jeff's cousin Flora the night before, and she had said yes without reservation. They were all so very happy for him, and laughed as Jeff solemnly welcomed him to the family as if he was a patriarch.

"My one sadness at this moment is that Wes is not here to witness this," Cameron began as Jeff finished, "but then again, I'm sure that he actually is, and you all know that." Before anyone could say anything, he continued, "In fact, I would be so bold as to suggest that as a result of misfortune, I'm the only person here that is not privileged to see or hear him still. I mean, it is okay; I guess it is because I was not at his memorial because I was not in the fold at the time, and even had I been, I couldn't have come because I was sick. In any case, I am certain that he will be pleased for me…"

There was stunned silence around the room at that moment; surprise at the fact that he had worked it out for himself, as there had been so few slip ups or indications that they knew something he did not. Then, with a smile, Jeff said quietly, "He posed for me when I drew _The Judging Angel_. That is what he looks like now; his wings are beautiful, as are Blaine's and Kurt's. I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we wish you had the same good fortune as us. Maybe if we all wished for it together, including you, then it might happen. It did before…"

"I don't know if that will work this time, blondie, but we can try. I mean, it did work for Gabriel and Mitch amongst others…" said Thad quietly. Wes nodded, and Thad watched as he silently crossed the room to stand behind Cameron.

"I would love to be able to see him, or even just hear him again. He was so wise, and he always knew just what to say to me to cheer me up when I was down; to give me courage when I was afraid; to point me in the right direction when I did wrong. He was always the wise big brother, the person you could trust implicitly. I lost my way a little, but now I am back on track, and maybe Wes had a hand in that as well. If he did, then I am grateful, because not only did I get my dream job, I got my dream girl too…" Cameron paused to swipe at his moistening eyes, before going on. "And then there's Blaine and Kurt, and I would love to see them happy and together again…"

At that, Wes finally gave a flap of his wings, which thanks to the high ceilings in Flint's house, he had been able to extend. The others watched as Cameron froze. "That wasn't just an ordinary draught, was it? He is here, standing behind me, right now, and he just flapped his wings… I wish I could hear you too Wes; even just a little voice in my ear would be wonderful…"

Around the table the assembled band of bird brothers fell silent, eyes closed, fingers crossed, all praying to whatever God they believed in that the miracle would happen; that the last of the number to have returned to the nest would be able to join them in full fellowship. For his part, Wes too was praying silently in his head, hoping that whatever he said next would be heard by the young man who had been through so many hardships, but had recovered and was now enjoying life afresh…

"Cameron, I would love nothing more than for you to be able to hear me say this right now, so that you will know just how proud I am of you at this moment. You have had your problems, and they left you down, but now you have managed to make your self an indispensable part of a revitalised rural community; that bond will be strengthened in due course by marriage. I can guarantee you this; on that day, I will be there to wish you well, my friend…"

There was no reply as Wes stopped, and around the table, eyes opened again and smiles faded just a little. Cameron sat amongst them in silence, his eyes still closed and a tear rolling down his cheek. Mitch was the first to get out of his chair and head towards him to offer him comfort, convinced as they all were that there had been no success; but then came the words that they had all hoped to hear. "It is no wonder that they made you an angel Wes, with sentiments like that…"

Sighs of relief and delight came from every corner of the room at that moment as they realised that finally they could invite their three angelic members to events without having to be wary. They could join in the conversation and the games without issue.

"Well, I meant every single word, Cam. Now that we have dealt with this issue, we should get back to the serious issue of the hour; getting Nick to serve up the dessert," said Wes. There was laughter from around the room at that as Nick just rolled his eyes, and Jeff, Beats and Seth all just nodded in agreement. As Nick got up, Wes made his way back to his seat, and then…

"Wes, your tie is not quite straight at the collar. I am surprised that Kurt didn't mention that to you; he must be slipping up." Heads spun round to stare at Cameron, who had just uttered those words with a nonchalance that belied the fact that he was crying. As Wes made to straighten his tie, there were smiles and celebration. They had achieved their goal; through a combination of his own belief and their faith in him, Cameron had been given the same as them; the ability to hear and see angels.


	105. A New Life & a Last Night

**A New Life & a Last Night**

For most of those that celebrated it, Christmas of 2019 was a family affair. The few that had no time to go home, or no wish to do so gathered at the house occupied by the younger men in the West Village. They managed between them to prepare an adequate meal, though not quite a full Christmas feast. The fact that they had done so without resorting to calling for takeout, or dialling 911 for the fire brigade made them all pleased.

In the house next door, little Wes was deluged with gifts, not that to him there as yet appeared to be anything particularly special about the day. Caleb was in high dudgeon at the lack of attention he was receiving, and also at the fact that his gift pile was so small in comparison. He recovered however when Mike popped in with Tina on their way to the hotel that her family were spending Christmas in that year for a well deserved break. As soon as Caleb saw him, he anticipated what he would have for him, and Mike did not disappoint his little friend. With a new catnip filled mouse held in his teeth, and his tail held high, the little cat headed to his bed, where he would remain content, enveloped in that heavenly aroma, until he noticed his portion of the roast dinner being placed in his bowl…

Meanwhile in Washington DC, Trent and Rory found themselves accompanying the latter's feisty Nana to Christmas Day mass at the cathedral, her biggest complaint being that the sermon delivered by the archbishop lacked the necessary spark. That made Rory laugh; he was quite convinced that had Bishop Curry been in town that morning, his Nana would have ditched Catholicism altogether, and embraced the Episcopal Church in its place…

When 2020 did finally arrive, it did so quietly, as reflected the increasing age of all those involved, and the need to be more mature in outlook. The Spotlight so no sign of Nick and Jeff as the ball dropped, the two of them being fast asleep on the couch after a day spent dealing with a son that was crying as his teething pains intensified. As for Sebastian, he had arrived home from the city in Maplewood just in time to join his husband, brother and sister-in-law in watching the whole thing on television, still trying to forgive himself for cursing at how the revellers had nearly caused him to miss his train home. They were also joined by an excitable Peter, allowed to stay up late for the first time ever to see the new decade arrive.

As the moment arrived, Sebastian noticed that Isabelle was toasting the New Year with a glass of sparkling apple juice, not her usual champagne… and then it hit him. She had not drunk during Christmas dinner either… Ten minutes into the new decade, Julian declared that it was time for Peter to head to bed, and the young man did not argue, particularly when Dave offered to read to him for a few minutes once he was in there. That left Sebastian alone with his sister-in-law, and as soon as he could, he asked the question that was on his mind.

"Don't tell your brother that you have guessed, as he is intending on telling you when he comes back downstairs. I am excited at the prospect, but he is ecstatic. The only worry that I have now is how Peter will respond to the arrival of a much younger half sibling…" Isabelle replied in hushed tones.

Sebastian nodded, recalling all that he had been told by his own mother about how Julian had reacted to his own arrival on the scene. He could only hope that Peter was not like his father in that respect…

As a professional that performed on the Broadway stage, Sebastian managed to act as surprised as was necessary when Julian arrived back with Dave and informed them both of his and Isabelle's big news. The delight on Julian's face was obvious, and his wife was every bit as pleased. "Anyway, you can expect to be uncles to another child by the end of May," Julian said after receiving the congratulations of his brother and Dave. "Of course, I hope that you will return the favour one of these days and give me a little niece or nephew to spoil. We did tell our respective mothers yesterday, and they are both ecstatic for us. As for father, we intend to tell him tomorrow…"

"What does Peter think about the fact he is getting a little brother or sister?" said Dave, and Sebastian quietly thanked him for asking the awkward question that he had not wanted to broach himself. He turned and looked at his brother questioningly as the response was slow in coming.

"We haven't actually told him yet; we have been waiting for the right moment to break it to him," Julian replied in a sheepish tone.

"I hate to be the one to say this, Jules," said Sebastian, "but maybe he should have been the first person you told. If he finds out that everyone else in the family knew this before him…"

"I did tell him that, Sebastian," said Isabelle, "but he was just so pleased when the doctor confirmed it yesterday that he blurted it out to his mom when she called, and having done that, he was desperate to tell you."

"I know that he needs to know, and soon, but it is going to be a tricky conversation. It will be a big adjustment for him to no longer be an only child," conceded Julian.

"It will be an even more difficult conversation if he overhears something, or finds out when someone else who thinks he would surely be aware of the fact mentions it to him in all innocence. I know that it isn't my place, Jules, but I think that tomorrow morning you need to sit him down, and let him know. Dave and I can both act surprised when he tells us next time we see him."

"My big fear is that he will hate the idea of this; that he will think that having a sibling will mean that I will love him less," admitted Julian. "But you're right, Bazzy; I can't procrastinate any longer. We will tell him tomorrow at breakfast…"

Not long after that, Dave and Sebastian headed home, but promised to come back for lunch the following day. They heard nothing else until they returned, knocking at the door as usual before letting themselves in. The fact that as they walked in they were not met by an excited Peter running to tell them the news meant only one thing in their minds. Sure enough, the moment that Sebastian saw his brother's face, he knew that something was up.

"It didn't go well," Julian said before anyone could speak. "The idea of having a sibling horrifies him. Then he asked if we had chosen to have a baby because we didn't love him anymore. That broke my heart, and as for Isabelle… He went up to his room after that, and he hasn't come back down, or even answered my knocks on the door. This is all such a darn mess…."

"It could have been worse; he could have trashed the room, thrown things at you and then physically attacked you both," said Sebastian quietly, looking pointedly at his brother, whose face fell. "My maman tells me everything, Jules…"

Julian sighed, and replied, "I guess that my reaction was a trifle more dramatic and violent…"

"Right, so I guess that it is time that Uncle Bazzy went and tried to have a chat with someone," said Sebastian. Julian nodded, and leaving Dave with him, Sebastian headed up to his nephew's room. He knocked gently on the door, and when there was no response, he opened it anyway and stuck his head in. The sight of his nephew lying curled up, face down on the bed, his head buried in his pillow, and his toy rabbit clutched to his side broke his heart. He walked in, closing the door behind him, then went to sit on the bed by Peter's head.

"Your daddy told me what is going on Peter. He of all people knows only too well what it is like to go from being an only child to the eldest after a good many years. He had a massive tantrum and threw plates at his parents from what my maman tells me when he heard I was coming along…"

"My daddy threw plates?" came a little voice, muffled by the pillow.

"That was just the start of it all; he hated me for the first few months of my life; called me _The Thing_. He came to love me in the end though, and he quickly realised that he wasn't getting any less love just because there were two of us now… You do know that your daddy will never stop loving you as much as he does now, nor will Isabelle for that matter. Yes, there will be changes, because there will be a fourth person in the house, but they both have spare love aplenty for the new arrival. I'm not saying nothing will change, because it will, as babies need a lot of attention. The thing is that you are growing up, Peter; very soon you will want less parental attention, not more, trust me. And if things do get tough, then you will always have me and Dave to run to for peace and quiet."

"Do you promise me that Uncle Bazzy; that they will still love me?"

"Of course I do. Parents will always love their children deep down, unless they are mad. I did a lot of bad things when I was in high school, but they never stopped loving me as much." Sebastian was conscious that he had just told a little white lie of sorts, but it did the trick. Peter lifted his head up to reveal eyes that were red raw from crying, and the fact that his usual smile was gone. "Hey, so why don't you and I go down and see your dad and Isabelle? They're both so worried about you…" Peter nodded, then pulled his Uncle Bazzy in for a hug, a gesture that was quickly reciprocated by the older man.

After the events of New Year's day, Isabelle's news began to filter out slowly amongst the circle of friends. Sebastian himself had said nothing, not wanting to damage the fragile acceptance that he had obtained from Peter; he still wondered just how much the new arrival would alter the relationship between himself, his father and his stepmother. Kurt waited until Isabelle had returned to work to pay her a visit and congratulate her on the news, and also to wish her good luck when she had to tell Ms Wintour that she was expecting. Isabelle knew where he was coming from, but decided that it was best to get it over with; to her surprise, the fierce editor of the magazine was all smiles, and just as happy for her as everyone else had been, even going so far as to state that she could consider blogging about her pregnancy for the magazine. She agreed, but with the caveat that she would only do so if her stepson was okay with it.

The gossip had however begun by that point; someone at the magazine must have sussed it out, and within a few days the rumour mill had gone into overdrive as they tried to identify which influential person at _Vogue_ was pregnant. That forced Isabelle to ask Peter if he would be okay with her talking about her pregnancy in the magazine, and to her surprise, he agreed it would be okay. She announced the fact on the website a day or two later. Everyone was more or less supportive of her and pleased from that first moment, although some desperate fashionistas did suggest that the magazine should replace her with someone younger to allow her to go off and play at mommy. That sparked a twitter storm on the scale of #MeToo. Sebastian also got his fair share of congratulations on gaining a new niece or nephew, and he had to admit that the broody feelings he had started to have when little Wes came along had now intensified. He was even starting to look out for potential ladies to be his and Dave's surrogate, not that it was a long list at present. To be honest, unlike Nick and Jeff, he had come to the conclusion that they might be better with a stranger. In any case, it would all have to wait until after he had changed shows and he had bedded in in his new role…

In no time at all, January was past, and it was the 2nd of February 2020, which marked the final time that Sebastian would play the part of Elder Price. He had agreed to perform the matinee the previous day to give Mason a final Saturday off before he took on the part. It would be his last for the foreseeable future. As the week had gone on, the applause for Sebastian after each performance seemed to be louder, and go on much longer. The theatre was sold out, any returned tickets selling in seconds. The show on Sunday the 2nd had sold out within three hours of the announcement he was leaving, and the date. This was down to the combination of people wishing to see him for the first time, or wanting to see him one final time. The sell out meant that none of his closest friends would be there in the audience to see his final show; Julian and Peter would be, but only by the skin of their teeth, Sebastian having booked them the final seats in the house.

That day his dressing room was full of flowers, boxes of chocolates and cards from so many different people. He had eschewed a leaving party with his co-stars, telling them to just have a drink on him instead. He wasn't quite so pleased by the fact that they had chosen to do so the previous night, but it would not be the first time in the history of Broadway that someone had performed with a hangover, and he was certain that it would not be the last. He looked up at himself in the mirror, his preparations all complete; he smiled at the reflection, thinking how smart and neat he looked in his usual pristine white shirt and tie - tonight he was wearing his old Dalton one, just as he had done on that first night, so long ago now, when he had played Price…

His calm mood was shattered as the door to his dressing room flew open to reveal a wild eyed director. "Sebastian, we have a problem. Last night… Well, you know how they say that history repeats itself? Well, it has. Those idiots went out for that drink last night and decided it would be a good idea to have seafood…"

"What idiots…" began Sebastian, and then it dawned on him what the director was referring to. "You mean… you are kidding me, right? This is a wind up…" At that moment, one of the other Mormons suddenly appeared in his dressing room doorway, framed for a second as they ran past, clutching his stomach and retching. Seconds later there was the sound of something splattering on the floor and the noise of vomiting. "Okay, that is just gross!" screamed Sebastian, covering his ears. Why had he ever considered letting them go out and have a drink for him was a good idea…

"The worst thing is that this time we only have about 15 minutes to curtain up. We have no choice tonight; we will have to cancel the performance. There is nothing else that we can do this time," said the director. Sebastian nodded sadly, as his heart broke in two. Could this really be how his time at _Book of Mormon_ would end? "By the way, Sebastian, we have had a discussion, and we think the news would be best coming from you…" Before a shocked Sebastian could respond, the director was gone….

That was how Sebastian found himself walking all alone on to the stage at the exact moment that the opening music should have been playing, to make an announcement that would disappoint the audience and tear at his own heart anew….

"Ladies and Gentlemen, firstly I would like to thank you all for coming here today, and for all your kind messages; it really means so much to me, and makes what I have to say now even harder. Some of you will probably recall the circumstances surrounding my first performance in this role; it was a one off, because my fellow Mormons had all managed to give themselves food poisoning… Well I am sorry to have to tell you that whilst missionaries come and go, they never seem to learn. That's right, once again seafood, in this case dodgy prawns, have incapacitated half the cast. This time, the notice was just too short to even attempt to summon my friends…"

"Apart from me," said a voice, and Mason walked on to the stage to stand beside him, in costume and wearing the Elder McKinley badge. "I am still here, mainly because I detest prawns. I know that this will probably be scant consolation Elder, but at least they will be my problem, not yours, as of Tuesday…"

Someone in the audience started to laugh at that, and it began to grow through the auditorium. Sebastian shook his head, but it did mean one thing… "Well, meanwhile it remains only _You and Me_ ; we can't go on with the show, but maybe we could sing something for the good people gathered here today…"

"And I could help," came a new voice.

Sebastian recognised the voice at once, and spun round to face the other side of the stage, his eyes wide. "Jenny? Oh my… What are you doing here?"

"I came to see my first Elder Price, the man that had the vision, the courage and the sheer audacity to use his untrained friends to save the day, perform the role one last time. After all, I doubt that I would have got the part of Nabalungi on the tour if it wasn't for you. I had just popped in to see the young lady currently playing the part when everything went wrong. So as she ran to the bathroom, I decided to put on her costume, and here I am…"

"Thank goodness for that. To be honest, I was kind of dreading the two of us performing _Baptise Me_ , Sebastian," said Mason with a wink, which earned him another outburst of laughter. Sebastian just shook his head, trying his hardest not to laugh himself. Then the hilarity amongst the audience turned into light applause, and Sebastian turned away from Jenny to see…

"Substitute Elder Grant reporting for duty; unfortunately, we can't find any trace of the wig we used last time, so my dear husband will only be able to take the role of Moroni today," said Nick. As he finished, Jeff appeared at his side, dressed in robes, angel wings, and that wonderful halo…

Jeff was struggling to keep a straight face as Sebastian just gawped at the two of them, then said deadpan, "We just happened to be in the area when we heard what was happening. The bad news is that we might have created an issue at _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ instead. You see, Willy Wonka is babysitting for us until his sister gets there." He pointed at Nick as he said that and smiled, his teeth sparkling white thanks to a quick bit of work by the lighting technician…

As the audience chuckled at the notion that Willy Wonka might have to appear on stage with a child in a papoose, Sebastian just shook his head. "Well, okay, so we have two more people to play with. Nick, I think we might have to upgrade you to Elder Cunningham though. I know you've never done it, but I suppose we could let you stand there with the script…. Does anyone mind if he acts with the script in his hand?" Sebastian asked, causing the audience to laugh even louder.

"That is not very professional Elder, and I would expect better from a Tony winner," came a voice from the auditorium. Sebastian stared into the darkness, and then did a double take as Thad was suddenly revealed by a spotlight, walking down the centre aisle in Mormon costume. Nick and Jeff ran over to help him up onto the stage, as behind them the star of the show began to wonder if he had fallen asleep in his dressing room, and all of this was a dream…

"Luckily for you, I was in the city for a meeting tomorrow; I only intended to pop in and say _Hello!_ " The fact that Thad sang the last word, holding it as long as his character did in the opening number earned him a round of applause when he stopped. He took a quick bow, then headed over to Sebastian.

"This is just… it is so good to see you, Thad!" said Sebastian, shaking his head in disbelief. "How come you never mentioned you would be in town?"

"You didn't know I was going to be in town either…" came the voice of David, as he walked out onto the stage in the costume of the general.

"What the…?" Sebastian began, but then the stage lights came on, and his eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he saw that everyone else was there too; the stage behind him had filled with Beats, Flint, Ethan, Seth, Colin, Edward and Rory.

Skylar walked up to stand by Nick, and stated "Substitute for the substitute of Elder Young at the ready…"

Sebastian couldn't help but stare at the whole scene. He shook his head, then said, "Okay, so this is all just too…" He stopped as he was interrupted by someone saying three little words…

"Hello, best friend!"

The sight of Trent walking out to stand at his side was all that it took for Sebastian to say "What! Okay, so… this is all a set up, isn't it? There were no dodgy prawns consumed last night, were there?"

"None whatsoever," said Trent loudly, "just a lot of Campbell's condensed Cream of Shrimp soup splattered about." As the audience roared with laughter, Trent whispered in Sebastian's ear, "This was your Aunt Bette's idea; to be honest, if anyone else had asked, we would have said no…"

"Okay, gentlemen, places I think," came the voice of the lady in question, and suddenly the audience was applauding loudly as she walked across the stage towards a stunned Sebastian. As swiftly as they had appeared, the others all vanished, leaving the two of them alone. "I hope that you can forgive me, dear boy; I could not resist the chance to make your last show in the role as memorable as the first," Bette whispered in his ear.

Sebastian for his part nodded his head slightly, ignoring the tears that had started to form in his eyes, and replied, "I guess…"

"Right, so dry your eyes, go to your mark, and make them beg for more," Bette said much more loudly. Sebastian responded by saluting her, then headed off to his usual opening mark. Ms Midler then took centre stage. "Ladies and Gentleman, we are a little late, but nonetheless, welcome to _Book of Mormon_ , today starring Sebastian Smythe as Elder Price for the final time, before he moves to the Imperial Theater in _Oklahoma!_ later this month. I have my ticket for his opening night; do you?" The audience laughed at the blatant plug for his new show, but quickly stopped as the great lady raised a hand. "Tonight, Sebastian will be assisted by the same friends that helped him out that legendary Tuesday, when he became a Broadway legend and earned a Tony Award, so you should hold on to your tickets, and I believe there will be a replacement Playbill at the interval. Anyway, you didn't come to see me; I give you all, for the second and final time, the Dalton Academy Warbler's version of _Book of Mormon…._ "

Given how long it had been since the group had performed the show, Sebastian could have been forgiven for thinking that apart from Mason and Jenny, there would have been great potential for slip ups. Strangely enough, however, there were none, almost as if they had all practiced in advance. Sure, it was odd for all of them to see Nick and Skylar dancing and fooling around together, but there was no way that Jeff's hair could now easily have fitted under that wig. He did make a most marvellous Moroni though, particularly in _All American Prophet_ , where he made the most of his stage time. The dance skills of his compatriots had also come on in leaps and bounds since that first night; Mason now owned _Turn it off!_ with steps that were sure and confident in the accompanying dance number. Nick was almost as good, but it was Thad that was the revelation, and not just to Sebastian. In the wings, David watched with Jenny as his best friend's feet flew in perfect rhythm, spellbound and in awe.

When Thad came off stage, David asked at once when he had become just quite so good at tap. Thad shrugged, and said that he had begun taking classes in it as part of a fitness routine; there was a good instructor in Westerville, and he had taken full advantage of their teaching skills, just glad that he wasn't the oldest one in the class as he learnt. "In any case, it does come in useful when I am assisting the Warblers with their choreography. The theme at Nationals this year, if we get that far, is Broadway's Golden Age; we obviously can't do this show, but there are other numbers that we could, and if we can do a reasonably competent tap routine as we sing, it might earn us a few brownie points."

Once again, Trent stole the show with his comic timing, and the way that he interacted with the others on the stage. As for Sebastian himself, he found he was enjoying the show afresh, and felt up to playing a little fast and loose with the lyrics himself. In the middle of _Two by Two_ , he substituted Oklahoma for Orlando, complete with a line about _"Cornfields, and Cowmen, and a golden haze on the meadow…"_ The song had to stop for a moment as his fellow cast members giggled, and the audience roared with laughter, even more so after he had winked at them with a grin…

But then it was time for the finale, and as the Africans sang their version of _Hello!_ in promotion of the Book of Arnold, Sebastian suddenly felt his emotions start to get the better of him. He had played the part for so long now, and he had loved every second of it. It had given him his first share of a Tony, and his place on Broadway. Sure, he had a new mission to embark on, but that was scant consolation for all he would be leaving behind… As he stepped out to take his bow that evening, last on as was always the case, he was overwhelmed by the roar of noise, and looking round he saw that the entire audience was on its feet, and the cast were applauding him too, including those that were standing in the wings. He took his bow, tears streaming down his face. Mason and Jenny rushed over and wrapped an arm each around him, which made things a little better…

Then the applause died down, and he suddenly heard a familiar piece of music start, and before he knew it, everyone around him was singing those words _"We know we belong to the land, and the land we belong to is grand!"_ and he had to join in, as did half of the audience, so well known was the number. At the end of that impromptu number, there was more applause, and bows, and then finally the curtain came down. Once it did, Sebastian burst into floods of tears, as did some of the others. An era had ended for the show in the same way that it had begun…

It was a later train than usual that took Sebastian home to Maplewood that night, as he had wanted to catch up with Jenny, and he had been deluged with well-wishers at the stage door. Even more unusual was the fact that Peter was sat at his side, half asleep, as he and Julian had waited for him; as a result, Peter had been rewarded with the rare treat of a takeout meal; he had even deigned to let Sebastian have a few of his fries, which he knew was an immense honour.

"Well, little bro, one door has closed, but a new one has opened. _Mormon_ was good, and it got you onto the Broadway stage, but I think that _Oklahoma!_ will be the making of you. A whole new set of people will be coming to see you perform; folks that would never have come to see a show written by the creators of _South Park_ , but who love Rodgers and Hammerstein. I mean, according to Isabelle, your new show is already this year's second biggest show, after _Evita._ I hear that there is even talk of a possible West End transfer…" said Julian.

"Yes, that has been suggested, but that might not be for a few years yet, and who is to say that they will want me in it by then. It is all going to depend on how the previews go, and that all starts in a little over three weeks. I am just grateful that I have managed to have some success; so many people aspire to be on a Broadway stage, but never make it. I just got lucky…" replied Sebastian with a sheepish smile.

"Uncle Bazzy, what is Oklahoma like? The real one?" Peter suddenly asked.

"Well, it is still a little bit like the one I will be singing about, but at the same time, a little bit like here too. I've never been, but David and Thad have, and they found a soda shop that sells hundreds of different flavours…"

"Hundreds! That sounds so cool," exclaimed Peter.

"Yes, but there are some strange flavours amongst the good ones, like Chocolate Bacon flavour…" Sebastian grimaced at the memory of it as around him, Peter and Julian just shook their heads in horror at the very idea…


	106. New Shows, New Lives

**New Shows and New Lives**

March 2020 was a busy month, given that for most of them, there were two opening nights to attend. For Sebastian, this was nothing new, and the prospect of having to go out and face an audience was not something that fazed him at all now. It was not that he was blasé about it the whole thing though. He now had to face the fact that he was a romantic lead; as Elder Price, he had not had to kiss someone every night. Worse still, it was a girl that he was kissing, and as a man that had always been sure of his sexual preference, this was completely new territory for him. He had confided as much to the others at the Spotlight one night, not long after his final show as a Mormon, but had decided to decline Brittany's offer of a demonstration of how to kiss a lady properly given the death glare that Santana was giving him at the same time. To be honest, he was glad of that excuse; it would be far easier to do it with someone that was a relative stranger. Another well meaning person had told him that it was pretty much the same, just with less stubble, but that failed to take account of the very different layout of the chest area….

Of course, Santana had her own reasons to be stressed. She had no problems with kissing her co-stars, given her past exploits in high school, but the whole show was a much bigger deal than performing for a few well meaning people in the auditorium at McKinley. Ticket sales had been strong, with all of the previews having sold out well in advance of the performance date. The first of those had come around all too quickly for her liking, and on the morning in question, she did not want to leave the comfort and safety of her bed. She wasn't really given the option though; Brittany was so excited, and then Rachel turned up to give her a pep talk, closely followed by an angel armed with a gavel. Wes had been told by Kurt that Rachel had turned up, and knowing Santana, he had feared an explosion, hence why he had brought his gavel.

It did help that on her first night on a Broadway stage, only her wife and a certain Meerkat were in the audience to watch her performance. Santana had a feeling that the former would be in the auditorium every night of her run, however long it was; the latter was only present as it would be his only opportunity to see her, given his own hectic schedule. Wes had informed her that he would be coming too, and he arrived with the three others in tow at the very last minute, and all of them wished her their best as she watched the house lights go down; all that was left was for her to await her cue…

In the dressing room afterwards, she breathed a massive sigh of relief the moment that she sat down, her worst fears not having been realised. The audience had loved every moment of the show, and the tango she had danced after singing that most iconic of the show's songs, inspired by what she had witnessed from Kurt and Blaine, had earned her a long round of applause. She only had a few moments of quiet reflection before she heard footsteps and the voice that she loved so much in the corridor. Seconds later she was in her wife's arms, being smothered in kisses; Sebastian just stood and watched on the sidelines, the thumbs up he was giving her a sign of his own approval of her performance. After that first show, her nerves jangled less each night, but the prospect of the official opening night still loomed ahead of her, and that was a scary prospect…

A week later Sebastian was in her place so to speak, taking to the stage for the first time as Curly Mclain. In the audience that night for him were Dave, Cooper and Grace. Cooper had left his own show to the understudy for the night, and Grace had joined him as she had already offered to babysit her nephew to let Nick and Jeff attend together, however reluctantly they might have accepted her proposal. All three were surprised at just how much he had got into character, with an accent that was correct to the area, which did not drop even once during the show. He had also managed to push away most traces of his fine prep school manners. Dave had been left a little bit shocked at just how much passion was evident as he kissed his female co-star, and had he not known full well that it was only an act, he might have been left very jealous indeed…

By the time that Santana's opening night in March did come along, she had settled into the role entirely, all nerves gone. That morning she had risen early, then headed out with her mom and her Abuela for an early lunch. The two ladies had arrived the previous night, staying this time in a hotel close to the theatre that Santana had booked for them; the first thing that her grandmother did on seeing her next day was scold her for booking somewhere so expensive for them. After lunch, she had reluctantly left them to head into the theatre to prepare for the big moment, and ensure that it all ran as smoothly as it could. They might have been performing the show for weeks now, but there had never been a line of critics in the house before, nor a group of Tony judges. Worry set in about an hour before, but this time it was Kurt that appeared to soothe her fevered brow, and to reassure her that all would be well. She wanted to believe him, but nevertheless…

Kurt had been right, of course, and as she took her bows in front of an audience that was almost entirely on its feet, she could see her grandmother clearly. She was obviously in raptures at the idea that her granddaughter was now a star. The following morning, a hotel bellhop had to carry a copy of virtually every morning paper up to the room the two older women were sharing, just as across town, Sam got up to buy them so that Brittany could present them to her wife. With the words 'rising star', 'undiscovered talent' and 'sensational' written large across them, Santana was finally able to relax and grin. In fact, she now wondered why she had been quite so worried about it all in the first place. There wasn't really anything that hard about performing on Broadway when you had the requisite talent, all things considered…

A week later again saw Sebastian's official opening night in _Oklahoma!_ Although this was his second show on Broadway, this was technically his first ever opening night, as he had taken the role of Elder Price when the show had been running for a while. At lunch that day he had been quite fearful not because of the show, but because he had agreed to have a family lunch, and that meant that for the first time since the divorce, he would be sat with his maman and his father at the same table. That prospect had been bad enough, and Julian had agreed; both felt their hearts sink even lower when they arrived at the restaurant to discover that Sebastian's maman had brought the first Mrs Smythe with her, albeit with a small element of disguise against photographers. Isabelle was also with them, and as she approached the table, she could not help but wonder which of the people she was eating with that day had been insane enough to believe that this could work…

To the surprise and relief of all concerned, civility was maintained for the duration of the meal; there were no catty comments made, no insults traded. Instead they sat and sang the praises of the two sons, both of whom blushed, especially Julian; his recent promotion to a more executive role within his firm was nothing in comparison to the fact that his brother was a star, at least in his eyes. After lunch, Sebastian had a little time before he had to hasten to Sardi's, where he was due to have tea with his Aunt Bette; on arriving, he discovered that Carmen was with her. The three of them ended up chatting away so happily that Sebastian lost track of the time, and ended up having to sprint several blocks to the stage door to ensure he wasn't late for the start time for the cast, arriving just in time. In his dressing room he found a host of good luck cards, the usual flowers and chocolates - and a surprise guest. François had been sent a ticket and a hotel reservation so that he could be with his old friend on his big night; he did not know who had paid for it, but Sebastian suspected that the other Warblers might have clubbed together. After hugs, Sebastian began to prepare himself for the stage, at the same time explaining the jist of the plot to his friend, who listened intently. At the end, he shook his head, and said "So you have to kiss this girl? Mon dieu, the things that you actors put yourselves through for the audience…" Sebastian burst out laughing at that, and moments later, François was laughing too…

There was one late arrival in the audience that night amongst the group of friends, dashing to his seat just as the lights went down, ignoring the look from his partner as he slid into place. Mike had intended to leave work in plenty of time, but his boss had stopped him at the last second, full of apologies, asking him to hold back so they could have an important discussion. Mike had agreed, fully aware of all of the rumours of changes in the corps du ballet; a new director had come in two months ago, and there had been a few fairly high profile departures since then. Although he feared that the chat might be about that, Mike did not show any sign of it. As it had happened, the conversation had been at completely the opposite end of the spectrum in all ways…

The general impression of those that had come to support their friend, husband, brother, uncle or son that night was that he had excelled himself again, and had taken classic show and breathed a new vitality into it. The rest of the audience seemed to concur, judging by the applause. For Sebastian himself, the sight of his maman and dad, standing side by side at the front of the stalls, clapping hard and long as he took his bows made his heart burst with joy. He found himself heading after the show to the Stardust Diner at Peter's insistence, and although it wasn't quite as good as the Spotlight in his own opinion, it was as much fun. He also found another appreciative audience when at the behest of his nephew and a waitress, he jumped up on the counter to sing a number for them all…

Like Santana, Sebastian's reviews were outstanding. In the _New York Times_ , the theatre critic stated that the Elder was now a cowboy, with the same voice and obvious passion for the role - and the same smirk in view during _People Will Say We're in Love._ There was talk of a Tony, just as there had been with Cooper; one paper went so far as to say that Ohio might just have produced the two big musical award winners for the event in June that year, and they all took that other to be Santana….

In the West Village, Jeff had read the reviews over his morning coffee, Nick having headed off to work, and smiled happily to himself. That done he turned to the front pages, where the reading was a lot less cheerful, being dominated by politics. Some in the Republican party had finally realised that they needed to oust Trump, but there efforts were to no avail; the Democrats meanwhile were still in the throes of the final selection of their candidate, although it did look extremely likely that there would be a Kennedy running for President; he had won the backing of Bernie Sanders, the Clintons and Obama. He would be, if he was elected, the youngest President the country would ever have had, and that might be no bad thing…

Jeff suddenly jumped as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, but the tension went as Mike appeared, a big smile on his face. "I hope I didn't scare you; I did knock, but you didn't come, and I knew you were at home. The thing is, I wanted you and Nick to be the first to know after Tina… I was late yesterday because my boss needed to speak to me. It's finally happened Jeff; the big time has arrived. I am going to be the lead dancer in a show this Fall…"

Jeff immediately leapt up to hug his friend, a massive smile on his face. "That is wonderful news! I know that you were a bit worried that all of the changes the new director was making could hold you back, but it seems that the opposite was true."

"It appears that the new guy actually came incognito to watch our performances a few times before Christmas, just to get a feel for the corps. He was actually there the one night that I had to perform as understudy for a major role, and he thought that my performance was superior to several of the others. He began to question why, when I had graduated so highly from school, I was being relegated to the background. He asked around and eventually the truth came out; the previous director had his favourites, who kept themselves on good terms with him, and as a result they were always placed front and centre. It didn't matter who it was, or how talented they were, nobody else got a look in. Thankfully, that is in the past now, and I am getting to front a very important performance. We are doing _Swan Lake_ , but a version originated by a guy called Matthew Bourne. Basically the ladies will be getting a few weeks off, as the show has, more or less, a male only cast. In the traditional version, I would have to fight for the part of the prince; instead, I am going to be the swan, which is normally the part reserved for the prima ballerina."

"That sounds quite fantastic. I admit that I don't know too much about ballets, but I have heard of that one, and I think that it ends quite tragically…"

"Yes it does, and the final scenes will be a very physical performance; essentially I will be fighting to the death, in little more than a pair of feathered trousers… Tina thought that would be the most exciting part of the ballet to watch, given that all of the other swans will be dressed in the same attire… she does worry me sometimes…"

Jeff chuckled, whilst secretly agreeing that it did sound just a little bit hot, if he was being totally honest. "So why didn't you say something about this last night? Everyone was there, and we would all have been so pleased for you."

"Last night was Sebastian's night. It didn't seem right to take the spotlight away from him," said Mike modestly.

"He wouldn't have minded that much you know; sometimes Mike Chang, you are just too nice for your own good," Jeff remarked.

Mike eventually managed to post his news on Facebook, and soon the congratulations rolled in. Inevitably, Rachel and Santana did both comment that an all male ballet did seem a little sexist and unfair; Sebastian promptly reminded them both that he had been shouted down for condemning an all female cast in Shakespeare in the Park, and that they couldn't have it both ways. Artie managed to find a clip of a previous version on Youtube and posted it on Mike's timeline, and the female objections fell silent. This led to several comments about how the moment that there were going to be topless male dancers to objectify, the women had absolutely no issue with the show…

Mike had already left the battle of the sexes by this point, and had made a call he had put off last night. His father's reaction to his news was going to be the most important of all of them to him. He had not approved of Mike's dancing at first, at least not until the plaudits from his schools had started to roll in. He was now more or less supportive, and Mike hoped he would be pleased for him… His father was a little confused and concerned at first about the no women aspect, but when he realised that the role had given his son the biggest part in the show, and that the performance of that ballet would be the highlight of the company's season, his enthusiasm grew; so much so in fact that he asked Mike to alert him the moment that the tickets went on sale, so that he could inform colleagues and family. As for Mrs Chang, she burst into tears of happiness when her son gave her the news; she confessed that the role of the swan had been one that she had always wished to play when she had been a dancer; the fact that her son would now do so would give her an immense amount of satisfaction…

It would be late October before Mike made his stage debut, but the rehearsals would start straight away, filling in the gaps between other shows. He knew that the show was one of the best pieces of ballet for male dancers in a generation, and that he would be headlining it was a tremendous honour. What he had not told anyone was the fact that Matthew Bourne himself would be coming to put them through their initial paces when summer arrived; and if he did not think he was up to it, he could yet lose the part. He was determined that would not happen though, and if it meant he had to endure long hours in the studio, and a strict dietary regime, then so be it. After all, his success was not just important to him in terms of career; it also meant that he could finally feel able to fulfil a promise…

By the time that the end of April came along, the media seemed full of no other subject but politics. The President had taken to tweeting every two seconds, so it seemed, about how bad the Democrats were, how the country needed someone older and business like in charge, and about all the things that he had done whilst in office that made him look good. The rest of the country took great pleasure in responding to him about all the bad stuff that had happened in the same period, not least the trade war that had turned some of the country's closest allies into enemies. Then there were the endless golf trips. In the end, the POTUS had blocked so many people from his Twitter account that there was no-one left to read them anymore, apart from the craziest Trump fanatics. His attacks on the younger generation continued non-stop, growing as it appeared that Joe Kennedy III was the most likely person to receive the Democratic nod for President. There were those that lamented the fact the neither Oprah or Michelle Obama had put their name forward for the top job, but there were strong rumours that the latter was prepared to consider the role of Vice President, and that would still be a valuable first if it came to pass.

The battle was only just beginning though, as even those that had been let down as the promises of the election campaign went undelivered still believed the spin that came out on Fox News. It was easier to change minds in some places, with the citizens of Lima returning to backing Burt Hummel without question. A rumour that he was considering resigning from his role as congressman had left Trent and Rory snowed under in a deluge of correspondence begging him not to. The same could be said in Westerville, where the rebellious Sue Sylvester had proven a fine representative for the community. If anyone had thought that she would be a flash in the pan, then they were sadly mistaken. In fact, her profile was raised all the higher when she became the first Republican in the house to openly criticise the President over the rumours that he was about to ditch Mike Pence as Vice President, and replace him with Kanye West…

If the world of politics was getting all the more bizarre, then it was nice to return to the safety of normal life. In the middle of April, just the day after Isabelle finally agreed to stop coming into the office ever day and work from home; a decision made not because she was eight months pregnant and it showed, but because she was exhausted - Cooper woke up on a Monday morning to find a note from his wife, saying she had gone out, but she needed him to meet her at her doctor's office at 11am. He arrived there a good ten minutes early, which as Grace would later remark, had to be a first. Such was his concern for his wife's health that as soon as she arrived, he grabbed her, nothing else seeming to be of any importance any more.

"Whatever it is that is wrong, we are going to get you the best doctors, and the most up to date treatment," he blurted out before she could even say hello, his face white and lined with stress and concern.

Grace had just smiled, and replied, "There isn't anything wrong as such. It is more that I have a suspicion, and I wanted you to be here when I find out if my hunch is right. I mean, I have been feeling sick every morning, and things that should be happening with regularity just aren't…"

Her cryptic reply left Cooper baffled, until his brother's voice suddenly hissed in his ear "Oh for goodness sake, Coop! Sick every morning… Morning sickness…" Grace couldn't help but giggle at the sight of an exasperated angel standing behind his brother, whilst beside him there was another just rolling his eyes. Slowly it did dawn, and for Cooper, it was as if Christmas had come early…

Half an hour later and Cooper had tears rolling down his cheeks as he walked Grace to her office. They had begun the moment that the steady rhythm of a heart beating had come as a sonogram was taken; for Grace, she had been alright until that noise suddenly altered, and after a moment of panic, she was shocked but relieved when the doctor told her she was expecting twins. Then she had cried just a little as Cooper sobbed with joy in her arms. Blaine was crying by that point too at the prospect of being an uncle, albeit an angelic one, and would have fallen to the ground if Kurt had not been there to hold him up. There had then been a phone call to Pam, asking her to come over to dinner that night, followed by one to Nick, asking him and Jeff to do the same. Grace regretted the fact that her mom was in Ohio, but Cooper had told her just to call her and tell her; ask her to keep it quiet until the following day. That made things a little better for her. Before that, Cooper had called Mason and Roderick, asking them to stay in that night too; both had initially declined, stating that they had plans with Sam, as Rachel was busy that night. Neither of the expectant parents had any issue with the idea of Sam joining them for dinner too, and that plan was quickly agreed on…

Grace had confided in her colleagues what she suspected, and so when she walked into her office with Cooper at her side, it was to face a small reception committee. Cooper looked at Grace for a moment, then realising what she had done, he said "You are looking at the proud husband of an expectant mother of twins…" The squeals of delight that filled the air made it impossible for him to say any more, but he did notice a couple of gasps from the older women in the room at the prospect of twins. If he was honest, then the idea of having two babies to deal with was a little daunting to him as well. He would need to get some practice in; spend a little more time being Uncle Coop to little Wes, assuming that Jeff would permit him to, that was…

He realised that he had zoned out when he saw Grace starring at him, but she did not look upset; in fact, she seemed to be almost glowing with health and vitality. What now lay ahead for the two of them was not going to be simple, he had no illusions there, and there was something that he could do that would help them both. They were not poor by any means, what with inheritance money and being quite frugal with what they spent. He was therefore in the position that he could take a break from the world of show for a few months and help around the house; be the hands on father his own had never even attempted to be. After all, he had been appearing on stage eight times a week for some years now, with only a few short gaps. He would of course consult Grace on it, but his mind was more or less made up; he would leave his role as Willy Wonka in late August, and then take a sabbatical for at least six months before even considering a script - and when he did, he might well not go back to a musical. A more dramatic part in some serious play might well be in order…but then, could he do that? Could he convince an audience of his rage, grief or passion?

"Of course you can do that, Coop!" came his brother's voice in his ear again. "Okay, so you might be at a stretch to play Macbeth, or Hamlet, but you could do other stuff with no problem. If you are really worried about it though, go and see Carmen, and ask her for advice. She has a lot of respect for you after all." Cooper nodded slightly to acknowledge his brother; he was right in that respect, and she would be the best person to advise him on how to act in more serious roles…

Grace had work that she needed to do, and so after a sandwich lunch, Cooper headed out again, and found his feet heading him towards the West Village rather than Murray Hill, in the hope that he might find his brother-in-law and his nephew at home. Jeff was surprised to see him, given the fact that they had been asked to dinner that evening, but said nothing as the older man homed in on his nephew with a whole string of baby talk. Jeff went to make coffee as Cooper cradled his nephew in his arms.

"I don't know how you and Nick even knew where to start when this little man came along. I am guessing that you didn't get any kind of specific class at Dalton?"

"Certainly not!" Jeff replied with a laugh. "Child care was mentioned in biology class, but only in a very clinical way. I ended up reading a lot of books, and talking to my mom, and Nick's grandmother. I guess that the best person to talk to might be Carole, as she has all of her nurse training, plus the practical experience of actually being a mother. In any case, as the kind of surrogate grandmother to your child, she would only be too happy to help the pair of you out when Grace gives birth…."

Cooper looked at Jeff, startled that he had worked out why he had a sudden interest so quickly. "Please don't say a word about this to Nick; Grace is desperate to be the one to tell him. I guess I did make it kind of obvious…"

"Yeah, you did; you invite us to dinner at short notice, you suddenly are interested in child rearing, and then there is the look on your face - a mixture of delight, and panic. Nick had the same one when we found out Michelle was expecting. I promise that I will say nothing to my husband or your wife, and I will do my best to look as surprised as everyone else when you make the announcement."

"Thanks Jeff. I really appreciate that. The whole thing with being a dad to be is just a little overwhelming is all… I wouldn't mind a few hand on lessons in child care if you don't mind…"

"Oh, I think little Wes and I can do that for Uncle Coop - and judging by the expression on his face, you can start right now. That is his soiling my diaper face. Time for the first of many times changing a baby my friend…"

Sure enough, Jeff had guessed correctly, and after initial nerves, and a little gagging, Cooper was able to carry out the task with relative proficiency. "There really is nothing to it, once you get past the smell," Jeff said as he inspected his brother-in-law's handiwork. "Now, I think it might be time for someone's afternoon bottle, and I think you should be the person to give it to him today…."

An hour later, Cooper was hurrying home, feeling a little more content. He could do this, although he would need a little more practice. Just now though, he had dinner to prepare… He was not the greatest of chefs, but he could manage to prepare a mean pasta bake, and the one that he prepared with chicken was just about done to perfection as the guests arrived. Unsurprisingly, Mason and Roderick had been the first in, and they had assisted him with the setting of the table and the making of a simple dessert; he had tasted Eton Mess when he and Grace had been in London prior to starting work on _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ , and the process was so simple, just breaking up shop bought meringues into small pieces and mixing it up with whipped cream and raspberries, which he already had in the house. Jeff had pointed out that it was essentially a smashed up pavlova the first time he had been served it, and they all couldn't help but wonder afterwards if dish had been created as a result of a culinary mishap….

As a twist, Cooper had added broken cookie pieces into the mix for an extra crunch; he was doing this as Jeff arrived, and he was rewarded with a smile from the resident cookie monster. As Mason and Roderick admired the latest skills that little Wes had picked up as his doting papa looked on, Sam arrived, and after greeting the man that he still saw as a big brother warmly, he too had gone to play with the youngest of them all.

That was still going on when Grace arrived home; after greeting her husband, she had literally pushed everyone else out of the way and grabbed hold of her nephew, claiming that she had aunt privileges. Jeff just shrugged at the others and let her have her way; it was easier. Two minutes later and he had his own arms filled with husband. Nick apologised profusely for being late, until he realised that Pam was running even later. Her train had been held up, and when she arrived, she pointed out that she was just fashionably late, which was a source of amusement to the others.

Cooper's pasta went down well with all of them, served with a side of garlic bread, and a bottle of grape juice. Jeff smiled at that particular trick, and that they could always claim alcohol was absent due to the presence of Pam. The main course having been cleared, dessert was brought out, but before anyone could start, Cooper asked for a moment as he had something important to say. "Okay, so I am not going to bore you all with a long speech, because I know what some of you are like when it comes to eating sweet stuff… Grace had an appointment today, which I went to with her, and it confirmed something that she suspected. Basically, Mom, I am finally making you a grandma…" He got no further as congratulations began to ring out; Pam burst into tears and Nick jumped up to hug his sister. "Ahem, so I wasn't quite finished. They will be due at the end of September…" said Cooper with a grin.

"Wait, they?" said Jeff, whose surprise was no longer a complete act.

"Yes, Jeff, they; I am expecting twins," replied Grace.

At that, Nick started to cry, and Pam found herself in need of her son's arms. Sam was beaming from ear to ear, knowing that he would be Uncle Sammy from day one. As for Mason and Roderick, they were pleased for them, but they also knew one important thing; it meant that their time living in the house was about to come to an end. It would not be at once, but the rooms that they occupied had always been designated as rooms for their landlord's children…

As if reading their minds, Cooper said, "The timing is pretty neat too, as the 'L' Train will be back up and running, which means that the basement will be vacated, and thus two people can move away from a house filled with crying and diapers…"

"That fact would not make either of us want to move out," said Mason. "The fact is that Jane will be finishing school and coming to live in the city this summer, and so we would probably be looking for our own place anyway. I was just trying to find the right time to break the news to you."

"But I would be more than happy to move in downstairs to give you a little more space," said Roderick. "I love living here in Murray Hill, and I am not quite ready to leave my surrogate family behind yet."

"And we don't want you to leave either," said Grace. "All of you will be just as much an uncle to these children as Nick and Jeff."

"Which is her way of saying she expects you to babysit and change diapers," mused Nick, earning himself a laugh from everyone, even if Grace was glaring at him.

"Well, their grandma will be here whenever you need her," said Pam. "I was considering moving closer anyway, and now I am certain that I will be. I used to think that this day would never come, what with the distance between us as a family. I have another chance, and I am intending to use it. My only regret is that your children will never know their Uncle Blaine…"

"That is true, Mrs Anderson, but I think that he will be watching over them," said Sam. In fact, he was certain that his best friend would be watching over them all 24/7 until the births took place…


	107. Uncle Bazzy and a Political Rally

**Uncle Bazzy and a Political Rally**

The news of Cooper and Grace's expectations filtered out quickly enough after the dinner reveal, helped by the fact that Sam was allowed to tell Rachel. Within the space of ten minutes, the majority of the planet knew that they were having a baby as a consequence. Fortunately, Cooper had been able to get hold of Burt and Carole on Skype before that, and they were both overjoyed for them. "I think that you will be a good father, son. You have changed so much since the first time that I heard your name mentioned between Kurt and Blaine, and all of that has been positive. Sure, there was a great deal of heartache along the road to the point you are at now, but you made it through. Still, I don't envy you having twins; just having Kurt was exhausting enough at times for me and Elizabeth; and I am sure that Carole had the same issues with raising Finn," said Burt, grateful they were talking face to face, so to speak.

"It was hard at times, I admit, but all of it is worth every second as you watch them grow into adults. The memories of all of the firsts are what stays with you; they are your happiest memories," said Carole with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Cooper was aware that this kind of moment had to be hard for both of them, which was why he had discussed what he was going to say next with Grace, his mom, and his mother-in-law. "So, my mom has decided that she is going to be grandma, and fortunately, Mrs Duval has always favoured grandmother as her term of reference… so I guess that will make you granny, Carole. After all, you have both been like parents to me since the day that we lost Blaine, so it is only right that you should be grandparents to my kids. It is also the only way that they will ever have a grandpa, given that are fathers are not in the equation, and are never likely to be again…"

Cooper stopped speaking as he saw that Carole now had her head buried in Burt's shoulder, her own shaking as she sobbed. "Happy tears, son," said Burt, blinking back his own. "We will both be delighted to be counted as such. I means just as much as you can imagine, trust me," Burt continued.

"And if you ever need any advice, just you call me," said Carole, swiping at her red rimmed eyes. "I warn you now though; do not ask me to knit anything, because I am not much good at that. Anything else though…"

Isabelle called Grace at her office the next day to offer her her best wishes, and to commiserate with her over how she would feel in a few months time. "Take this advice from me; do not work right up to the last minute; plan to stop well in advance. I didn't and now I feel tetchy and exhausted all the time. Do what you can from home if you have to occupy your mind with something. Now, have you selected your obstetrician yet, because if not, I can give you the number of mine…"

The news had a profound effect on Sebastian too, making him all the more keen to be a father himself. He and Dave had drawn up a short list of potential surrogates, but had no idea how they would even begin that conversation. In his mind's eye, Sebastian could see himself and Dave with two kids, living in a nice house in the suburbs… he stopped the thought when he realised he was humming _Somewhere that's Green_ from _Little Shop of Horrors_ , shaking his head in disbelief. The fact remained that he now seemed to crave a family, more than he had ever imagined…

In Washington DC, his Dalton contemporary and his husband had also felt the same thing when they heard the news. They had no time right now, so busy were they with the election campaign, but once that was over, they would look at it seriously. They had someone that was perfect in mind for their surrogate, and the best thing was, she had offered her services to them without even being asked. They both knew her from college, and she was pretty much everything that they could have wished for. On top of that, she had an Irish-American background…

The news was followed swiftly by not one, but three other happy announcements. Artie and Kitty announced that they had set a date for their wedding, which would take place in St Marks Church in the Bowery, a historic old church in the East Village. It would be the first church wedding that the group of friends had attended, so that would make it interesting…

A few hours later, Colin and Edward announced that they too had set a date for their nuptials; the same date as it happened… There was a lot of concern about that initially, mainly for their safety and everyone else's when Kitty exploded, but then they pointed out that they were getting married in City Hall at noon, and Artie and Kitty were marrying at 3pm. They would be hosting a reception about 15 minutes walk at the most from the church, so there should be no problem…

No-one would ever know whether or not all the others inspired them, but later that night an announcement came from Luke and Duncan that they two planned to get married in summer, but in Vermont - and it would be a week after the others… On hearing this, Nick sighed, and remarked to his husband "We are going to have a busy old summer" knowing that the two of them would have to attend all three of them…

The broodiness that Sebastian was feeling was intensified still further at the end of May of course, when he received a phone call in the early hours of the morning from his brother. Julian informed him that he needed to get up as he would be dropping Peter off in two minutes; he was about to drive Isabelle to the hospital as she had gone into labour. Nudging Dave as he climbed out of the bed, Sebastian grabbed his robe, and was at the door to let in a sleepy Peter as he was let out of the car. "It is so very early, Uncle Bazzy," said Peter with a yawn as he walked up the short path from the street; and he was correct, it being barely 4am. Julian had not even spoken, just driven off at the full legal speed. "I think that dad might be having a breakdown, and she was swearing…" Peter continued as he stepped inside.

"People do that apparently when they are having a baby; the woman blames the father for everything that has ever gone wrong in the world to try and cope with the pain," said Sebastian. "So, shall we go and get you all tucked up in the spare room now, or would you like me to make you some of my legendary hot chocolate first? After all, I think that you could take the day off school, as long as you promise not to tell."

"Actually, I have to go to school, as I have a project to present, so I will go and try and sleep some more, if that is okay," said Peter; Sebastian just nodded, and sorted him out in the spare room, all the time contemplating the fact that he would have to do the school run in a short time… In the end, he actually had to drive Peter back home, as he needed to get dressed and pick up his project stuff; in Julian's haste to get to the hospital, such things as a change of clothes and school work had been neglected as unimportant.

With it not being a matinee day, Sebastian was not due to go to be in work until after 5pm; Dave made arrangements that he would be home for 3.30pm, so that he could look after Peter. Julian sent the first of what would be a stream of texts just after his brother had dropped his son at school; it basically said that all was well, but he was stressed out, and was Peter okay? When he heard that his son had actually gone into school, he was impressed, confiding in his brother that he would have used it as an excuse for a day off when he was his son's age, and Sebastian had to admit that in the circumstances he would have done so too.

It was just after 1pm when the message came that everyone had been waiting for; _'I've got a little girl, Bazzy. She looks like her mom. My daughter is as perfect as Peter was when he was born. We have already decided on her name, so little Sienna is looking forward to meeting her uncles and her brother. Could you bring Peter to the hospital from school?'_

Sebastian sent his brother a reply, congratulating him and Isabelle, and then called Dave to advise him of the change to their plans. In no time he was back outside the school, waiting for his nephew to emerge. He ran straight over on seeing Sebastian there, and announced excitedly, "My project went really well! My partner and I got an A+ for it, and we will be presenting it to the whole school next week! Dad will be really pleased, if he notices…"

"Now, don't even think that he won't, Peter," said Sebastian with a sigh. "We went through all of this at the start of the year, and nothing has changed since then."

"My friend told me that when his mom had a new baby, he was ignored all the time, and wasn't special to them anymore."

"Some parents can be like that, but your dad and Isabelle aren't. if he didn't care about you, would he have asked me to come here and get you, so that we can go to the hospital to meet your new little sister?"

"A sister! Uncle Bazzy, that is awful! Everybody love little girls more, they always do!" cried Peter in despair.

"I admit that is true, but do you know who little sisters love the most? Their big brothers. You will be her hero…" Peter looked at his uncle with a degree of scepticism, but he said no more about the subject, just climbed into the car. The drive to the hospital was made in silence, not even any of the usual questions that Peter always seemed to have. Having found a convenient space in the lot, Sebastian let Peter get out first, and discreetly sent a message to his brother. _'We are here. Some people are not that thrilled about this, as all his fears of rejection have resurfaced thanks to some so called friend at school. Please ask him how his project went!'_

Sebastian was glad to see that his brother had paid attention and taken the words of his message to heart. Julian pulled his son into his arms the moment that he saw him, and asked how his day had gone at school. He was tired, but his face lit up when he heard about his son's grade. Then it was time for the make or break moment… "Shall we go and see Isabelle and your sister now?"

"I guess…" came the non committal response.

"Isabelle is dying for you to come and meet Sienna. She said to me after she had her that all her life, the most important person to her was her big brother; and she is so glad that her daughter will have a big brother too. As for me, you will always be my son, and my eldest child, and I will never stop loving you, or love you any less than I always have…"

"Okay, so can we skip the emotional stuff and go and see them? Her new uncle is kind of on the clock here for work…" said Sebastian. His false tetchiness made Peter giggle, and left Julian rolling his eyes, but with a grin on his face…

The small group made their way to the room Isabelle was in; Julian paused at the door and knocked, just in case a doctor or nurse was checking something and it was not an opportune time. On hearing no instruction to the contrary, he entered with his son at his side, and stopped at the sight that greeted him. His wife was sitting up with a smile on her face, and her hair tied back; it was not the style she usually wore it in, but practicality had to overrule fashion sometimes, even for the online editor of _Vogue._ She looked radiant, having recovered from the strains of childbirth quicker than she had expected. Cradled in her arms was a tiny bundle which he knew contained a child that was every bit as perfect as her mother…

Isabelle smiled at her husband, but did not address him, instead focusing her attention on her stepson. "Hello, Peter. I hope that being woken up so early this morning didn't spoil your day at school, especially as you had your big project to present."

"No, it didn't; I managed to do everything right, and in the end we got an A+."

"I never had any serious doubts that you would get that mark, given how hard you've been working. You must get your intelligence from your mom, as it certainly isn't from your dad," she replied, and Peter laughed as his dad pretended to take umbrage at what she had just said. "So, would you like to come over and meet your little sister? She is tiny, but do you know, the moment that she came along I found that the amount of love I had available to give had just doubled in size. I guess that it has to so that I can love both of my children every bit as much…"

Peter let go of his father's hand, and at Isabelle's behest, went to sit on the bed next to her. "Now Sienna, this young man is one of the bravest people that I know. He also happens to be your big brother, so you have got really lucky there…" Peter blushed at Isabelle's words as he stared down at the new arrival, and all the worry that he had felt began to vanish. She was beautiful, and at that moment, her little eyes seemed focused on him. All at once he began to feel so much affection for her, so tiny and yet so perfect. He was falling in love with his little sister….

He did not notice Sebastian making his way over and looking over his shoulder, nor did he see the big smile on his uncle's face. "Jules was right, she does take after you, Isabelle - the world should be grateful for that fact… Now, I would love to stay here and let her cast the same spell on me she has cast on her big brother, but I should be heading off to work, just in case there is an issue with the trains; also, if I stay here much longer I might give in to my urge to keep her, as my broody feelings seem to have come into overdrive, and right now, I just want a child of my own…."

"They do get you that way," said Isabelle with a chuckle. "I have never admitted this to anyone before, and if any of you repeat it, I will deny it then hunt you down, but every time someone brought a baby into the office for the last five years or so, I wanted one of my own. Your brother arrived at just the right moment, and I knew he was perfect father material from the moment we met. Then, the first time that I saw little Wesley, I knew that it was time, because like you, I wanted a child so much, and I wanted to give Peter a proper family. Being an only child is okay, but having siblings just makes it so much better…"

"Most of the time," replied Sebastian. "I never realised how much I loved Jules until he was gone. Making the decision that I needed to get him back into my life was the best thing that I ever did, bar marrying Dave…"

"Okay, okay, enough of the schmaltz," said Julian, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "There is something that I need you to do for us before you leave, little bro…"

Two minutes later, everything was ready. If a nurse had walked into the room, they would probably have had a fit. Julian was up on the bed beside his wife, and sitting between them was Peter, holding his little sister in his arms. He had been petrified when his dad had suggested it, but once he was up on the bed, and Sebastian had shown him how to hold his arms, and had then helped Isabelle pass Sienna to him, he had calmed a little… He was still sat rigid though, not daring to move in case he dropped the precious bundle in his arms. Sebastian shook his head as he took the pictures, firstly on a proper camera, and then on first his own, and then Julian's phone.

Dave arrived just as he took the final one, and that meant that a minute later he found himself standing with Sienna in his own arms, as Dave looked over his shoulder. "So, when are we having one of our own," Dave whispered as he stared down like his husband at the tiny human in his arms.

"If you are ready, then so am I. We just need to find someone that can act as our surrogate. Also, I don't care which one of us is the father; I will love your child every bit as much as I would love my own."

"Likewise… Well, there is someone at my work that has offered to do it, if we ever considered it, and you do know her… Maybe next week we could invite her to dinner and have a formal chat?" Sebastian looked at Dave as he said those words, and then nodded, his heart racing. This could be the first step towards having a little family of his own…

The news that Sebastian had a niece spread reasonably fast, most finding out from the picture of himself and Dave with her that he posted for friends only on Facebook. The rest of the world found out through _Vogue,_ which broke the news on its website, with Isabelle and Julian's permission, about two hours later, starting a veritable tsunami of congratulatory messages to the hospital, as well as on social media. Gifts were also despatched, many of them from firms that wanted their baby goods and clothing mentioned in the pages of the magazine. They were wasting their time, as Isabelle had already decided that she would not accept any of those items personally, instead directing that they be put aside by the hospital for charity donation. She and Julian could afford to buy anything that their daughter needed after all.

Eventually Julian was prevailed upon to go home and rest, thus relieving Dave of his babysitting duties with Peter. It also paved the way for a visitor that had been dying to make an appearance for hours. Isabelle was half asleep when she felt the draught, but sat up just in time to witness the expression on Kurt's face when he saw Sienna properly for the first time. He turned to his former mentor, all smiles, and said, "I wanted to be here hours ago to say hello, but that husband of yours just wouldn't leave! I could have come for a look, granted, but I would not have been able to ask you how you are feeling…"

"To be honest, I feel tired, and there is still a little bit of pain, but it was not the horror story that some people related to me. It is just such a shame that Julian and Peter can't see you like I can…"

"Hmm, your husband maybe can't, but I wouldn't bank on Peter not being able to. We think that he might have seen David Thompson's late big brother when he was trapped in the wreckage of his home in L.A. Whether that was a stress related one off, or the start of something more permanent we aren't certain. We could test it out, but we are biding our time for that one."

"I understand; too much still after everything else… Which raises the question, what about this little one? Will she inherit the ability from me?"

"Certainly little Wes has from his parents, so maybe; I can make no promises that this beautiful little girl has that power. I hope that she might, and then, if Peter does too, it gives us the right to work on sorting out your husband. Anyway, just so that you know, I am obviously her guardian angel. I will do my best to protect her, always. Now, you get some sleep; I can keep an eye on things round here for a bit." Isabelle nodded at Kurt, laid back on her pillow and closed her eyes; she was soon fast asleep, knowing that she had left an angel to guard over her daughter.

By the time that Isabelle was discharged from hospital and had settled in at home with her daughter, the focus of the world's media had returned once more to the White House, where things had taken an even more bizarre turn than they were all used to by now. As had been rumoured for a while, now that the President had gathered a reasonable number of backers for his candidacy for a second term, he announced to the world that he was sacking Mike Pence as his Vice President for his second, and even more glorious term, and would be replacing him with someone more well known. The shock was that it was not Kanye West….

Instead, he had chosen Roseanne Barr.

To say that it was a shock to political commentators was an understatement, and the reaction of the Republican party was not much better. The media had a field day, stating that whilst a music star as Vice President would have been bad, he at least had a plethora of charity work behind him; all Roseanne had was a comedy show, and a career disaster caused by some unfortunate comments on Twitter. Still, there at least she had something in common with the occupant of the White House… In one state, the senior Republicans found themselves deluged with requests for a rerun of the caucuses, as they no longer wished to back Trump for President; other states waited to see what would occur there. Meanwhile, the polling predictions for the Democrats soared as the world scoffed and shook its head in disbelief.

For _Saturday Night Live_ , the news was a gift, with Stephen Baldwin appearing on a ratty old couch in a suburban home next to a Roseanne that was a grotesque caricature of the lady in question. At home in Washington DC, Trent and Rory howled with laughter as it went on, including a guest appearance from Laurie Metcalfe, straight from the stage she was sharing with Sebastian. The critics agreed that the high point was the fact that the actress portraying Ivanka changed halfway through the sketch, before changing back at the end…

They knew that this would give them plenty of material for Burt's campaign speeches, particularly the one that he was due to be making in Lima in just a few days time, where he would be joined in the auditorium at McKinley by a special guest speaker. Their identity was yet to be announced to the world at large, but they knew that it was to be none other than Joe Kennedy III. It would be quite a coup for both Burt and Lima to have the future President giving a speech. Some of their friends had pointed out that referring to him as such was a trifle premature, and could be tempting fate, but given how the tide was turning, maybe this time it wasn't. Burt for one knew that it wasn't, but he had said nothing to his two assistants. They were stressed enough as it was without knowing that there would be an announcement made that night which had meant he had been forced to organise more security than usual…

The first indication that any of them had that something big was about to happen was when most of the television networks announced that they would be giving live coverage of the Democrat rally in Lima, Ohio that evening. Nick had paused as he ate his breakfast on hearing that, and made a mental note that he had to be home in time to see the coverage, as there was no way they would be going there unless something big was going to take place. For a moment he considered sending a message to Trent, to ask him what he knew, but he left off in the end, deciding that his friend would be busy enough with all his preparations without him adding an extra layer of stress…

In Ohio itself, Thad heard the statement and smiled; he had already planned to attend the rally that evening in support of Burt; now he had the opportunity to embarrass his father again by appearing live on another election show, as he had done in 2016 when Sue had been elected for Westerville. Even better was the fact that this time it was an openly Democrat event. He was being joined that evening by Jeff's cousin Dylan, which did make him kind of a third wheel; his fellow Dalton teacher had started dating a Democrat staffer, who just happened to be one of the Biology teachers at one of the high schools in Columbus. She had happened to volunteer to assist in Lima, so would be at the meeting with them…

Sue Sylvester was also planning on being at the rally that evening, and she would not even be going in disguise. Her friendship with Burt was after all well known now, and the fact that she disagreed with virtually every word that came from the President's mouth, and was on the very left of the Republican spectrum meant that she would not be attacked by the people in the audience; that, and her formidable reputation sill resounded amongst the residents of the small town. Rumours had been circulating for a while that there was a split about to happen in the Republicans ahead of the election, and Sue would be one of those that would try and distance themselves from the toxin that was the current President…

By the time that the debate began, the auditorium at McKinley was full and standing. Journalists were jockeying with the locals for position at the front, but Thad and Dylan had arrived early, and had refused all offers to move from their coveted front and centre position. They had been joined by the Schuesters and Coach Beiste, who had arrived just before the place was swamped. It was Emma that noticed Sue lurking in the shadows, just as she had done back in the early days of Will's attempts to restart the New Directions. She had then surprised everyone by using that knowledge to get rid of a journalist that had decided to stand right in front of them and refused to move. She had announced that Sue was present in a loud voice, and the journalist, sensing a scoop, had haired off to try and get an interview.

Amongst the local media, Rod Remington was in his element, with the presenter that had been sent from the network headquarters in New York not having showed by the time they were due to go live. That meant that he had to reluctantly step in and host the show as it went coast to coast; he had even agreed that his co-anchor on the news, Andrea, should join him later, once she was sure that the bitch from the coast was securely locked away and could not escape… Jacob Ben Israel was also there, and had scooped an interview with Burt and Carole earlier, asking them for their thoughts on the recent announcements from the Republican Party. Burt had stayed deadly serious throughout, resisting the temptation to do what Sebastian's current co-star, Laurie Metcalfe, had done in her first interview about it. After all, he was a serious politician, and he could not get away with laughing hysterically about the idea for a full five minutes…

Behind the scenes, Trent and Rory were waiting nervously outside for the arrival of the guest speakers; they were being flown in from out of town on separate flights, and would be arriving at McKinley in separate cars. The first arrived, and they both managed to overcome their nerves and act professionally in greeting Congressman Kennedy. They checked he was okay before they delivered him into the hands of a staffer, who just so happened to be Dylan's girlfriend. It was the arrival of the second car that would blow their minds….

In New York, Nick and Jeff had been joined on the sofa in front of the television by Mike and Tina, and they were all glued to the rally. The setting was familiar to them all, as were some of the faces in the front row, and they had all laughed when Thad had waved at the camera and moved the words 'Hello Dad!' as it settled on him. The speech that Burt was making came straight from the heart, his thoughts having been moulded by his two assistants into perfect political prose. "I sometimes think that it is a pity that Burt won't run for President," remarked Tina. "He is so inspirational and what he says is just plain common sense."

"That is probably the argument that Burt would use as to why he could never run for the Oval Office; he would find it hard to deliver the stuff that sometimes a President has to say for the good of the nation," Mike replied. "Anyway, I think that with Kennedy getting the nomination, everyone is quite pleased."

"It does seem that he has the vision for the future that this country needs," agreed Jeff.

"Speaking of him…" said Nick suddenly, and there was a collective gasp from the other three as the man himself stepped out on the stage next to Burt to tumultuous applause from the shocked crowd. They all laughed as the camera once more panned back along the audience and captured Thad screaming and clapping wildly like a girl at a boy band gig.

Then the crowd fell silent at Burt's behest, and in New York too there was suddenly no noise, as they all wanted to hear the man's words. "Thank you Burt for that welcome, and indeed, thank you Lima. I am here tonight not only to thank you for your support for my nomination, but to finally confirm the name of my running mate. Unlike some, ladies and gentlemen, I have not chosen a female comic to stand with me to run this country. However, I have chosen someone well known, someone that has the necessary dignity and common sense to help turn this nation back into what it should be; she is, after all, a first lady… Please welcome to Lima the future Vice President of the United States, Michele Obama…"

As the crowd in the auditorium in Lima went wild as they watched the lady in question, with her husband at her side, stroll out onto the stage, those watching on television across the nation sat in a mixture of shock, surprise and delight. As the camera once again panned across the audience, the whole world caught a glimpse of Thad Harwood, grinning from ear to ear, jumping up and down in delight at the news, not that he seemed out of place at all in the jubilant crowd. Nick and Jeff saw him in New York, and burst out laughing, not that they weren't nearly bouncing up and down themselves at the prospect of the joint Kennedy/Obama ticket. Tina was nearly screaming at the television, whilst Mike tried to act mature in the face of such celebrations, noting Caleb looking at them all with distain. All that Mike could think was that the nightmare was surely almost over; that the country would come to its senses and realise that the current occupant of the White House was unfit for the job and needed replaced as a matter of urgency. The words 'Dump Trump' had already been uttered by hundreds of people across the political spectrum. Even Fox News had stopped bowing to the man and all he did, and that was surly a sign that his time was coming to an end….

An hour or so later, as the meeting dispersed, energised by the words of the speakers and proud to have been there at the moment that the 'dream team' was announced, Thad went in search of Trent, ignoring the apoplectic texts from his father. He was standing handing out election pamphlets and stickers at the exit door; Thad stood and waited until his friend was free, then went over to pull him into a hug. "Okay, so just how much did you know in advance?" Thad asked.

Trent laughed, and replied, "I knew that Kennedy was coming weeks ago, but it was only this morning that Burt told me that there would be two other speakers, but refused to tell me who they were. When the car drew up, and I saw them, it took all of my willpower and self-control to not just scream like a fangirl at a pop concert. Not even Burt knew though that they were going to make the big announcement though… The fact is, you and I will always be able to say that we were there on the day that they made it official; when the big change started. Now, do you need to hurry back to Dalton? I am sure that Burt and Carole would like to say hello to you and Dylan for that matter…"

Five minutes later, Trent walked in to the staff lounge at McKinley with Thad and Dylan at his side; all three stopped on the threshold when they saw Burt and Sue engaged in conversation with Kennedy and the Obamas. "She had been warned to be on her best behaviour, and I think she will be," said Carole as she walked up to them. "I have a feeling that she would officially switch sides if there was a chance that Westerville would still elect her. Now Thad, Dylan, come with me and I will officially introduce you to our three guests…" As the two young men joined her, slightly stunned at what was about to happen, Rory suddenly dashed up and handed them both a pin each to wear, with the words 'Kennedy/Obama 2020' printed on it. Neither of them hesitated for a moment before putting them on, and continuing on to meet the candidates, and the ex-President…

Their drive back to Dalton that night was made in total silence, both of them still in slight shock at what had happened. Neither of them had ever imagined that they would get the opportunity to talk to the candidates, and then to be asked their views on the state of the nation's education system was gratifying. Even better was the fact that they seemed to have listened, and taken what they had said on board. As Thad finally pulled up in his parking space in the Dalton lot, Dylan finally spoke. "Well that turned out to be quite an evening. Hannah will be quite jealous of the fact that I actually got to talk to all three of them. I really hope that this time we can beat the whole Trump bandwagon. I mean, it all looked so good on paper last time…"

"You can't really guess what folks will do when they get in that polling booth though, and that will always be the problem. One bit of bad publicity the night before and all their previous voting intentions go out the window. It was a masterstroke though to make the announcement here, in what is a bit of a swing state, even if they did do so in one of the safest seats, thanks to Burt's down to earth persona. The fact that Sue was there will be noted, and people will ask if she was there to scope out the competition, or to offer tacit support to the Democrat campaign to get Trump out."

"We certainly live in interesting times, that much is for sure. I will let you be the one to tell the Carmichaels all about it tomorrow, as I have no doubt that they will have seen us on the TV, and then will hear about the fact we met them on the grapevine…"

Thad nodded, then wished his colleague and friend goodnight as they headed to their respective homes. Once he was back in his own apartment, Thad opened up his phone, and checked through all the messages from Warblers past and present about his appearance on TV. He decided that he would reply to them all in the morning; but his father would get the image that he would send to the others that night. He took great pleasure in forwarding the man the picture of him that Trent had taken, with Kennedy and the Obamas…


	108. Awards and Weddings

**Awards and Weddings.**

For those whose lives were centred on the entertainment whirl that was Broadway, the start of June meant only one thing; the annual trip to that glittering night when they celebrated their own at the Tony Awards. Cooper was quite relieved that this year he had no nomination to contend with, and for him the night was just one to relax and look out for his friends. He was joined by a smiling Grace, whose baby bump was now quite obvious, and was the subject of conversation amongst some as they had arrived. He and his fellow cast were at the table next to the one occupied by the cast of _Book of Mormon_ , which meant that Mason was close by, glad that he too was not in the running for anything. Had there been an award for best newcomer, then he might have been, but that had only ever been a category once, back in 1948... Like Cooper, he could relax with Jane at his side, and wait to see whether the man that had previously been Elder Price would get an award for his second Broadway lead….

Sebastian was of course not the only one of the close circle of friends that had a nomination that night; Santana too was sitting with the cast of _Evita_ , trying not to lose her usual cool calm exterior, despite the fact that she was nervous. The conflict within her was strange; she wanted to win, to prove that she could and yes, so that she could rub Rachel's face in the fact that she had won a Tony before her. Old habits died hard. Then again, if they announced someone else had won she would be relieved that she did not have to go up on stage and make speech as the flashbulbs flashed and the attention of the world was upon her. Of course, the blonde woman at her side only wanted her to win, and was doing her best to calm the inner conflict within her wife through her usual intimate ways, though keeping it very PC. She glanced across at her fellow nominee, and smiled as she saw that he was every bit as nervous as her. He was joined by Dave, his maman and Peter, as neither Isabelle or Julian were around; quite understandably given the fact that she was so recent a mother.

The show began on time, with all of the usual ceremony, and the usual performances mixed in. Santana found herself up on the stage, trying to ignore the television cameras, as she sang _Another Suitcase_ for the gathered company; they had tried to get her to sing the big one, but she decided that if they all wanted to hear that, they could buy a ticket. Minutes later Sebastian was up on stage with only Laurie Metcalfe for company, singing _Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!_ to a New York crowd in the evening, and getting as much applause as Santana had when he finished. The awards came through thick and fast, and they all applauded strangers that they hardly knew; it was advisable in case one day you had to work with them. Then it was time for the award for Best Actress in a Musical, presented by Nathan Lane. For Santana the world seemed to slow down as the names of her fellow nominees were read out, and then the envelope was opened… "And the Tony Award for 2020 for best actress in a musical revival goes to Santana Pierce-Lopez for _Evita…_ "

If Brittany had not been there, Santana would have run from the building; she slowly got up as her wife squealed with delight, and made the walk to the stage as the great and the good applauded her. She was sure she could hear someone whistling at her, and knew it was either Carmen, or Sebastian, who had been the first one on his feet… The trophy in her hands, she stepped up to the mic. "Okay, so I am sure someone has made a mistake. But hey, it is mine now…" She paused as there was laughter, then continued, "Well, I refuse to cry, and I hate long speeches, so I would like to thank all my friends for their support, Carmen Tibideaux of NYADA for forcing me to take the audition that lead me here, and my family, who have been there for me when I needed them most. I would like to dedicate this award though to one special lady; my Abeula. I love her more now than ever, and I can only imagine the pleasure she is going to take in telling her friends at the social club that her granddaughter is a Tony Award winner. Anyway, thank you all, and good night!"

Santana stepped back into the safety of the wings, accepting words of congratulations from Mr Lane and the others there as she headed back to her seat, where she handed the trophy to Brittany. It had happened, and now she could relax… She smiled over at her fellow NYADA graduate as he waited for his moment. His award was to be handed to him by someone unexpected; a well known woman that had never graced a Broadway stage, but was known by millions across the land. At the age of 98, she was still as spry as ever, and the audience cheered as it was announced that Betty White was to present the award for best Actor in a Musical. Santana had to stop herself from laughing as she saw Sebastian's face at that news, knowing full well that he had once referred to Kurt as 'Young Betty White'. Now he was potentially about to meet the real article.

The nominations were read, and then the announcement was made. "I have often felt that I should have taken the chance to do Broadway; maybe it isn't too late though. I hear that there is a character in this show that I could play, if I could get rid of the young lady playing it… The winner is Sebastian Smythe for _Oklahoma!_ " As the cheers went up from around the room, and Peter had to be restrained from running over and hugging his uncle by that man's equally excited maman, Sebastian got to his feet, feeling as if he was bright red in the face. He pointedly looked away from Santana, knowing she would be happy, but in the mood to tease him over those comments from so long ago… He decided to handle the moment with humour, so as he arrived next to the legend, he fell to his knees and bowed deeply and reverentially, which got him a gale of laughter from the crowd, and a smile from the lady herself. He accepted the trophy, then bent down with his lips pursed to offer a kiss to her cheek, which she accepted with a grin. Then, wiping his brow and fanning himself, he made his way to the mic.

"Okay, Laurie, it's been good, but I think we have a new Aunt Eller…" The crowd burst out laughing as Ms Metcalfe just shook her head with a smile. "I would like to thank you all for this, my first Tony for myself, and the one I won without the help of my friends, not that there absence from the show made their support any less valuable. I wouldn't be here at all were it not for my co-stars, and the faith of the director and producer in a Mormon boy being believable as a cowman. I would like to thank my family too, and say hi to my brother Julian, and his much more well known wife Isabelle, who have given me a niece this week, that fortunately takes after her mother… Anyway, like my old friend Santana said, long speeches are boring, and in any case, I have a beautiful lady to escort to the after party - ready when you are, Ms White…" With much applause, Sebastian offered an arm to the lady beside him, and she accepted, and he walked off to the adulation of the room.

In no time, the ceremony was over, and it was time for the after show parties to commence. As soon as she arrived at the main one, Santana headed to find Sebastian, ignoring the photographers that wanted to take her photo with her award; there would be time for that after she had had words with the meerkat. She found him sitting in a corner quietly, waiting for the rest of his little family group to arrive and find him. "So, my friend, how does it feel to have been in the presence of a legend? How does the older Betty White compare to Kurt?"

Sebastian looked her in the eye, and said, "There is absolutely no comparison between the two of them. Kurt might not have been my greatest fan, and vice versa, but he was a good person, who would never, ever… Santana, she pinched my bottom once we got off stage. I have just been groped by a 98 year old…"

Santana looked at him for a moment, at the expression on his face, and then before she could stop herself, she laughed. It was not a quiet laugh either, and it soon echoed through the room, as Sebastian went redder by the moment. "Oh, my, God! This is absolutely priceless. That is what you get for being that dapper flirt you always are around women of a certain age. Still, it is technically assault, so in the spirit of #MeToo, I guess we should inform someone."

"Err, no. I would rather not, thank you. She had such a twinkle in her eye afterwards, and she didn't mean any harm. I don't want the whole world to know she is a bottom pincher."

"Or that you let her pinch you," said Santana with a smirk that rivalled Sebastian's own. "Okay, it will remain between us - and my wife, because I have to tell her everything, and you should tell Dave. From what I recall, he always liked a good laugh…"

"No wonder they nicknamed you Satan," muttered Sebastian, then as he saw someone approach, he smiled. "Good evening, aunt Bette. How did you enjoy the ceremonial?"

"My darling boy, it was a delight. I am so pleased for you to win a Tony of your own, and yours is also well deserved, young lady. I expect that this will not be the last for either of you. You just need to be careful though; if rumours got out that you are letting old women grope you…."

Santana laughed again as Bette Midler put on an innocent face, and Sebastian just groaned. "How did you find out? How many people know what she did?"

"The legendary Ms White had a bit of a rep for it to be honest; she doesn't mean anything by it, she is just using her age as an excuse. I am far too young to do that yet with any young man I pinch, but I am looking forward to getting older and getting away with it. I take it that she has ruled herself out by her actions from being your new Aunt Eller?"

"Yeah. I don't think I could sing that opening number knowing she was behind me and could do it again. In any case, Laurie has given us a reasonably long commitment, and when she does decide to go, she will be suggesting a suitable replacement that she thinks I could work with."

"Oh, I know that, my boy. She has already chosen someone that will have the same big name status on the marquee, and how knows her way around a Broadway stage, though usually in parts a trifle more glamorous." Bette winked, then excused herself, leaving Sebastian wondering…

"It might just be me, Meerkat, but I think that your Aunt Bette was hinting she might be your Aunt Eller someday," said Santana in slight awe.

"Yes, I thought so too," he replied, "and it might be fun…" He broke off as he saw Dave heading in their direction, accompanied by Brittany; and as his phone buzzed at the same time. He waved at his husband, then checked the message that had just arrived. "Okay, so who told my brother about Betty? Does the whole world know? Was it you, Satan?"

"Certainly not! I did not contact Julian. I only sent a text to Thad for the Warbler group chat," came his response as Santana walked off, just in case he exploded. With a groan, Sebastian realised that the night he won his first Tony would be associated by his friends forever with the night that Betty White made a move on him. He was never going to live this one down. He only hoped that they would all be kind…

If anyone else knew about Sebastian's encounter with a legend, then they said nothing to his face. In any case, as June drew towards its close, election fever had broken out across the nation. In the midst of all the politics though, it was wedding fever that began to consume the group of friends, as they approached the last Saturday of the month, the day of the double wedding. There had of course been the usual and expected pre-wedding gatherings; Kitty had requested the use of the beach house in Port Jefferson for her bachelorette party, and Jeff had agreed to it without hesitation. Artie had decided that he wanted something altogether more low key, and had just brought his closest friends together for dinner at the Spotlight. Whereas Kitty's party would turn into a night of drunken debauchery, Artie's was a sophisticated celebration of the bonds of friendship…

Colin and Edward had taken a leaf out of Flint's book, and had combined the usual Warbler graduation pilgrimage with their main bachelor party; they did however also have a separate gathering for college friends in the middle of June, to which they invited their Warbler brethren that were in the city and free on a Saturday night. When the party ended up being at a secret venue in New Jersey, everyone was a little surprised. It was only on the actual day that the exact location was revealed by the college friend that had organised it, and both Beats and Flint were left feeling mortified as a result. Edward did not make it any better when he pointed out that the pictures of the current Preppy Boys were nowhere near as hot as he imagined he and Flint had been quietly to Beats. In the end, they both cried off, leaving only Seth and Skylar to make the trip over to New Jersey; the former remembered very little, as he had been very drunk. Skylar however had remained sober, as was his normal, and by the end of the night he was regretting his choice to be a responsible, sober adult. He had seen things that night that he could never now unsee…

On the night before the wedding, Colin came to stay with Nick and Jeff next door. Even though he and Edward had been living together and sharing a bed more or less since their Dalton days, it still felt right and proper that on the night before they married, they should be apart. Sebastian was also staying over that night, as he had only been able to secure the matinee performance off his show the following day; the idea of a late arrival home, followed by an earlier than usual start, two weddings and a late finish from his evening show did not appeal in the slightest. He arrived to find Colin on his phone, as Nick sat and rolled his eyes.

"This is why Jeffie and I did not bother to be apart the night before we married," he whispered to Sebastian. "This is his seventh call to Edward in the last two hours, because they just miss each other too much. You just get so used to the presence of the other person in your life, and in your bed, that being separated from them just feels unnatural and wrong. I know it is how I feel when I have to go away to Switzerland for meetings, and Jeff is here; I feel incomplete and more than a little bereft."

"It's much the same for me with Dave, although we are older now, and don't need to make quite so many phone calls," Sebastian replied with a grin. "Fortunately, he has an early game tomorrow, and so although he will miss seeing Edwin become a legal couple, he will be with me at Artie and Kitty's ceremony. I admit it will seem odd to be on my own at the first wedding though…"

"Ah, but you won't be," said Nick. "You have been officially appointed to take care of Ethan for the first ceremony, as Mercedes won't be there, and so Thad will be partnering up with David. She will be attending the second ceremony, so that leaves Thad free for what he terms Ethanwatch…"

Sebastian shook his head as he realised just how well planned the whole day was thanks to Thad; he had even directed them all over Skype as to what they would sing at the ceremony.

At twelve noon the following day, a full compliment of Warblers gathered at City Hall alongside family and other friends to witness the wedding of two of their number who had come together, ironically, as a result of their fear of Hunter Clarington. The Carmichaels were there, naturally, as was little Wes, who almost stole the show dressed as he was in the tiny Dalton uniform that Mrs Carmichael had sewn by hand, and had presented to Nick first thing that morning. Once he had seen it, he and Jeff both agreed that nothing else was suitable or appropriate for the ceremony. Artie was there too with his camera, begging them all not to get him in their own photographs, or to mention him on social media, or Kitty would freak out. He was accompanied by Mike and Puck, and knew that Quinn was in the process of spinning an elaborate lie to his wife to be so that the truth would be concealed…

Seth was acting as Edward's best man, and Skylar was fulfilling that role for Colin; if anything, they were far more nervous than the two grooms. This showed up when it came to the crucial moment when they had to hand over the rings; Seth was unable to hold on to his, dropping it on the floor, claiming a sudden cramp in his hand, which had been followed by a nasty muscle spasm. It was laughed off by everyone with one exception; there was just something in the way that Seth looked that made Thad concerned; he suspected that this problem was not a new one for the younger man, and that these kinds of cramps had occurred before. He resolved that once the two ceremonies were out of the way, he would seek him out for a quiet chat, just to make certain that nothing was seriously wrong.

As both of the grooms had predicted, the ceremony was brief, and by 12.30, two more former Warblers had become husbands, as around them their closest friends celebrated. There were naturally photographs to be taken, and the first of those was of the two new husbands with Artie and Puck. The latter had been Artie's first choice as best man; as the younger man said, he had been there for him since his darkest of moments at McKinley, and the bond that they had forged during his sophomore year had remained one of the strongest that he had. Mike and Sam both understood why he had been chosen over them and had no issue with it. Those photographs taken, the two of them left the confines of City Hall for the church, much too early in many people's opinion, but then it did guarantee that the bride-to-be did not freak out…

For someone that was usually so together, so strong, and full of confidence, Kitty's full blown freak-out was of great amusement to some, but Artie understood precisely why she should feel so insecure, given what he knew about the darkest days of her past.

Back at City Hall, the others had all posed for their own photographs in turn, including one that was suggested by Thad, where the two newlyweds were flanked by Nick and Jeff, Trent and Rory, and Sebastian, even if Dave was still at his game. At the last moment, there was the sound of someone clearing their throat, and Beats and Elliott joined the line up. As people looked, he said "We might not be married, but we are a couple, and I think that it is only right that we are included." Nobody could argue with that logic, and the picture was taken, the newlyweds surrounded by friends in the same position as them. On the sidelines, Santana watched for a moment, then placed a hand on Thad's arm. He said nothing to her, but she knew instinctively that he would be thinking of the couple from Dalton that were missing from that picture; the one that he was half of. The other half of that couple was grateful to her at that moment, his own hand on Thad's other shoulder; between them, Thad kept a brave face in the moment, as his own suggestion caused him more than a little pain…

The photos taken, the guests made their way to the small reception that was being held in a hall that was not all that far from the church were the second of the day's ceremonies would be held. There was a buffet to be eaten, supplied by the Spotlight Diner naturally, and in no time people were eating and mingling quite happily with each other. The two grooms had both agreed that they would not be attending the second wedding, given the presence of so many members of their respective families and friends of their own at the reception. It would have been exceptionally rude to just abandon all of them for an hour or so, and even Kitty understood that their absence was not intended as a snub. At the same time though, the grooms had insisted that Seth and Skylar should attend, and with that in mind, all of the speeches had to be out of the way by 2.30pm at the very latest….

With that in mind, the guests were called to order at 2pm prompt, and the first of the speeches was begun. Seth rose to his feet first, and Thad could not help but notice that the same hand from which he had dropped the ring with was now shaking as it held his speech notes. It was a relief to Seth and Thad for that matter when Skylar stood up and joined him, and to everyone's amusement, they gave a joint best man's speech, taking a line about; as they pointed out right at the very start, the two young men that had just been legally united had been a couple for so long that it was now so hard to separate them for anything. At the end, when they proposed a toast to Edwin, there was a little confusion amongst those that were not former Warblers, or close to them. It took a few moments and an explanation to get the rest of the room to understand that Edwin was the couple name the Warblers had given them. The grooms then took great pleasure in cutting the cake, a rich chocolate one that had been baked by Nick for them. It was shared out, and enjoyed, until it was the moment that Thad gave a discreet signal; then the Warblers and their close friends took their leave to walk the short distance to the church where the bells were ringing out for wedding number two…

As the others had been enjoying the wedding buffet, Artie and Puck had been waiting patiently inside the church, although they had stopped off for fried chicken on the way. Puck had requested extra napkins, and had further ensured that Artie's wedding suit would stay clean by taking a blanket from the bag on his chair, and draping it over him. This had earned them stares amongst the clientele in the restaurant until he had explained the reason for doing so to the onlookers; after that, they could all see why it was necessary. By 2pm however, they were in their spot at the front of an otherwise empty church. The decorations were all in place, and Puck even found the buttonhole flowers for himself and the groom left in the exact spot he had requested.

Surprisingly, Artie felt no nerves whatsoever about the commitment that he was about to make, and instead he found himself spending time in reducing his best man's stress instead. "Puck, compared to half of the stuff that you are trained to do, this is a piece of cake. You have completed task one; getting me here on time, in one piece and in pristine condition. We have checked, and you have both the rings and the speech. With all of the nerves you are displaying, anyone would be forgiven for thinking that it is you that was about to be getting married, not me."

"I'll let you into a secret; I am nervous because it is going to be a big day for me too. I am going to ask Quinn to marry me later; I thought that this would be a good chance whilst everyone that matters is here."

"That is a good thing, and I am pleased for you both. Are you worried that she will say no, because I sincerely doubt that…"

"Honestly? I am worried that your future wife might kill me for hijacking her big day by doing it."

Artie burst out laughing at that notion, although he had to concede that maybe it would be best to let his future wife know what Puck intended to do as soon as he possibly could…

The first of the others to arrive at the church was Sam, looking the part in a well tailored suit; since he had taken the role of Princeton in _Avenue Q_ he had adopted a much more preppy style of dress, as well as cutting his hair shorter, something that he knew Rachel approved of. She had been in a strange mood ever since the Tonys, and Sam was certain that the fact that she had not yet been nominated for one personally was part of the issue; there was one in the house, but that was for the ensemble cast of _Hello Dolly!_ Still, there was talk of a new show about the lives of the Bronte sisters, and the read through for that had gone well, according to Rachel. He had decided though that there was something that he could do that could lift her gloom and despondency, and that was one of the reasons that he had come early, and alone…

"Hey guys, all set for the big event? Rachel sent me to check that the two of you were here, as Kitty heard a rumour that Artie had been seen filming at the other wedding, and she was concerned that you would end up going to the reception for that and completely forget about the time…"

"That rumour is completely true, but we left right after the big 'I do' moment, more or less," replied Artie, wondering how Kitty had found out. "She is still freaking out then?"

"From what I have been told, Marley is on the point of slapping her, bride to be or not. Unique has retreated to the safety of another room, and if she could go further, she would. Quinn is wishing that she had left and come to the other wedding with the two of you. The only person there that is not completely insane by now is Tina, and that fact is to some people a more frightening thing…"

"We will pretend that we didn't hear that," said Puck, "But yes, if she is the sorted one, then there is a serious issue."

"The other reason that I am here does not seem like a sensible one given the circumstances… Rachel has been a bit down since the Tony Awards, and so I have decided that it is about time that we made our relationship official and proposed to make her smile…"

"You too, huh?" said Puck with a grin, as Artie groaned inwardly. He might have been able to get away with one proposal, but two…

"Okay, I will need to speak to Kitty first before either of you go down on one knee. If she does say no, and given how wired she is right now, she might, then you will need to wait until after we leave the reception to propose. That applies to both of you, and I will add this; if anyone else comes to me and says they want to propose to someone today, it will be a flat no." The other two could only nod, and hope that Kitty would agree…

By five minutes to three, the church was more or less full. Those that had been at the other wedding had arrived, and had spread themselves out evenly across both sides. Family members were in place from both sides; Artie's mother had finally torn herself away from little Wes, having gone over to thank Jeff again for all that he had done to make it possible for her son to live in the city, but one look at the baby that he held in his arms had made her melt. That image had made the groom wonder when she would start to ask about grandchildren of her own. Rachel and Quinn had arrived, both looking the worse for their time with the bride. She had arrived, but had not got out of the car, not wishing to be early. The car was currently driving round the block, as a cop had come to move them on as they waited. It had taken all of the strength that Tina and Marley possessed to stop the bride from getting out of the car and punching the officer in the face. Artie could only hope that there would be no traffic hold ups on the journey, remembering what he had been told about the way that she had acted when her bus had been held up on the day he proposed to her at the Spotlight… Still, she had come, everything else was in place, and the whole day was going to be about her until she agreed otherwise….

Naturally that was moment that the church door opened and the final two invited guests arrived with profuse apologies. The thing that attracted everyone's attention was the fact that they had another, smaller person with them…


	109. One Wedding, Two Engagements & a Baby

**One Wedding, Two Engagements & a Baby.**

The church had been buzzing with the noise of quiet conversation; suddenly there was complete silence, until someone turned to their husband and whispered "When did this happen? Why didn't they say?"

That was the question on everyone's lips. When had Joe and Sugar had a baby? As far as most of them knew, they weren't even married, although those that did know knew that they had been married just a little longer than Santana and Brittany. The baby though was news even to them. Nick turned round to face them and got a glimpse of the child in his father's arms; a boy just a little younger than his own son. Joe opened his mouth as if to speak, but he didn't get a chance as the bridal march began to play…

Artie gulped, and he prayed to any God that was listening that Kitty would not notice the showstopper on the way down the aisle. After all, an unknown baby was bound to steal the limelight, even from a bride. If she did notice, she might well just turn round and walk back out. It was too late to stop things now; the moment of truth was upon them, for better or for worse…

Much to Artie's relief, Kitty did not seem to even notice that Joe and Sugar had made it, let alone the fact that they had a baby with them. She was far too busy concentrating on walking down the aisle in new shoes that pinched slightly at her feet making her far less comfortable than she would have liked to be. Behind her came Marley and Tina, both of whom looked as if they had been through the wringer, not to mention several rounds in a boxing ring, in the run up to this moment. Kitty had opted for a dress without a lengthy train, which was something they were grateful for. Tina did notice Sugar, Joe and the baby, and was so busy staring that she stumbled. Marley grabbed at her to avoid a disaster, leaving all well as she also stared at the bundle in Joe's arms.

Artie wheeled himself into position at the front, disappointed just a little that he could not stand for this moment, but it just was not possible; he had dismissed the notion of having Puck and Sam hold him up between them for the duration of the ceremony the second it was suggested. If he had done that, a casual onlooker, unaware of the situation, might well have assumed that he was just drunk… In any case, Kitty had vetoed any such notion, as she was marrying Artie for who he was. The music faded away as Kitty drew level with him, and turning towards him, she stooped slightly so that he could lift her veil. As he did so, he realised that he had never seen her more radiant and enthused with joy than she was at that moment. Her dress was based on a classic design from the 1950s, decorated with stitching, and looked every inch that of a film star.

"You look so beautiful; I am the luckiest man on earth to have you, Katherine Wilde," Artie said in a whisper. Kitty smiled at the use of her full name, knowing that it would be in use a lot today, as would Arthur Abrams… She herself said nothing, but Artie could tell from her face that she approved of his expensive suit and carefully styled hair. This was the first moment of the rest of their lives, and they were both more than ready to make their journey together…

The ceremony that followed was beautiful, and fairly traditional, which came as a shock for some, who had suggested that Kitty might want Artie promising to obey at the very least. The music too was traditional, sung beautifully by the church choir. The New Directions and Warblers had been asked to sing at the reception, and that was enough for them. With no objections coming in - after all, who would even have been brave enough to suggest one at that point knowing how Kitty would react - the vows were made, and the celebrant declared them to be husband and wife to the applause of their guests. As the new Mrs Wilde-Abrams and her husband kissed as was the tradition, everyone breathed a sigh of relief that all had gone to plan. However, for two of the males in the congregation, there was still a potential cause of stress in the offing, and that could not be dealt with until after the register had been signed…

As that was taking place, music was played, and Nick took advantage of the noise to turn back round and speak to Joe. "It happened last August," the young man replied, in answer to the points that Jeff had made earlier. "It was a bit of a shock, but a good one. We have christened him Timothy, but we generally call him Tim."

"He is a handsome chap," said Nick in response, "and every bit as well behaved as little Wes. If we lived closer, then they would be good playmates, but it is a bit far to commute to Idaho."

"That is true… On a more serious note though, what we talked about at Dalton on the eve of Santana and Brittany's wedding - it still applies. I trust that is still okay with you and Jeff?"

"Naturally, of course, although I hope that we never do have to take your son in…"

The conversation ended as the bride and groom returned, and then, after a few prayers were said, it was time for the newlyweds to make their way down the aisle together. This time Kitty did notice Sugar, Joe and the bundle in his arms, and she stopped beside them. Artie braced himself for an onslaught, but to his surprise she just smiled, and just whispered, "The minute that you two get to the reception I want to know everything" to the couple.

Outside the sun was shining, and passers-by stopped to admire the bride. Alone for a moment, Kitty bent down to Artie, and hissed "I cannot believe that they have a baby! I am pleased for the two of them, naturally, and it hasn't detracted from my big day so far. So, on another note, given our groups usual habits at weddings, how many proposals can I expect to be made later?"

Artie looked at her, pleased to note she was smiling, and with a note of laughter in his voice, replied, "Only two, if you give permission for them that is. Puck and Sam."

"Permission…" said Kitty, shaking her head. "I guess that they can do, if only because it will shift focus away from us later in the day, and then I can spend my time concentrating on my new husband." She paused as she saw the look of relief on Artie's face. "You all thought I would say no. I guess I have been acting like a total bridezilla over the last few days. I might have said no a year ago, but now I have realised that the important thing in life is that everyone gets the love they deserve - and I don't particularly want to see Fabray and Berry end up as wizened old maids…"

Artie coughed at that statement, particularly as by now they were no longer alone, and to his horror he noticed that Quinn was actually in earshot. He prayed that she had not heard his new wife's words, as it would ruin Puck's proposal. They would all find out if she had or not at the reception he supposed…

The reception was being held in the function room of one of the many grand hotels that existed close to the financial centre of the city; hotels which catered for business people with expense accounts during the week, but which at the weekends were often more or less empty, devoid of business as the companies around them closed down. That was the reason that Kitty, always a shrewd bargain hunter, had chosen to marry so far downtown; that, and the fact that there were so many subway lines running through the area, as they all converged en route from Manhattan to Brooklyn. That meant that Sebastian, Cooper, Sam and Rachel could all leave the reception fairly late and still make it up to the heart of Broadway for show time at 8pm. It was that need that had Sam hurrying in the direction of the newlyweds almost the moment that he arrived at the venue. He looked at Artie with questioning eyes, but before his friend could speak, Kitty held up her hand, and spoke.

"My husband has told me what you want to do; I have considered your request carefully, and my answer is no.." She paused, watching for a moment as Sam's face fell, as all his plans fell apart; then she carried on, "..problem. After all, there always seem to be proposals at weddings amongst our circle of friends, so why not at mine too?"

As Sam's expression swung back from crestfallen to ecstatic, Artie just shook his head; then he whispered, "That was just a little bit evil, pausing like that, Mrs Wilde-Abrams. I am so glad that I have just married you, as I will get to enjoy watching you do that for the rest of our lives together…" He turned to Sam, then in a louder voice, asked, "I take it that you will want to do it before we have the dinner? It lets you get away for work sharply, and everyone that would really matter to you is already here…"

Sam nodded, then headed over to where Rachel was talking to Cooper about her new prospective show; he was doing his best to feign the degree of excitement that Rachel would expect. Beside him stood Grace, who was irritable at the best of times now thanks to her pregnancy, and was fast approaching the point, Sam observed, where civility would end and she would explode at his girlfriend. He had decided not to go for the grand gestures, the big show; at heart, he was a simple young man, and he had decided that his proposal should reflect that part of his character. Rachel had his back to him as he approached; he caught Cooper's eye, then simply sunk down on one knee behind her, the woman that he loved with all of his heart. The room fell silent as people noticed him, until only the sound of Rachel's voice could be heard. Cooper smiled as Grace gasped at his side, and waited for a pause to come…

"Err, Rachel," he began as she stopped for breath. "I think that you should turn round right now, because there appears to be something quite important going on…"

Around the room, everyone stood in silent expectation. Mercedes smiled, as she recalled all the sweet, romantic gestures he had made towards her when they had dated back in high school, and she just hoped that Rachel would appreciate this one, otherwise she might have to slap her… Things seemed to go in slow motion as Rachel turned round, and seeing no-one there, looked down. She froze as she saw him, smiling up at her from his kneeling position. "Rachel, I think that it is about time that I asked you this question, before you have your next big hit on Broadway; we have been together for a while now, and well, I think that it is time that we made it official. Rachel Barbra Berry, will you do me the great honour of accepting the role of a lifetime, and become my wife?"

As there was silence, Santana turned to Thad, who was standing next to her, and whispered "If she says no, you get the Warblers to create a distraction, and us girls will take her outside and deal with her." Thad nodded, knowing that she meant every phrase… Santana was spared the need to resort to that though, as Rachel answered yes, and allowed Sam to place the ring that he had bought, with the able assistance of two angels, on her finger.

As they embraced, Puck turned to Quinn and smiled. "Yes, I will," Quinn replied, much to his chagrin. "I am going to assume that the extra ring box in your jacket pocket contains another ring, and that it might well be for me? I know this is not the romantic moment that you imagined, but I don't need all the hearts and flowers stuff all the time. I love you, and you love me, and that is all that matters. In any case, we would never hear the end of it if we take the spotlight off Rachel now. If anyone notices that I am wearing your ring, then we will tell them, but we shall wait until tomorrow to make it official."

Puck nodded, although he still looked a little downhearted at not getting his moment to sink down on one knee in front of everyone. However, she had still said yes, and in the end, that was what was important in all of this. He pulled out the box, and with great care, removed the ring and placed it on Quinn's finger. Her face lit up as she saw the exquisite antique piece, which had again been chosen with a lot of angelic advice. "You chose well, _Kurt_ ," she said with a laugh, and as Puck shook his head, they both could hear the sound of angelic laughter in the background…

With the proposals over, and Rachel shocking them all by not demanding that she should be the centre of their attention for the rest of the event, they all settled down to celebrate the newlyweds. The food was excellent, although those that had been at the previous wedding did in some cases regret how much of the buffet they had eaten there. No-one appeared to be noticing how the mini cupcakes on one plate seemed to be vanishing, despite the fact that there was no-one anywhere near it, or that a stack of empty paper cases was growing beside it… By skill, both Thad and David were hiding the fact that a part of both of their meals was being eaten by the angel sitting between them, although there was a moment of near disaster when one of Kitty's aunts suddenly squealed, and started to tell everyone that she had just seen a fork levitate with food on the end of it, and that food had then disappeared. Kitty rose to the challenge, rounding on her at once and asking her how many drinks she had had. As the woman's drinking habits were a well known family 'secret', nobody paid any heed to her claims…

"We will have to stop," said Wes sadly, "because she is now watching this table like a hawk just waiting for something else to move on its own. I was enjoying the food so much as well…"

"You could always just head over to the dessert table and gorge yourself on cupcakes like the others," David replied, noting the platter was now empty. "I would do it fast though, as I think Kurt has just spied a dish of mini cheesecakes, and they will be gone in no time…" Wes sighed, and got up to head over to the others, where he intended to have a little discussion with them on the meaning of the terms sparingly and discreetly…

The speeches that followed the meal were all that they had expected them to be. Some of them had feared that Puck's speech might end up being a trifle rude, and would focus on things that Artie might well wish to forget. Instead, he gave a moving speech on how Artie had never let adversity get the better of him, and how he had fought constantly for his right to be treated as an equal. He talked about his place on the football team at McKinley, and about his talent for filmmaking and production. He concluded with the words, "In Kitty, Artie has found his soul mate; someone that will always fight his corner, someone who sees the man, and not the chair. The world had better watch out because as a couple, these two might just have the power to change the world. I am so proud to be their friend, and I hope that I will see them living a long, happy and fruitful life together. I ask you therefore to raise your glasses in toast to Artie and Kitty…"

After Puck sat down, it was the turn of Marley to stand up and make a speech, which reflected Kitty's strong belief in equality in all things. She made the whole room laugh as she recounted some of the funnier moments of the couple's life together so far, and then reflected on how glad she was that everything had gone so well today, given the way that the bride had been panicking for the last week or so… Kitty laughed at that, as she knew full well that the way she had been acting over the last few days was irrational at the very least; Marley had however stood by her through all of it, which given the way that she had once treated her was little short of a miracle. The speeches over, they moved on to the important business of the first dance, and that gave Artie a chance to show off his skills, gliding around his wife in his lightweight chair much better than many a groom could have done…

On one side of the room, the two married couples with a child had gravitated together, both of them content to let the other couple watch over their child whilst they had a brief turn on the dance floor. The two little boys had both sat quiet and contented throughout the majority of the event, although Nick had missed most of Puck's speech whilst he was off changing a diaper, and the same had applied to Joe during the first dance. Now as he and Sugar danced, Nick and Jeff sat with a baby each on their lap, the two little ones facing each other, regarding the other with curiosity. Then little Wes stretched out an arm in the direction of young Tim, who proceeded to do the same. Two little palms touched, earning them an "Awww" from Sugar as she returned….

That was what caused Nick and Jeff to notice what was going on, and the latter grinned as he saw it. "It seems that our boy has made his first friend of his own age, Nicky. It is about time I guess. I suspect that there might be tears later when we have to separate them…"

"I have no doubt on that score," said Sugar in reply. "He cries every time that I take him home from the mother and child group… I am quite surprised that you two haven't taken Wes to one of those yet. I would have thought there would be dozens of parent and child groups in Manhattan."

"That is largely my fault," admitted Jeff. "I just love looking after him so much, and I guess I worry about the opinions that outsiders would have on the way that we do things. Still, maybe it is something to consider, as I am certain Wes would love the company of kids his own age - or at least, I'd hope so…"

It was only towards the end of the night, just before the bride and groom departed for their honeymoon, that it emerged that Joe and Sugar had not sorted any accommodation for that night; they had driven across country from Idaho for the wedding, the intention being that they would drive on the following day to a trailer park on the coast, where they would rent a unit for a couple of days by the sea before making the long drive back. They had hoped to find rooms at the YMCA, but had discovered at the last minute that they had no suitable rooms for that night. Nick and Jeff had looked at each other the moment that Joe had admitted it and immediately offered them the use of their spare room for the night.

"It is the most sensible option; after all, we have all the stuff that you need to take care of a baby in the house, and we have plenty of space," said Nick.

"And you can forget the trailer park too," added Jeff. "No-one is using the beach house in Port Jefferson in the next few days, so you can head there. It is set up with a crib and such like for when we go there with Wes, so it a sensible option; and it is a lot more secluded than the Jersey Shore."

"Well, if you are both sure it will be no trouble, I guess we could accept your hospitality for the night, but as for the beach house; well, our budget is limited, and the trailer was all we could afford…" began Joe.

"Stop right there. The beach house is free for all of our friends to use, so you can't beat that price. You can use that rental money for other things, and I think it is actually closer to the city, so you will save on gas money too. Anyway, a private beach is a big bonus when you have a baby with you. You won't need to carry so much stuff down with you as you can easily head back to the house, and the facilities there are of a much better quality than the public ones," insisted Jeff.

"We accept," said Sugar, before Joe could object. She turned to him, and said, "It will be nice to know the kind of place we will be staying in. If I am being really honest, the trailer park did not appeal to me, but I knew it was all that we could afford, so I said nothing. That is what marriage is based on after all; compromise and acceptance."

Joe nodded in response, and agreed with his wife that they had no real reason not to accept - and if he was being totally truthful, he had been dreading the trailer park too…

Then as the happy couple left, the throwing of the bouquet would bring about a revelation to them all. The flowers were actually being aimed at Rachel by Kitty, as a gesture of kindness, but after she had turned her back on them all, Rachel had moved at the very last moment; that, combined with her aim being a degree or two off meant that Quinn was the one to catch them; in doing so, the light caught her new engagement ring. Kitty did not notice, her back still turned, but Tina, Marley, Mercedes, Brittany and Santana all did at once; they all had the good sense not to mention it out loud whilst some people were still in earshot. In fact, Marley and Mercedes looked at each other, and headed over to commiserate with Rachel that she had not caught them, then asked her if she had any thoughts on her wedding dress.

With the distraction in place, Tina was about to race across to Quinn when Mike stopped her, knowing that the first discussion of the ring should go to the other two members of the Unholy Trinity. "Good catch there, Q," Santana began. "Admittedly, Berry will be unbearable for a while, but hopefully by the time that we get her back to Bushwick she will have recovered from missing the flowers; the fact that you appear to have got engaged on the same night as her might take her a little longer to stomach. I am assuming that is what the ring means of course, and that you are engaged to Puck…"

"You're slipping; no Mexican Third Eye?" said Quinn with a smile. "Yes, it does mean that I am engaged, and yes, to Puck. I have signed myself up to be a military wife, but he knows that he will have to work around me; I won't be moving from placement to placement, and I won't be going abroad. He knows that my job is just far too important to me."

"How did he propose? He didn't do it the way that Sam did, or someone would have said he went down on one knee," asked Brittany.

"No, it was all very casual, but I don't need all the hearts and flowers stuff. He was a little bit annoyed that Sam got in first, but to me that doesn't matter. We will be making it official tomorrow, but I guess that the instinctive reaction to catch those flowers gave the secret away to at least some of you in the end."

"It did, and I would now suggest that to avoid any issues, you and Puck have to get married before Sam and Rachel. That will upset her a bit, but these things happen," said Santana.

"Ah, but my wedding will be a very simple affair for close friends; Rachel's will be a vast production number; very grand, a little theatrical, and paid for, no doubt, by her two doting gay dads. My parents will not be at mine, nor will my sister I suspect. The least said about that, the better. Don't get me wrong, I have tried to build bridges, but…"

"They don't matter; your entire extended 'family' will be there for you with bells on," replied Santana, and Quinn nodded, knowing that much was true…

It was still fairly early when the two sets of parents arrived back at the West Village. Joe had gone back to retrieve their car on his own, leaving Sugar to join the other two on the subway, which even in the late evening was faster than a bus or cab. By the time that Joe pulled up in the parking spot outside Nick and Jeff's house, they had looked out their own travel crib for Tim to sleep in, and both he and little Wes had been settled down for the night; it had been a long day for them both after all. Sugar too was feeling tired, and not long after Joe arrived she had made her excuses and had headed up to bed. Once she was away, however, Joe's face had taken on a much more serious expression.

"We almost didn't come today, because being back here on this side of the country worries me. There has been no lessening of the anger over our marriage from the Motta family, and if Al knew that he had a grandson - well, he would want to raise him himself in his own way. If that meant that he had to remove his parents from the equation… well, I don't think he would find that too much of an issue, being honest. In his eyes, Sugar betrayed him and dishonoured the family when she married me, and there is no way he will ever forgive her for that. As for going to Jersey, well that was an even bigger risk; all it would have taken was for one person to have spotted us, and the word to have got back to him…"

"That is why Sugar has dyed her hair, and you aren't wearing your minister's collar, isn't it?" said Nick, and he was left to shake his head as Joe nodded.

"We even went out of state for Sugar to give birth, so that if he does find us, Tim will be registered elsewhere. As for my folks, well there is no way that Sugar would be welcome in their home, and if my wife isn't welcome, then there is no way that they are getting me or my son. The irony is that my mom was always so desperate for grandkids; now she has one, and will probably never know. Given all of that, both Sugar and I have made a will, and they both state that in the event of both us dying before Tim reaches the age of 21, he is to be placed in your care, just as we talked about at Santana's wedding at Dalton. I also intend to take full advantage of the scheme and enrol him at Dalton Academy when he is of age; I want him to have a good education, and be safe, and that is guaranteed there."

"We haven't decided if we will be sending Wes there or not yet. There is a big part of us that thinks that it would be a benefit for him in life to go to such a good school, but it is so far away, and there are very good schools here in the city, albeit at a price. If we do though, then our boys will be in the same year group I suspect, so at least they would have one person that they could befriend and know they could rely on," said Jeff with a smile.

"And if Wes doesn't go, then you can be sure that Thad and Jeff's cousin Dylan will keep an eye on him anyway," added Nick. Joe nodded, and then yawned. It had been a long day, and he needed rest. At least he could stop worrying about his family problems for a while now…


	110. A First Birthday Celebration

**A First Birthday Celebration.**

At the end of the week after the two weddings, Nick and Jeff headed to their third wedding in Vermont. They were joined there by Grace, travelling alone as Cooper could not get time off his show. Colin and Edward had headed up the day before with Seth and Skylar, all four eager to help their housemates celebrate their big day. Thad would also be in attendance, having been invited to the event by Dylan; he felt a bit like a third wheel though, given that the latter's girlfriend was also going to be there. Nick made the suggestion that he should keep Grace company, and he had agreed as long as she was okay with that arrangement.

On his arrival in Vermont though, Thad had first sought out one of his own flock. Through one thing and another the previous week, he had not been able to get Seth on his own to have a chat about the potential problems with his hand. He found the younger man sitting on his own on a bench in the garden, and knew this was the best chance he would have. He took a seat next to him, then said, "So, I think we need to talk about the issue with your hand at Edwin's wedding. Whilst I am prepared to accept in public the story about getting a cramp and being nervous, in private I am not. That wasn't the first time that it has happened, was it?"

Seth sighed, and then replied, "No, it wasn't, but it is nothing to concern yourself about. It has happened a few other times in the past, but it doesn't happen all the time; just an odd day in an odd month. I am not that worried about it, so there is no need for you to go dialling 911 at the moment. I think it is just too many hours spent clutching a pen as I scribble down notes, plus all that craft work with my models has just taken a toll. I am just taking things easier, and doing stretching exercises and stuff like that to make it more limber."

"Hmm, well I am not a doctor, but promise me that if it does get worse, you will go and speak to someone about it. If I find out that it is happening more often and you have still done nothing, then I will set my brother Ollie on you."

"Is that a promise, or a threat?" Seth joked.

"Both," replied Thad in all seriousness. He knew that he would get no further, and so satisfied for now, Thad took his leave, heading off to see Cameron, who now had his own little house next door to the main one. He did not look back; if he had, he would have been concerned to see Seth rubbing at his hand as it once again cramped in pain; the pain that had now been happening daily for just over three months. Seth sighed, and had to admit to himself that maybe Thad was right; maybe he should go and see a doctor about it. All he needed to do was actually find the time to go…

The wedding was held early the following day. Luke had asked Dylan to be his best man, and he had accepted without a moment's hesitation. It was true that these days they spent most of their time hundreds of miles apart, but just as was the case with Thad and Ollie Harwood, they kept in touch by phone and video chat; the brotherly bond they had was also so very strong. Duncan too had asked his brother to be his best man, and Tommy too had agreed almost at once. He had come on a lot since the first time that most of them had met him, as a witness in a trial in a courtroom in Manhattan. His grandfather had persuaded him that he should go to college, an avenue that he had felt was closed off to him after all that had happened with Hunter, but it turned out that his past was just that for them; the past. The good words about him from a former coach that had gone on to be an influential figure in Congress had not been unhelpful either. He had gone on to study criminology, and had just managed to graduate at the top of his class. On the day of the wedding, he was celebrating the fact that he had just received a response from the FBI; he would be accepting a junior role within that organisation, starting in a few short weeks, all of his past misdemeanours forgotten. He had also found himself a girlfriend, and no-one could miss the fact that she was wearing an engagement ring as he stood by his girlfriend that morning.

A not unexpected pleasure was the presence of Trent and Rory; they had been invited, but had been unsure if they would have the time with the build up to the election to attend; indeed, with yet another infamous tweet about the president from an actress, and some more inappropriate clothing from the First Lady, they had been sure they would not be coming 24 hours ago. They had succeeded though, mainly by catching the overnight train from Washington DC heading to Boston, jumping off at New Haven in the early hours, hiring a car there and then driving north at the highest speed permitted on the roads. They had turned up two hours before the ceremony, begging for food, and a hot shower. These had been provided, and now, dressed in the suits they had brought with them, they looked the part; their only problem now was with staying awake…

Elspeth was quite happy to spend the majority of the day playing the doting grandmother, insisting on taking little Wes for a while as her sister and her wife fussed over the wedding of their youngest son. They both predicted that their other two children would be married within a year. There had been talk that Cameron had been seen in a jeweller's shop in the nearest big town. Jeff had been close by as his aunts discussed that, and he couldn't stop himself from saying that Warblers seemed to like proposing at other people's weddings, and that as a result, maybe this would be a happy day for two reasons. His suspicions seemed to be confirmed later when he noticed a suspiciously square bulge in the pocket of Cameron's suit jacket…

That was all for later though. Jeff smiled with a lot of pride as he watched his cousin and his husband-to-be walking towards the celebrant in their matching suits, his own husband at his side. Duncan was wearing a shamrock pin on his tie to celebrate his family heritage, and Luke's buttonhole was of red clover, the state flower of Vermont. The simple words of the ceremony were said; just as his cousin and his husband had done on an August day in New York nearly 6 years before, Luke and Duncan had written their own vows, full of words of love and mutual respect that brought a tear to many eyes. Then the magic words were said, and the two young men became the latest of their friends to share a common surname…

Elspeth insisted in carrying on being grandmother at the reception, albeit with help from Grace, whose own pregnancy was now starting to be quite obvious to everyone. The food served was not fancy hotel fare, but good, honest, local food, much of it actually produced on the family farm. The first dance was to a classic motown song, again echoing that other ceremony in New York, where two schoolboys had jumped up and down a lot; two boys that now as young men glided around the floor hand in hand with no effort at all. Everyone knew that Mike had been busy…

As Jeff had surmised, shortly after that Cameron did sink down on one knee and proposed to Flora, and she accepted with no hesitation. Nick had the presence of mind to film it all on his phone, and although he was no Artie, the result was good enough that Thad insisted he post it at once on the Warbler Facebook page for everyone to see. What no-one had anticipated was that Dylan would clear his throat loudly, and then, with apologies to his sister, get down on one knee himself to propose to his own girlfriend. She also said yes, and the noise of celebration that followed was loud and long…

It all echoed nicely what Dylan had said in his best man's speech earlier. "So far, this year has been full of things that have given me hope for the future; a new breed of politicians, new discoveries in science, and a plethora of marriages. We can all now look forward at a world which is getting just a little bit brighter every day…" In one room in Vermont, it certainly did seem that the future was filled with hope, and that hopefully, the good times were on their way back once more…

* * *

July brought a gathering of the majority of the Warbler flock to the West Village to celebrate a very special event. The person in whose honour the gathering was being held was a little indifferent to the entire affair, as he did not yet quite grasp the concept of birthdays, but to everyone else, the first birthday of little Wes was quite and important occasion. Nick had the day off work, and had been granted it by Miss Worthington before he had even asked for it; she had used his happiness at that to tell him that he had two more trips to Geneva in the offing, one in mid July and the other in late September. The former was only for two meetings, two days apart on a Friday and a Monday, so she suggested that it would be perfect to combine it with a weekend break in Switzerland. "It will be no problem to add tickets for your husband and son, and the hotel accommodation is charged for by the room, so there is no issue there. It is a lovely part of the world, as you know, and very child friendly."

Nick had gone home that evening and had discussed it with Jeff, and he had agreed that it would be a very worthwhile trip to make, given the discounted tickets he and little Wes would travel on. "I have checked out the scenery around Geneva online a few times, and it is wonderful; it would be so good to draw. On top of that, there is the whole Swiss chocolate thing…" Nick had burst out laughing, glad that his husband still had his priorities right even now he was in his mid twenties. There was also the prospect of fondue, which sounded like fun, although it would need to be kept away from his son. The next day he thanked Miss Worthington for the suggestion, and asked if the arrangements could be made. After all, whilst he was in the meetings, Jeff could draw… When the tickets arrived on his desk that afternoon, he was delighted to see that he was booked to arrive on the Thursday, and they would not return until Wednesday. Miss Worthington told him that the flights had been cheaper when he queried it, but he did not quite believe her…

That would all of course come after his son's big day. Nick knew of course that his mom and grandparents would be coming, and had made arrangements to stay with Grace and Cooper; he had a feeling that those plans had a lot to do with his mom wanting to check that everything was in place for the birth of the twins. There would be guests of their own to entertain too, in the shape of the Sterlings and Elspeth, who also did not want to miss the first birthday party of their grandson. With all that in mind, Nick had begun to plan the party with an almost military precision, making lists of what he need to prepare, and another of the days on which he could prepare things in advance. Jeff on seeing all the paper and charts began to wonder if Sebastian had been right when he joked Nick had developed OCD with the birth of his son… He calmed a little when he saw that most of the papers were recipes for the large buffet spread that his husband intended to prepare for the event; he had taken inspiration from party cookbooks from across the globe…

Jeff had been assigned duties to help in the preparation too; Nick knew that his husband had a slight edge over him in the making of savoury pastry, so he had given him the task of preparing mini quiche in a variety of flavours, and a version of that quintessential British party staple, the sausage roll. As for Nick himself, he was going to be bold and experiment with little delicacies from around the world. One of these was macarons; those amongst them that had been to Paris loved them, and the recipe that he had made them actually sound relatively simple to do… He mentioned his intention to Jeff one evening, and his husband had stated that he certainly had to try to make them. Nick was certain that his keenness was in no small part due to the fact that he would be getting to test them…

By the time that the Sterlings arrived on the last day of June, carrying between them a pile of presents that made Nick just shake his head, the storage space in the kitchen and in the spare refrigerator was already occupied. There were tins filled with savoury biscuits as well as the usual cookies, and enough cake had been made that they could easily have stocked a patisserie. Nick had after several attempts perfected his macarons, and had decided that those best able to judge whether he had them perfect were the staff in the French section of the U.N. Judging by their facial expressions, they were impressed that an all American man like Nick could perfect the delicate little sweets, and had made them in the correct flavours. That satisfied Nick, but he knew that the harshest critic would be there the next day - Sebastian.

On the morning of his birthday, little Wes slept longer than usual, to the frustration of some of those that had assembled to wish him many happy returns. Nick's grandfather however stated that it was only right and proper that a man should have a lie in on his birthday, and little Wes was just starting as he meant to go on. In his absence, Caleb lapped up all the attention from the visitors. He had seen this kind of assembly so many times now, and he knew that it meant considerable disturbance to his routine. When the tell tale noises of little Wes waking up finally came through on the baby monitor, Caleb proceeded Nick up the stairs, but kept going up to the top of the house and Jeff's studio; there he could relax in the sun, and play with the catnip mouse that lived there. All he could hope was that his humans would remember to provide his lunch as per schedule; they rarely forgot that job, but he had just heard the word birthday before he left, and that term was one that had been mentioned before the few previous lapses…

In retrospect, Nick realised that the whole day had to have been exceptionally overwhelming for his son; all of the attention, the wealth of faces and the complete disruption of his routine. He was also aware that there was no way that any of it could have been avoided. He carried his boy down to the kitchen, where his eyes grew wide at the crowd of faces where he was used to just two. Although there were multiple offers to help with his breakfast, Nick placed his son in his high chair as usual and Jeff served him up his usual breakfast fare, most of which he could eat unaided now.

"He is so big now," said Mrs Duval, " and smart too. I know a lot of kids that couldn't manage to eat on their own at his age."

"Well that is all down to his father's good genetics," replied Jeff.

"And his papa's good parenting skills," added Nick at once.

"It is the result of the combination of the skills of two remarkable young men who have dedicated themselves to ensuring that their boy is raised properly, in an atmosphere of love and affection," stated Nick's grandfather, and he immediately received nods of agreement from all the older generation in the room.

After breakfast, Jeff insisted on carrying on with his son's usual routine, taking Wes back upstairs to get washed, changed and dressed. As he finished his task, he turned to his son and said, "Papa is very sorry, but this is where it all gets a little chaotic. You will be getting passed from grandparent to grandparent. The good news is that there are presents, lots of them, because this is a very special day for us all. It is a year since the best day of my life, since I married your dad…" He picked up his son, and kissed his cheek, before whispering, "Happy birthday, my little one."

"Love papa," said little Wes in response, which made Jeff smile.

"And papa loves you too…"

Once downstairs there were gifts to be unwrapped; Wes did rip the paper of a couple, but soon got bored, so it fell to his parents to open the various parcels, and hold them out for Wes to see. Like all children of his age, the paper was far more fascinating than the new toys, clothes and shoes. After the last of the parcels had been opened, his parents reluctantly relinquished their hold on their son, and handed him over to Mr Sterling, the sole grandfather in the room. As the others gathered round him as he sat on the sofa, Nick's grandmother asked the big question that was on everyone's minds. "What time are we expecting the invasion of Dalton boys? After all, there is no way that they would want to miss out on this day either, not given the perfect name that you have given him."

"They are all coming at lunchtime," replied Nick, "which is why I have such a massive buffet prepared. I did suggest later, but then it was suggested that it would be better for Wes if they arrived early, as it would be less disruptive to his routine. However, I am a realist, and I know that they just wanted there to be food; none of them can resist a social function with food…"

Mrs Duval laughed, then said, "The one thing I am actually grateful that your father did was insist that you attended Dalton Academy; it is the one thing he did right for you, though at the time I didn't think it was for the best. It brought you to your soulmate in Jeff, and gave you a close circle of friends that will always have your back as you go through life."

"I suppose that is the one good choice he made, although now I would guess he thinks the opposite. Still, he is the loser in all of this; he lost his family as a result of his prejudice, and I will never forgive him for any of the things that he has done and said to me. That does make me feel guilty sometimes, but if that is all I have to feel guilty for, well I can live with that," replied Nick.

Nick was correct in that as soon as he began to set out the buffet table, the doorbell began to ring, and one or two at a time, the Warblers began to arrive, along with Grace and Cooper, Santana and Brittany, Sam and Rachel, and Artie and Kitty. Mike was the last to appear; Tina arrived alone before him, full of apologies on his behalf. "He got a call asking him to head to the City Ballet to see his boss about _Swan Lake_. It is nothing too bad, thankfully, and he will still be the lead, in just those feathered trousers…." Tina then went into a bit of a trance, much to the amusement of everyone, although many could see why that prospect had made her lose her place…

She had only just recovered when Mike arrived, smiling broadly, but full of even more apologies for his tardiness. He walked straight over to where Mrs Duval was holding her grandson in her arms; when Mike stretched out his own arms, she had no hesitation in handing him over.

"Uncle Mikey is sorry he is late; his boss needed to tell him a very important date, and now I have to tell everyone that my opening night has been confirmed as October 22nd. Between you and me, Wes, Uncle Mikey is a little bit scared…"

"And I am sure that Wes would tell you that you shouldn't worry, and that you will be fine, wouldn't you son?" said Nick, who was already writing the date in his planner.

As for little Wes, he just smiled broadly, then made the day all the more special for someone by saying loud and clear "Unca Mykey!"

Once Mike had recovered from the shock of being named by little Wes so loudly, he handed over the young man to his Uncle Thad; then he was promptly engulfed by Tina, who proceeded to smother him in kisses, much to his mortification. Nick and Jeff both patted him on the back in congratulations on getting a date for his big role, and they were followed by others in the room, none of them able to get any closer. Eventually Tina was prised off Mike by Santana, mainly because Brittany wanted to hug Mike too, although before allowing her wife access, she did give him a brief one of his own. Attention by then had switched back to the birthday boy and the buffet in equal proportion. Thad refused to let little Wes be taken from his arms, stating that the boy in his arms was not a sack of potatoes, and should not be handed from one to another like such as it was not fair on him. No-one in the room could disagree with him on that point, and in any case, now that all his nerves had subsided, Thad was much more confident in holding a young child, and was almost as natural at it as Trent.

As for the latter, he sat back and waited patiently for his own turn to hold onto little Wes, knowing that once he had stopped handling gifts from the well wishers, Jeff would intervene and insist on taking his son back, on the pretext that it would allow Thad to get some food. Trent would then offer his services, and find a quiet spot where he could sit with Rory at his side and just dote on their unofficial nephew. He hoped that it would not be long now before he and Rory found themselves in the same situation as Nick and Jeff. They had approached the young lady that had offered to be their surrogate, after they had made a lot of checks about her themselves, and she had repeated that she was willing to help them at any time. The question was now all about the right timing. They would have a lot of work on their plate in the run up to the election, but if the result was favourable, then as soon as possible thereafter they would start the process…

The party continued for most of the afternoon, and only began to wind down after every gift had been carefully opened and then admired by parents and child, even if the latter had lost all interest whatsoever in the process before the last parcel was finally unwrapped. The pile of new toys that Wes now had was huge, and they varied in style from the traditional, through the gender neutral, to the educational. There were also a lot of picture and story books, which pleased both fathers; they were fully aware of the importance of reading to the development of the young mind, plus how much the picture book was a valuable learning tool.

There was also a whole new wardrobe of clothes, more or less, and knitting needles had been busy once more. Mrs Carmichael had sent, via Thad, a pile of Dalton style sweaters, each of them slightly bigger than the last, which made everyone grin. She had sent with them to her apologies that she and her husband had been unable to attend in person; the former Principal had suffered a minor accident just a few days earlier, and with his ankle strapped up it was just impractical to make the trip. Nick had wasted no time in calling her up as soon as her parcels had been opened, and two minutes later they were on Skype, and thanks were being exchanged face to face via the two screens.

Eventually though all the guests took their leave; those that had shows to perform in that night were the first to go. After an early dinner, the Sterlings and Elspeth also headed out, having been bought tickets to go and see _Evita_ that evening by Nick and Jeff, who just wanted to get their house back for a little while. With everyone else away, they could finally reinstate the routine that little Wes was used to; he was soon in his bath, playing happily with the new tub toys that he had been given by his Uncle Ethan, all the while mumbling a string of random words as he did so…

It was only once he was dried off and had been dressed in a new sleep suit bought for him by Elspeth that the last guest of the day made their appearance. As was so often the case, the little one's namesake had been tied up with work that morning when Kurt and Blaine had arrived with Finn in tow. Thanks to their corporeal state around their oldest friends, they had also been able to bring gifts, but the one that had made them all gasp was the little suit that Kurt had made for him, all hand stitched, and complete with a shirt and bowtie, just for those special events. It had been admired for a while and then had been carefully wrapped and put away for the next big event. It was by design still a little large for the child anyway.

Now the eldest of the angels came and took a seat in the nursery, holding out his arms so that he could hold the little one; as he always did when in his namesake's arms, little Wes smiled and chattered quietly, eventually ending the long string of unconnected words with a clear "Wessie!" which made them all grin.

"You have been talking to your Uncle Thad, haven't you?" said Wes with a chuckle. "It has been quite a busy day for you, hasn't it? Next birthday will be better as you will be more aware of what is actually going on and what it means; there will also be cake. You are growing up so fast and getting so big… you will be sitting on laps soon, not being held; walking steadily everywhere, not toddling or crawling. Make the most of these youthful days, as all too soon they come to an end… On top of that, you have cousins coming very soon, and that will change things for you…" Wes stopped as the boy in his arms yawned. "You are right, Wes, it is time for bed…."

Unbidden, Wes rose to his feet and carried his young charge over to his bed; as his two fathers watched, their son was set down and made comfortable for the night, with pillows plumped and covers carefully arranged. As the tired little boy's eyes closed almost as soon as his head touched the pillow, a tear formed in the eye of the angel that was watching him, as he imagined doing this with his own child with Thad standing at his side…

The months of July and August would be fairly quite when compared to the eventful month of June they had just experienced. Nick and Jeff would head off in the middle of the month for their long weekend in Switzerland, both fussing anxiously as little Wes took his first flight, hoping that he would not be too upset by the noise, the people and the atmosphere on the plane. To their surprise and delight, he fell asleep just before they took off, and woke only once during the flight; Jeff fed him and gave him the necessary diaper change, leaving Nick to sleep on. They had arranged this in advance as he had arranged to meet one of the other participants in the Friday meeting very briefly on Thursday afternoon on one of the areas of mutual interest listed in their schedule for the following day. Fed and changed, Wes fell swiftly back to sleep, as did his papa, who only woke as the cabin crew came round to serve them a light breakfast.

Once they were en-route to their hotel, Jeff finally got to see why his husband thought the city was so beautiful; indeed, as they pulled up in front of their hotel, which stood in lush green grounds on the shores of Lake Geneva, it took all of his willpower to not just abandon Nick, Wes and the luggage and head off to start sketching. Once they had checked in and made their way to their room, Nick handed Jeff his sketch book and told him to do just that. They could unpack later, and he could keep an eye on their son as he checked through his E-mails, and then read the latest report from those in the field. Jeff did as he was told without a moment of hesitation; he was soon settled on a bench in the grounds, sketching the lake and the mountains beyond, all the while breathing in the crisp fresh air on a day when the skies were clear blue and cloudless…

The following day, when Nick had his meeting, Jeff packed the usual bag, and placed his son in his stroller, before heading in to the centre of the city to explore and do a little shopping. As he had been told by everyone he had asked, the country was every bit as clean and efficient as he expected. He travelled in to the town on the tram, which carried him right into the historic centre, which he then explored with the help of a guide given to him by the receptionist at the hotel. He stopped to sketch several times, drawing St Pierre's Cathedral, the Brunswick Memorial and the Russian Orthodox church, the architecture of the latter being the most fascinating to him. The people he found were very friendly, patiently listening to his halting French, or changing themselves into English when they realised that he was from the USA; Jeff wished that he had the ability with languages that others had, and he resolved that maybe he could do some sort of course to improve his own linguistic skills. The city was also extremely child friendly, and he had no issue in finding a baby changing room, or in ensuring that his son was fed just as well as he was.

Nick's meeting was over before 5pm, and the couple made plans to have dinner at a restaurant that specialised in fondue, and even more importantly, was child friendly. The food at the restaurant turned out to be a bit of a challenge; the molten cheese was very hot, and they had to take great care. However, skewering the lumps of bread and meat and then dipping them into the molten mixture was fun, and tasted amazing. From his high chair, Wes watched with interest for a while, but then decided that the food in front of him was much better and just as tasty on the whole. For dessert, the pot of cheese was replaced with one of chocolate, and not to his husband's surprise, Jeff later stated that on the whole, sweet fondue had a definite edge over the savoury variety.

The following day saw them up early and dressing in warm clothes for a day trip that would see them explore a glacier and the town of Montreux. One of Nick's colleagues in New York had told him that the glacier tour was a must, and they had both agreed that the idea was thrilling; also, given the scourge that was global warming and the rapidity with which glaciers were shrinking, it might well be their only chance to see one. Wes was of course very young for such an adventure, and most likely would not recall it, but as they ascended in the cable car to the high mountain home of Glacier 3000, Nick made sure that he took a whole host of photos. Some people on their arrival at the top joined the line for a walking tour on the ice, but that was impractical for them; instead they climbed onboard a specially adapted vehicle that then drove them out onto the thick floe of ice high in the Alps. Once again, Nick found himself taking picture after picture at his husband's bidding, and knew that he would use them to draw the scene before them on their arrival home.

The tour then took them on to the town of Montreux, where they discovered that the annual Jazz Festival was in full swing, with the sound of that genre of music audible everywhere they went. They had known all about the famous Golden Rose, but the music was much more immediate for them and enhanced their trip. As Jeff sat down and drew the buildings, Nick explored the shops, his feet trying to move in tempo to the music all the time. He found a book on the history of the Golden Rose prize in one store, and purchased it, earmarking it as a gift for Artie; after all, he was becoming very successful, and on day his name might end up on the shortlist for that coveted award… They returned to Geneva that night tired, but very happy. As they headed to bed that night, they still had a cruise on the lake to look forward to the following day, prior to Nick's final meeting. All in all, the city was definitely one they would happily return to…


	111. Affairs at a Chocolate Factory

**Affairs at a Chocolate Factory**

Nick and Jeff returned to a New York that was basking in the heat of summer, and breathing a collective sigh of relief that the 'L' Train was once again rattling under the East River and across Manhattan. The traffic on 14th Street seemed to vanish almost at once as people headed once more into the subway, removing the cross town movements. Thanks to the efforts of Mr Byford and his team of staff, including Flint's cousin Leo, the line was now one of the best signalled in the city and as a result, much more frequent and reliable. This was a bonus for the four members of the group of friends that had been living temporarily in Manhattan, but now were able to return to the loft in Bushwick. How long they would be living there though was another question altogether. With Sam and Rachel now engaged, and both couples thinking of starting a family at some point in the future, sharing a big loft no longer seemed so ideal. With the real estate market now reverting back to normal as the transport situation did the same, they all agreed that there was no harm in getting a realtor in to value the place, just to see what it might fetch on the open market, and thus determine what they could afford in its place.

Rachel was determined that she was staying in the city, but had conceded that for her and Sam, Manhattan was not a feasible option. She had set her heart therefore on a place nearer the centre of Brooklyn, with good subway links, and ideally, a little bit of outside space. Sam agreed, but knew that the latter came at quite a premium in the neighbourhoods that his wife to be liked. Santana and Brittany were not as attached to the city as they might once have been; they had been invited out to Maplewood for lunch one day by Sebastian, and they had both promptly fallen just a little in love with suburban New Jersey. The homes there were reasonably spacious and sat in nice gardens; the shops were interesting and varied, and the whole atmosphere just seemed a little less rushed and a lot more quirky. The fact that they would know people that lived in the community was a big help. Although she did not say anything to anyone else, Santana had confided in Sebastian that she could actually see herself living there, and that if the valuation that came back was good, she would be all in favour of selling up in Bushwick…

As for Sam, he knew that it was easiest just to keep his own opinions to himself, and just agree with whatever Rachel said. It was a lot less stressful, and most of the time, she was actually right in whatever she did or said. Still, he did rebel from time to time, and was doing so at the moment; he had been keeping a big secret from his future bride for a few weeks. She had been so busy with her own preparations for the Brontë sisters musical that she had not noticed that he too had been out for long parts of the day, or would head upstairs to the otherwise empty house in Murray Hill to spend time with Cooper. All of the work that he had done had however paid off big time, and the subterfuge was about to come to an end when the world was given full disclosure as to what was going on.

With that looming, Sam knew he had to ensure that he told Rachel first, or he would never hear the end of it; in fact, if she found out about things by reading it in the media rather than from him, he expected she would wish to consciously uncouple with him… Getting her alone was no easy task though, and in the end he had to enlist the help of Cooper and Grace. The latter was now working from home, the commute to her office no longer practical or indeed desirable on the crowded subway or slow bus. When she was asked to host a farewell dinner for the couple downstairs she had bridled at first; then Cooper had told her enough to make her understand it was important to both him and Sam, and she had reluctantly agreed to the plan. It was Grace that invited Rachel at the two men's suggestion; given the effort that Grace implied had already been made in preparing the dinner, Rachel did not wish to decline the invite.

On that night in mid August, they made the usual polite small talk over the starters and the main, and then, prior to dessert being served, the wheels of the reveal were set into motion. "If someone had told me a few years ago that I would be in a musical on Broadway, I would have laughed myself silly at them; but now, as I am about to step out of the limelight for a while, I feel so conflicted," said Cooper. "Don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to being a hands on father, but I will miss the greasepaint and of course, the adulation. Still, I have chosen a good time to go; they have pencilled in a closing date in January for the show."

"Yes, it is vital to know when to go," agreed Rachel. "I personally could have gone on in _Funny Girl_ forever, but the audience was dropping away. Still, a set closing date must have made it hard to find someone to come in and take on your role."

"That is very true; in fact, had I not made my suggestion to them and asked them to consider a quite radical option, they might have been forced to close the show when I leave the role. Instead, they are bringing in a younger actor to play the lead; someone that has enjoyed great success and acclaim for their performance in an off Broadway show, but is now more than ready for their big break and the pressure of the great white way. We have been rehearsing the part together on and off for a while now, and he will bring a new vitality and a vibrant fresh interpretation to the part," replied Cooper with a smile.

"Well," said Rachel, "he is a lucky man to be inheriting the role from you. So, do I know him? Would I have heard his name?"

"Yeah, I think that you might have heard of him, and he has certainly heard of you," said Cooper in a coy voice. "I am just sorry that he was forced to lie to you for so long, but the directors were most insistent that we kept it close to our chests until now…"

Rachel stared at Cooper for a moment as the wheels spun inside her head, and then Sam sung the line "It must be believed to be seen…"

Grace, who until that point had been listening in silence, suddenly blurted out, "You mean that Sam…"

"Is the new Willy Wonka. The last of our little circle in the business of show is about to make his Broadway debut, and in a lead role. Let me tell you this; if you thought that I was good in the part, just wait until you see Sam. The audiences will love him…"

Rachel looked a little bit stunned at the news, at least to begin with. She was not used to people keeping secrets from her, in particular when the secret had been kept by the man that she wished to marry. Then again, she could understand why the directors' of the show had wished to keep the identity of Cooper's replacement a secret. Many would have anticipated a much bigger name, some time served Broadway star; she had heard a lot of gossip about it, with the name Christain Bore being mentioned, or even just the understudy taking over. The fact that they had chosen an untried new actor for the part was a massive risk, but she had faith in Sam; she knew he had the necessary inner child to make the part his own. There was an internal little boy in her fiancé, and that was to all intents and purposes what Willy Wonka was; a boy that had failed to grow up as much as he should have done…

"I shall have to ensure that I have a ticket for your first night, Sam," said Rachel with a smile. "If we are going to be Broadway's new power couple, then we will need to be seen together at all times, and support each other in everything."

Cooper smiled, then said, "Worry not on that score, I have already seen to that; in addition, I have requested a whole pile of tickets so that as many of your friends can come and see you as possible. On top of that, I have done something else that Sam is not aware of; I have arranged for the entire Evans family to come to the city on his big night so that they can see him perform as well." Sam let out a gasp at that, as he literally had no idea that was happening; no-one had mentioned it, and he had only been speaking to his mom that morning. "As for their accommodation, well my brother-in-law has helped me out on that score, not that Jeff knows why they are coming. All that you need to worry about Sam is wowing the audience, and that won't be any problem for you. In fact, the only complaints that I can see arising is that the show has been given a definite date of closure…"

Sam's news would spread like wildfire after that night. As Santana would later remark, the moment that Rachel knew something, she would wait only minutes before she would rush off to tell someone, in the loudest and most persistent voice possible. The secret had been so well kept that it was even news to Carmen Tibideaux; when she found out about Sam's good fortune, she had been overjoyed for him. She was also happy in the knowledge that when she finally got round to writing the memoirs she had intended to for years, she would be able to write a big section of it about the immense pool of talent that she had found in Ohio. She would be able to boast about the work of the five of them that had made it through NYADA and out into the world of performance. She still felt upset though that neither Kurt or Blaine had been given the opportunity to make it into the public eye, and there show the world the great talent that they had. However, she was also aware that had it not been for their untimely deaths, she would never have had the chance to witness Sam, Santana and Sebastian shine; after all, they had all come to her attention at the memorial service for poor Blaine. She wondered what the media would make with the story of those three…

One of the first people to actually call and congratulate Sam on the phone was Isabelle, who was now juggling motherhood and work in the way that they had all anticipated. She then requested an interview with him, but he declined to give her a solo one. Instead, he suggested that she could interview him alongside Sebastian and Santana, and then run a joint shoot with them all, possibly under the title of the 'Three S's from Ohio.' She had to admit that the idea of that was appealing, but she realised that she would be better to ask him to just run it by Rachel first and see what she thought. Then again, with the story of the musical about the Brontë sisters also likely to merit her attention, she could always ask Rachel for a separate interview of her own…

The last minute nature of the reveal did create one issue, and that was the fact that many people would struggle to be able to join Sam on his opening night. Some ended up cancelling long held plans, such as Artie, who threw all of his out to be their to support his friend. Puck requested leave on hearing, and was lucky to be granted even a 24 hour pass; it literally made it a case of heading to New York, going to the show, and then heading back to base first thing the next day. Quinn was too busy with work to be able to get the time, but she sent him all her love, and knew that Puck would be fine staying with Mike and Tina. It was also a busy time for Burt, but Rory made adjustments to his schedule, and there would be time for him and Carole to come and support the young man that they both thought of in so many ways as a son; for his part, the fact that Burt would be there was every bit as important to Sam as his own mom and dad attending when it came down to it.

Nick and Jeff could not come together, as finding a sitter they trusted would be nigh on impossible, so they had booked to go on separate nights; that fact was a reminder to them all of the joys that parenthood would bring with it. Ethan agreed to go with Nick on Sam's second night, whereas Luke and Duncan would go with Jeff on the opening one. As for the media, they were divided in their opinion in whether the show had done the right thing in choosing Sam to replace the legend that was now CJ Hummel-Warbler. All of them agreed on one thing; the proof of whether their choice had been correct or not would come on his first night. As far as Sam was concerned, that night was now coming along all too soon. It had not seemed such a daunting prospect to him when nobody else knew; now, with the weight of everyone's expectations upon him, and with Rachel constantly giving him advice that he neither needed or wanted half the time, he had moments that he wished he had never agreed to take the role. However, it was too late to turn back now; the whole thing was a done deal…

Then, before Sam knew it, it was Cooper's last night as Mr Wonka. For the latter, it was an evening that he approached with a degree of fear and trepidation. He had been performing almost every night for the last few years after all, either in impossibly high boots or engaged in steering a glass elevator, and the fact that he was effectively rendering himself unemployed as of the next day was actually a scary prospect; all the more so when he considered that his wife was expecting twins, and no longer went into the office. At the same time though, it was a comfort to him that he would be able to watch over her more closely than he could hope to when he had to go to work every night. He was worried about her as she neared the end of her pregnancy, and not without foundation; she was exhausted all the time, her bump was, quite frankly, enormous (although the thrill he felt each time he felt one of his children kick through it was one that would never grow old or be equalled elsewhere) and on top of that, she had now developed food cravings that were downright sickening. The strawberry jello, garlic sausage and blue cheese sandwiches had been bad enough, but when he had discovered her eating a dish of fried liver and pickled gherkins smothered in a caramel sauce…

Carole had reassured him that such bizarre cravings were quite normal, but the fact remained that it was frankly disgusting, and seeing her eating such things put him off his own food. As for Mason and Roderick, they had simply just stopped eating at home, not that either of them would call his house their home much longer. Mason had saved quite a bit of money from his wages in the show, and he and Jane had been able to use that as a deposit on a nice little place near Gramercy Park where the rent was within their budget; he was due to move there the day after Cooper's last show. As for Roderick, he had more or less moved in to the basement apartment, and had begun to quite like the notion of having a bachelor pad of his own. That meant that the nursery in the house upstairs was also ready, just waiting now for two new arrivals…

When Cooper left the house that day, Grace headed over to her desk, where she could look over her current case work. She might not have been able to get to the office, but that did not mean that the work stopped coming, and in any case, the client she was dealing with at the moment was a long established one. The divorce offer she was now sorting out was the fourth one, and it did meet the majority of her client's demands, and in some cases actually exceeded them. Her client had still been reluctant to accept it, but after a lot of talking, Grace had finally managed to convince her that any more delay and stalling would not be in her best interests. After all, her soon-to-be ex-husband was in no hurry to get a divorce, and could indeed still refuse to grant the divorce at all, as he had initially intended to do. Now the last of the documents had been prepared and then checked over by both lawyers, and all that was now needed were the signatures of the two parties. Satisfied that all was in order, Grace forwarded the file to Miss Pittman back at the office, and asked her to arrange for one of the other partners to supervise the signing.

With her last case now finished up, Grace sat for a moment and had to admit to herself that she felt a little bit lost. She was the kind of woman that liked to keep her brain active at all times after all, and the idea of sitting around doing nothing, or watching boxsets on Netflix, or even just reading a book did nothing for her. She had given up on her attempts to knit when she realised that Mason was better at it than her, and needlecraft was also out of the question. With a sigh, she decided that she could read one of the many books on parentcraft that she had purchased again. Her mother and grandmother had reassured her that when the time came, she would instinctively know what to do, but she didn't think a little help in the matter was a bad thing. She switched off her laptop, then slowly stood up; a task that had once been so simple now proved a little more challenging given her current size. Still, she thought, it will all be over in just a few more weeks. She spotted the book she wanted on the shelf under the table in the hall, and headed over to it. She bent down to lift it up, but as she did, she felt a sudden stabbing pain, which made her fall to her knees. She then realised with a slight horror that there was a lot of moisture as well as the pain; a pain that intensified when she tried to get up. A pain of the kind that her mother, mother-in-law and grandmother had all described…

The realisation that she was actually in labour frightened her for two reasons; first off, she was still not sure that she was ready to be a mom yet, and secondly, because she was alone in the house, she could barely move, and her cellphone was still on her desk, so tantalisingly close, but yet so far… She wished now that she had not rejected outright Cooper's suggestion of having one of those voice activate assistants in the house; had she not done so, she could have asked it to call 911, then Cooper, or even Pam, who was not that far away. She tried to move, but had barely crawled more than a few inches before she had to stop. There was no doubt now about the fact that she was having contractions….

She could quite easily have burst into tears at that point, and started to scream, had it suddenly not hit her; she had something better and more reliable than the Alexas of this world. She just had to decide who she would call, whether to go with logic or heart. For once in her life she chose the latter, and cried out a single word - "Blaine!" She paused, then tried to move again as the pain had subsided; all that did was succeed in bringing on another wave of pain. She groaned, then calmed a little as she felt the cooling draught of angel wings on her back…

"Hey, Gra… Oh my Lord, what's happened? Are you okay?" came Blaine's voice, clearly agitated at what he saw.

"Blaine, I need you to stay calm, but I am in labour; the babies are coming, and there is nobody here with me. Please could you go and get my phone from the desk, and I will dial 911 and get help."

Grace looked up then at her angelic brother-in-law, who remained standing where he was. "I am no expert on this, but I think it might well be too late for that," Blaine replied, which earned him a frustrated groan from Grace. "You and Coop aren't the only people that can read parenting manuals. I would say that the twins are in a hurry to get here, so we don't have a lot of time. And before you scream at me to get you your phone so you can dial 911, how are you proposing to let them into the house when they get here if you can't get to the door?"

Grace had to concede that her brother-in-law had a point as another sharp contraction wracked her body. The front door was securely locked, and she would have to open it to admit the emergency services; true, Blaine was corporeal and could do it for her, but then how could she explain that she could barely move, but had somehow managed to make it to the door, unlock it, and then had crawled back to the spot she was now in…

"Right, I am going to get you your phone, and you can call someone that either has a key, or knows how to get in," Blaine stated, as he headed over to her desk and lifted her phone, "and in the meantime, if things do come to a head, I guess that I could probably…" Blaine's voice tailed off as Grace grimaced again, and then took the phone as he proffered it to her.

"I don't want to call Coop, as he will just be about to head on to the stage; Pam doesn't have a key yet, and Nick hasn't got one either. Roderick, I am sorry, but by a process of elimination, it is going to be you."

As Grace dialled, Blaine tried to sense where the young man was, praying that he was not far away. It appeared that the young man was in the main public library on Fifth Avenue… "He is a good choice, Grace, but you will have to call Coop I am afraid. He will want to be here for the birth of his children," Blaine pointed out. "I can ask Kurt to go to him if you want, or I can go, and Kurt can come here."

Grace nodded as she waited for Roderick to answer; when he did, she did not let him speak. "Roderick, I need you to come home right now. I have collapsed in the hall; the twins are coming, and the front door is locked, and so I can't call 911 until someone comes to open the door…" His to her reply was short, and she hung up. Looking up, she saw that Blaine had gone, and Kurt was now standing there. "He went for Coop, didn't he? I think that he will have to hurry back here if he wants to see his children born…" Kurt nodded, then took Grace's hand. If he was honest, he was not looking forward to this at all…

As Roderick ran faster than he had done for years along the street from the library, Blaine was standing in his brother's dressing room, desperately trying to attract his attention, so that he would ask his two co-stars that were in there chatting with him to leave. His brother seemed oblivious however to the fact that he was there, and it was so tempting to start shouting at him, or flapping his wings like a madman, but the latter would attract far too much attention, and as for the former, Cooper might well ignore him. In the end, he decided that the only course of action was to stand between his brother and the other two, with his arms folded and a face which he hoped conveyed the sense of urgency he now felt.

Thankfully it did, and Cooper made a plausible excuse to shoo the others from the room, and then close the door firmly behind them. "That was more than a little bit rude, squirt," Cooper said as he turned to face Blaine again. "I would not have thought that such actions were permitted by the angelic code."

"They aren't, except in the case of a dire emergency. You cannot go on stage today, Coop. You need to go back home right now."

"Can't go on!? Blaine, this is Broadway, and it is my final show. I have no choice but to go on!"

"I think that this is an exception to that golden rule. Coop, at this moment, Grace is lying in the hallway; her waters have broken. You will potentially be a daddy within the next few minutes. If you want to be there at the birth of your children, you need to leave right now."

His brother stared at him open mouthed, then said, "Grace is in labour!? But that is next month!"

"It happens, Coop. I was early, and so where you. I asked mom once and she told me. It runs in the family. You really do need to go now, or you will miss out…"

"Okay," said Cooper, heading for the door, but then… "Oh Lord, the show! I can't leave!"

"You can; Sam is here, isn't he? You run and get home, and I will go and break it to him that his first night is going to be a little earlier than he anticipated." Cooper nodded, then grabbing his coat, headed out of the stage door at a run in full costume. As he did so, he realised that he probably should have told the director what was going on first. It was too late for that now though; a phone call would have to suffice…

By the time that he made that call, dressed as Willy Wonka, in the back of a yellow cab, whose driver had been bemused by the whole thing until Cooper had told him why he needed to be in Murray Hill yesterday, an equally shell-shocked Sam had made his way to the now vacated dressing room. With a hand that refused to stop trembling, he attempted to start applying his make up for the show; a show which had just rung its bell for ten minutes until curtain. He had been calm until Blaine had arrived; having listened to what he had to say, he had promptly thrown up, his nerves all jangling at the sudden nature of events…

By the time that the door to the dressing room flew open to reveal a harried looking director and a wardrobe assistant clutching Sam's costume for his first scene, he had managed to apply the first layers of make up, and his breathing had finally returned to almost normal. "Thank goodness that you were here, Mr Evans," the director said, all the time silently cursing the way nature could pull man's plans to shreds. "Okay, so I will get someone to come in and help you finish your make up; you'd best get into costume now. We have just over ten minutes until your need to be on stage. At least the rest of the cast know what is going on, but the audience don't… It will be okay; you are more than capable of doing this…." Sam nodded, and could only cross his fingers and pray that the man was correct in his assumptions…


	112. An Angelic Delivery

**An Angelic Delivery**

As Sam prepared himself for stardom, and the two men resident in the house in Murray Hill raced homeward, Kurt was facing a grim reality. There was no question about it; the twins were going to arrive any minute, and that meant that he was going to have to step up to the plate and assist Grace. Blaine was back, but there was no way that he could be called upon to do the job; she was his sister-in-law after all, and the very notion of getting that close to her made him feel sick and queasy. Kurt was not exactly ecstatic about the prospect himself, if he was being honest, but he had no alternative. The moment that Grace had finished up her calls, he had taken several deep breaths, and stepped up.

His first priority had been to ensure that she was as comfortable as she possibly could be in the circumstances; he had asked Blaine to bring him cushions, and had moved her gently into a better position. He had then averted his eyes as she removed her undergarments, thankful that she had chosen to wear a dress that morning, as that meant there was one less obstacle to overcome. With her permission, he had then checked what was going on, asking in his head for assistance from other angels who had actual experience of this. He wished that they could have come, but they were busy, and not corporeal as he was, so he was on his own. He braced himself, his brain full of terms such as dilated, and almost gasped when he saw what looked very like the top of a head already visible. Things were progressing far more swiftly than he would have liked… At that moment Grace howled in pain again, and the top of the head moved all the closer…

Blaine looked at Kurt in abject horror as he informed him, through that telepathy that all angels seemed to gain with their wings, that they were probably going to have to be the ones that delivered his brother's children. He shook his head, terrified that something could easily go horribly wrong in the process, and he would never be able to forgive himself, or look Cooper in the face again, if that did happen.

Kurt sensed this, and sighed. "Blaine, I need you to sit next to Grace and take her hand; try and ensure that she is breathing just as they say in the books. I am warning you that from what I remember, her grip will be like a vice. The only bright side is that you are saving Cooper from that pain," he said out loud, and Blaine complied, glad that it meant that he no longer had to see the process taking place; he just had to listen to the sounds.

"Okay, so I think that you are meant to pant…" Blaine began, but he stopped as Grace began to moan, and her grasp on his hand tightened. Kurt's face paled once more, his head full from all those words of advice being given by those observing from a distance. He did not know if it was time for him to tell her to push, or should he ask her to try and hold on?

The sound of a key in the door was a relief, and they all turned expectantly towards it. There was a little disappointment when it was revealed to be Roderick and not the father to be, but it did mean that they could at least now summon the ambulance. As for the young man himself, out of breath after his run, he did a brief double take at the two angels assisting his landlady, then headed over to join them. "Okay, is there anything that I can do to help, apart from dialling 911?"

"I don't think so," Kurt replied, then changed his mind. "Actually, after you've called them, do you think you could call Carole for me? I could really do with having someone on the line, talking me through what I ought to be doing. The fact is that the babies are not going to wait any longer. By the time that the paramedics get here, I think all that they will need to do is check out the condition of mother and children…"

As Roderick made the call to the 911 operator, Grace realised that she was absolutely terrified at the very notion of giving birth to her children in the hallway at home, with no access to pain relief, and with in the eyes of the world, only Roderick to assist. Yet she knew that there was no other choice; the two new lives that had been growing inside her were not prepared to wait any longer… She felt another contraction come, much worse than the last, and she crushed Blaine's hard so much that he screamed louder than she did. Kurt's eyebrows shot up as the pain subsided, and she knew then that he was seeing something that might mean it was only seconds until the sound of crying rent the air asunder….

"The ambulance is on its way, but there has been a big fire downtown, and so they might not be able to get here as quickly as normal," said Roderick. "I guess that means it might well be up to us… Look, I might be wrong, but I do watch that British show on BBC America, the one with the midwives, and I think we are going to need towels, hot water and something to cut the cord…"

"The first and the last are definitely a good idea, but I have no idea why we would need the other one," mused Kurt. Roderick dialled Carole, and then after handing the phone to Kurt, hurried off to the kitchen.

To say that Carole was shocked to hear Kurt's voice on the line was a given; when she found out why he was calling her, it was much worse. "Right, so between you, you seem to have everything in hand. The hot water is quite simply for washing hands and sterilising stuff. You will need to find something to tie off the umbilical cord when you cut it; at worst, use a clothes pin, or even a tightly tied loop of thread as a temporary fix…. I wish that I was closer so that I could do more. All I will say is that if she wants to push, do not stop her. If Cooper does make it, then all well and good. If he doesn't, well I assume he would just be happy that all of them are safe and well…" Kurt had to agree that was indeed his first priority, but nonetheless, he hoped that his brother-in-law would arrive soon…

At that precise moment, the man in question was running along the final block, having abandoned his cab in the snarled up traffic at Lexington Avenue's junction with East 40th Street, assuming that the cause was highway repairs or an accident somewhere nearby. He had paid the driver, leaving him a handsome tip, and had then made quite the spectacle as he ran the last few blocks home, in his full stage make up and costume. He was grateful that events had not happened once they had reached the interval, or he would have been running through the streets dressed in a purple coat, wearing a top hat and gloves, and swinging a cane. All he could think about now was getting back through his own front door to support his wife; to be at her side as his children came into the world. As he turned from the Avenue and into the street, his eyes were instantly drawn to the fact that there was no sign of an ambulance, which meant that he was going to be more or less on his own with her at this most dramatic of live events. That frightened him; he had heard so many tales of what could go wrong in child birth. He did his best to try and dismiss all of the scenarios that flooded his brain at that moment. He was not going to be raising his children as a widower; he was not going to let her die on him. As he drew near his front door, he heard for the first time at close range the sound of his wife howling. Tired as he was, that sound gave him the extra energy he needed to speed up again and race up the steps and into his house…

The sight he was confronted with just inside his front door did nothing to relieve his anxiety. Blaine looked to be in more pain than Grace as she gripped his hand so tightly that her knuckles had gone pure white. Her hair and brow were dripping with sweat, and between her spread legs sat Kurt; the fact that he looked paler than ever made Cooper's heart leap into his mouth. At that moment, Roderick walked back in, carrying the steaming kettle, a bowl with cold water in it, and several cloths over his arm. Cooper was curious as to why, but he had another job to do. He flung off his jacket, and took a seat at his wife's side. "I don't know, Gracie; I leave you alone for five minutes, and look at the trouble you get yourself into," he said jokingly.

"The trouble, as you put it, is 50% down to you, Cooper; I can see now why so many woman opt for a caesarean…" Grace stopped to howl once again as her body made her give another involuntary push, and Blaine squealed as his fingers were crushed again. Roderick had placed one of the cloths in the cold water, and having rung it out, came over to place it on Grace's forehead.

"Okay, so now that Cooper is here, let's get this done," said Kurt, nodding at Roderick as he said those words. "Deep breath's, I think, and start to push down…"

Nick would never know quite why he had decided to pop in and see his sister on his way home from the free law clinic that evening. It was not that far out of his way, and as Jeff was at the diner until 9pm, and had little Wes with him, he saw no harm in the diversion. He had finished at the voluntary clinic earlier than usual, and so he had the time to spare. He was almost there when he heard the banshee wail of the ambulance, which screamed past him at speed before braking and coming to a halt just a little way up the street. It wasn't until the crew came out and ran up the steps into the house that Nick's brain registered that it had just stopped outside his destination. Filled with concern, his stroll turned into a sprint and he dashed up the steps, stepping through the front door as the paramedics began to check his sister over. Roderick was slumped against the wall nearby, his hair tousled and his sleeves rolled up, and on the other side sat Cooper… That was when Nick saw that his brother-in-law was holding two tightly wrapped bundles, one cradled on each arm…

Before he could speak, he felt a slight draught behind him. "Hello, other uncle by blood. That means that you and I take precedence over everyone else in the uncle stakes, including Kurt and Jeff," Blaine whispered in his ear. Nick nodded, saying nothing, fully aware that he could make no reply with the paramedics so close by. "It all happened so fast; your sister bent over to pick a book up, and boom… The problem was that she was home alone at that point, and her phone was sitting on her desk, and she was in so much pain that she could not even attempt to crawl over to get it. Fortunately, she had angels looking out for her, and I came, fetched her her phone, and then sorted out the rest of the cavalry. She did think about calling you, but Roderick was closer to hand, and he had a key, whereas you don't. In the end, things have turned out okay. Cooper got here in time, and was present for the birth of his son and daughter, just as he wanted to be. He did miss his last performance as Willy Wonka, but Sam was actually at the theatre, so he was able to go on instead. Some people might be critical of Cooper being off on his last official night, but when they hear why, the decent ones will understand, and the rest don't matter. So we have a niece and a nephew. Oh, just in case you were wondering, Kurt did the actual delivering, with quite a bit of help from Roderick. Of course, the paramedics think he did it all, and he is quite shy about taking the credit. Worse, he knows that he will be teased mercilessly by all and sundry if it emerges that his guilty pleasure is being a big _Call the Midwife_ fan, so we will keep quiet about that. It did mean that he knew exactly what was needed for a home birth with the most basic of equipment on hand… Right, I have detained you long enough. Go over and see them all before they need to go and get properly checked out at the hospital."

Nick nodded again, then walked further in, heading to his sister first. "Hey, Uncle Nicky," she said tiredly, with a smile, before she pointed him in Cooper's direction. He was beaming with pride as he stared down at his two children, and had every right too. After all, there were now two new Hummel-Warblers in the world…

"They're early! Are they okay?" asked Nick anxiously.

"They are fine, but we will all be heading over to the hospital very soon just to make sure. That of course includes their father," Grace continued, lowering her voice as little as the paramedics moved over to her newborn children. "He has being shifting from joy to stress to panic over the last few minutes. It is quite frightening really, just how quickly they came along in the end. All I can say is that I thank the Lord that you joined the Warblers, and that Cooper had the most amazing brother; without him, the story might have been a little different."

"So I gathered from a very excited Uncle Blaine," Nick replied in an equally low voice. "Right, so how is their mother doing right now?"

"Honestly? Sore, tired and a little apprehensive; as you say, I am a mom now. Don't get me wrong, my career will always be important, but my children will always come first. I mean, I can't leave them constantly with their father over there; he would drive them mad… They are so small, and so beautiful, Nick; my son and daughter…" Grace stopped as she felt tears rolling down her cheeks, and began to look around for something with which to wipe her eyes. Nick proffered his handkerchief, and she took it with a smile. Then she realised something, and it faded. "Nick, I haven't told mom what has happened! She didn't even get told I was in labour! She is going to kill me for not letting her know! Where is my cellphone?"

"I do not know, and I will not be looking for it either," said Nick firmly. "I will call mom for you, and let her know that she is a grandmother again, and all the circumstances. All that you need to concentrate on right now is yourself and your three children…"

"My three…? Well, yes, I guess that he is at times, but he is also so responsible when he needs to be. He is going to be a great dad." Nick nodded, then stepped to one side as the paramedics came back to prepare her for the ambulance. He headed over to his brother-in-law, who just smiled and showed off the two babies in his arms.

"Tell me, Nick, does this feeling of euphoria fade? The one of total joy mixed with stress and total panic?"

"Nope, it is all part of being a father. You will have it worse than me because you got yourself a double dose."

Cooper chuckled, and replied, "Yeah, a daughter to protect as well as a son to guide. I am just so glad that we decided on one thing the moment that we knew it was twins and what sex they were; their names. Promise me that you won't tell anyone else what they are, even Jeff, until it is official… Blaine already knows, and as you are the other person related by blood here right now, it is only fair I tell you. This little girl, who will grow up to be every bit as beautiful and smart as her mother, is Lily Pamela Anne, and this young man is Devon Harold Burt…"

"Devon, as in your brother's middle name… That is so nice…"

"We did consider calling him Blaine, but in the end, I decided that I could not have a second Blaine Hummel-Warbler in my life. There will only ever be the one…" Nick had to agree, knowing exactly where the older man was coming from.

Things moved along quickly after that; Grace had already been spirited off to the waiting ambulance, and now it was time for Cooper to get to his feet and walk out to join her inside, his two children held close to him. A couple of the neighbours had appeared, wondering why the ambulance was there, and there was a murmur of approval and congratulations as he walked proudly down the stairs and into the ambulance.

As it pulled away, Nick turned back into the house, and noticed that Roderick had just burst into tears. He hurried over to sit down at his side, and wrapped an arm around him, letting him get all of the emotions he had been hiding out. "When I got the call, Nick, I was so scared for all of them," he eventually said in a whisper. "I knew it was all going to be down to me. Yes, there were two angels to assist, but they could not open the door. If Grace told the paramedics she had collapsed with the pain, then they would wonder how she had managed to get to the door and unlock it, and having done that, why she had then gone all the way back to the spot they found her in. In the end, I will go down on the records as the one that delivered them, even though it was mostly Kurt. It was such a great thing to witness, you know; the moment that the miracle of life outside the womb beginning… It makes me wonder if I am doing the right thing at school; maybe I should have gone into something like medicine. I mean, they even have male midwives now…"

"I can just imagine the look on Sister Monica Joan's face if that had ever happened in Poplar…" replied Nick with a wink. Roderick's eyes widened, and he stared at Nick open mouthed. "Jeff and I stumbled across the show one evening on BBC America too, and it drew us in. We end up watching every episode in the box set. Your secret guilty pleasure is definitely safe."

"Thanks," said Roderick, "and yes, she would have been absolutely horrified at the very notion!"

Nick called his mother next, and knew instinctively to hold the phone away from his ear when he broke the news, expecting the scream that followed. He also knew that she would be on her way to New York that night, leaving Sue's re-election campaign to run itself for a few days. That job done, Nick paused, then wondered out loud, "So did Cooper call his mother, or is Pam still blissfully unaware of her new status?"

As Nick had intended, Blaine heard his words, and flew to the hospital, to approach his brother the moment that he was on his own waiting for the doctors to finish their checks. "Erm, Coop, have you maybe forgotten to do something rather important?"

"No, I brought the bag Grace packed, and Nick or Roderick will lock up…"

"Yes, Nick will after he has phoned his mom…"

Cooper's eyes bulged suddenly as he put two and two together. "OhmyGod I forgot MOM! She will kill me! Grace is going to be a widow!"

"No she won't! Calm down, take a breath, and then fabricate like only you know how. Tell her were you are right now, and why, then act all concerned and stressed. She will forgive you then, and in any case, I think she will just be so happy they are actually here…"

At the theatre meanwhile, Sam had not had time to think of anything other than the show since he had found himself thrust into the spotlight much earlier than he had anticipated. The show had almost begun at the moment that Cooper had found out from Blaine what was going on, and the last minute announcement that "due to a family emergency, CJ Hummel-Warbler is unable to appear tonight" had been greeted with more than a few moans and complaints. Sam resolved at that point that he would give his performance 110% that evening, so that people would not mind the last minute change that much. That was what he proceeded to do. He had played his first scenes mildly, but then, at his big entrance moment from the factory gates, he had let rip, and left the audience gasping at his new, more youthful take on the character. If anything, he managed to make the character look even more maniacal than Cooper ever had; a much more dark and sinister presence, and thus much more true to the original book. He brought out all of the accents that he had used to make people laugh when he was at school, and teamed them up with a host of facial expressions to boot.

By the time he had to escort Charlie up in the glass elevator, the audience was eating out of the palm of his hand. He then proceeded to bring the same level of emotion to his performance of _Pure Imagination_ that Cooper did by picturing a little Blaine, a boy that had been left sad and hurt by life; it was not that hard, as he could recall the tears of his own younger siblings from his own teenage years…

That done, he left the stage for that swift costume change that proceeded the finale, the reprise of _It must be Believed to be seen_ , and his own disappearing trick. As he waited, smiling a little as those in the wings patted him on the back and gave him a thumbs up, he felt a draught, and saw Finn appear.

"Kurt asked me to tell you that Cooper now has a son and daughter; he suggests that you pretend to check your phone and see a message, and then mention it at curtain call. Cooper will not mind…" As Finn vanished as quickly as he had appeared, Sam made his move over to the shelf that his phone lay on at the wing entrance, and faked the check. Then, with a sudden smile, he switched it off again. Then he hurried back on to the stage…

As he stepped out to take his bows that night, it was to loud applause, and he acknowledged it with a massive grin; the goofy smile made the crowd fall even more in love with the young blond. Then as the applause died down, he held up his hand for silence, and stepped right to the front of the stage. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your kind applause on this my first outing in this role. I wasn't supposed to be taking over quite yet, but luckily I just happened to be here when my good friend CJ received an urgent phone call. He has sent me a message, firstly begging that you will forgive him for his absence tonight, and secondly, asking me to let you all know that the reason he had to go was because his wife had just gone into labour a month early, and he wanted to be there for her. I am pleased to say that he made it with minutes to spare, and his twins, a boy and a girl, and his wife are all doing well." Sam paused as the audience had begun to clap, cheer, or just go awww, as had half the cast. "Anyway, thank you all again, and good night!" Sam shouted, before he lead the cast off stage.

Back in his dressing room, he finally checked his real phone messages. There were ones from Rachel, Santana, Sebastian and Mason, all sent during their own show intervals, telling them they had heard, and hoped all was going well for him. He replied to them all quickly, then sent a message of his own to Cooper, congratulating him and Grace, not for a moment expecting a response. One did come in seconds though, thanking him for what he had done, then continuing on with the news that Grace, Lily and Devon were all doing well. Sam grinned at that final name; like Cooper, he would have struggled with a new Blaine Hummel-Warbler, and that option seemed ideal. Then he reached for the cloth, and started to wipe off the greasepaint. That done, and back in his own clothes, he gathered up the boxes of personal effects that Cooper had packed and was to have taken away that night. He could easily go home via Murray Hill to drop them off…

By now the news that Cooper and Grace were parents had spread like wildfire. Pam had not wanted to kill her son when he told her; instead she had jumped straight in a taxi to head to the hospital to be there for him, and greet her two grandchildren just as soon as possible. Cooper had called Burt right after his mom, and the congressman had been just as delighted as Pam for the young man he saw as a son. He also knew that with the election campaign, he would struggle to get to see the newborns, but he was sure Carole would want to head up sooner rather than later. Burt was as yet blissfully unaware that she had actually been helping Kurt with the birth of the babies over the phone.

As soon as he was able to, Mason had hurried from the theatre to see Roderick, knowing that his friend would be in a strange mood; part elation at having helped in the birth, and part stunned that he had had to. Sure enough, his friend was very glad to see him, but the worst was now over, and he actually felt very proud of what he had done…

As for Nick, he had locked the house up and headed home not long after the ambulance had left. He had hastened home, texting Jeff to let him know why he was running late. On walking through the front door, he was greeted by the sight of his husband, and his own son, who on seeing his daddy, walked towards him on his own two feet, more steadily than he had so far. Nick bent down and picked up his boy, and spun him round, leaving little Wes squealing with happiness. As Nick embraced him, he wondered how he would react to having two little cousins…

Everyone had of course been a little concerned about how Cooper would cope with fatherhood, particularly those that could recall how he had been before the tragic early death of his brother. It was true that he had been so much more responsible since then, but that had partially been down to having a job to go to, and a schedule that was crammed full of good works. Now, for at least the next six months, he was going to be a father, and nothing else. Some feared that he would not cope with the pressure of the role, but it was as if a switch had been clicked over inside him; what had begun to manifest itself when he married Grace now was obvious to everyone on a daily basis. She could not have wished for a better husband. He managed the night time feeds, the diaper changes and the vomit without a single qualm.

Pam was also very much a hands on grandmother from day one, arriving like clockwork to help out, something that both parents had initially had some reservations about. These fears turned out to be groundless, and her help was invaluable. One day Grace summoned up the courage to finally ask her why she did, and her response was simple.

"I know just how fortunate I am to be here at all, my dear. If I hadn't sorted myself out and turned my life around, then I wouldn't even know that these two existed. Cooper hasn't informed his father that they were born, and frankly I do not blame him for that. Looking back, the happiest times in my life before now were when my two sons were small boys; Cooper was such a joy to look after, and so was Blaine for that matter. Then somewhere along the line I went wrong, and forgot what was really important. I am the first one to admit that our housekeeper at the time was more of a mother to Blaine than I could ever be. If she hadn't been around, he would have had no-one to support and care for him. In a way, this is my second chance at being a mom. I want to see my grandchildren grow up as well rounded individuals, surrounded by warmth and love; I want to be a part of that. Nothing else matters as much as that task to me."

Grace nodded, and couldn't help but agree. Creating that world of warmth, love and support was going to be the key in ensuring her children turned out to be good, valued people…


	113. First Night of a Swan

**First Night of a Swan.**

Sam's actual first night would come and go, bringing the entire Evans family to the city of New York again. The biggest shock to most of them was how much Stevie and Stacey had grown since their last trip. They were both now high school seniors, with good prospects for college the following year. Neither of them were considering coming to school in the city, both opting for a college nearer home. A chat with his parents whilst they were not around lead Sam to the reason for that; they both knew that their college funds were small, and they did not want to run up the big debts that had crippled their family back in those dark days in Lima. Sam resolved there and then that he needed to have a chat with Rachel, to see if she would be willing to have one or both of them come and live with them in the city if that was where the school best suited to them was; staying rent free of course. After all, they were comfortably off, and having his siblings around would not do either of them any harm. The whole of the Evans family enjoyed the show, delighted to see him in such a prestigious role, getting a standing ovation at the end.

That night he had a chat with his siblings, ensuring that they knew that whatever else was going on in his life, he would always be their big brother, and their needs would always be of the highest importance to him. If they had a problem, or just needed someone, all they had to do was call him, and he would answer as soon as he could. The visit ended the next day, as they had to get home for school and work, but they would all be back in town for the day that Sam married Rachel. Whereas this trip had been low key, they all knew that when that ceremony came, the last thing it would be was unobtrusive and quiet…

In no time at all after that, it was time for yet another opening night, but on this occasion they were not making their way to the glittering lights of Broadway, but the Lincoln Center. The upcoming performance of _Swan Lake_ by the City Ballet had been the main topic of conversation for weeks, and not just within their own little circle. As might have been expected, Isabelle's first major interview for _Vogue_ since she had given birth to Sienna was with Mike; he actually made his way over to Maplewood to do it, glad of the excuse to get away from his punishing rehearsal schedule for a short while. He did most of it with young Sienna cradled in his arms, as she refused to lie in her crib quietly, and Isabelle needed her hands free.

As she listened to his answers to the questions that had been approved by Ms Wintour, she could see that he would be a great dad himself one day, once he and Tina were married - and that was when it hit her. She recalled suddenly that Sebastian had once told her that Mike refused to propose until he was successful in his career, and the role of lead dancer in the most hotly anticipated ballet to come to the city in years was surely a sign of that. She did not ask him about it though, just pondered it as the official photographer took some shots of Mike, Sienna now sound asleep in her arms. She also knew that when he did propose, it would be the last such move amongst all those young couples, with the exceptions of Beats and Elliott, who had publicly stated that they had no intention of ever marrying. From what she had heard though, Elliott's little brother had very different ideas on the subject himself…

When his big moment finally came, Mike was more than ready for it. His parents had arrived in town the night before, bringing with them all four of his grandparents. Aunts and Uncles were also down to attend over the course of the next few weeks, but only those six would be there from his own family on his opening night. Tina's folks had also decided to delay their visit until later in the week, the general opinion being that in so doing, they were giving Mike a better spread of support rather than them all arriving on the same night. Isabelle would be there, sitting alongside her boss; Ms Wintour was a big supporter of the ballet, and had reserved seating for them in the best area of the house. Julian would not be with her, as he had to stay at home to look after the children.

As the City Ballet did its opening nights on a Monday, those that would otherwise have been performing on a stage downtown were all coming, along with their partners. Michelle had taken the evening off from the diner, and would be accompanied by her husband, Dr Harwood having managed to get the evening off from the hospital. Artie would be at the front with Kitty at his side, both of them not knowing quite what to expect in this their first visit to a ballet. Puck would also be in attendance alongside Quinn; his coming had surprised many people, not able to picture him at a ballet, but as he said, he was coming to support one of his oldest friends, and that was the point. That was also why Matt Rutherford had flown in to town with his wife, and he would find himself sitting alongside the airman when they arrived at the show.

Also absent that night were Grace and Cooper; as well as looking after their new twins, they had agreed to babysit little Wes; Nick and Jeff had agreed to look after the twins on another evening that week to let them attend. This arrangement had been made by Grace, who knew it would be important for Mike's old roommates to be there on his opening. At the very last minute, Trent and Rory also announced they would be in attendance, taking a final moment to themselves before the tsunami of election politics overtook them all. The level of insults in the campaign had by now reached new heights, with the greatest barbs coming from the Republican camp and all those associated with it. The dignity with which the Kennedy/Obama campaign was handling them was being noted, but their lack of response was only pushing those supporting Trump/Barr harder. The tweets that were now coming from their side were now so wild that the initial laughter at their ridiculous claims across the country had failed, as the evidence had grown that the whole world was now laughing at their nation…

All of that politics was forgotten by the group of friends that gathered at the Spotlight for an early dinner before going. All of them were smartly dressed, prepared for the much higher dress code at the Lincoln Center. For a change, Puck was not in uniform, instead dressed in a well cut suit, Quinn looking a million dollars at his side in a little black dress. They all recognised it at once as one from the KEH Collection, and worn with a nice necklace and a woollen coat, it was a timeless classic. Jeff had tied his hair back and used pomade to control it just a little more than normal, and had even agreed to wear his wedding shoes; he and Nick had dressed in newer suits though, both realising that the ones they had worn on their wedding day were almost a century old.

As they all assembled, little snippets of news emerged; the first was that the big loft in Bushwick had been sold by its owners, with the full backing of Kurt and Blaine. The market in the area was resurgent at the moment, with the reopening of a much modernised 'L' Train. They had received an offer at more than the asking price from the doctor that had occupied it temporarily whilst the train had been off; he now had a permanent contract at the Brooklyn Hospital, and was desperate to return to the house that he and his family had loved. With the sale done, they had been quick to move on and get new homes of their own. Santana had bowed to her wife's wishes and had agreed to move to the suburbs, finding a nice house a few blocks from Sebastian in Maplewood. Lord Tubbington had made the final decision naturally, and now Brittany was considering just how many cats they could have in their new place.

As for Rachel and Sam, they had chanced on a brownstone in one of the best streets in Bedford Stuyvesent, with a small garden and most of its original features intact. It was more or less a Brooklyn version of Niff's place in the West Village. Rachel had wanted a place in Park Slope initially, but Sam had convinced her that the area was pricey, and after seeing what they could get there for their budget, she had to agree that the place they had now found was far superior. It was only a few blocks from the 'A' Train, so was accessible, another bonus. True, they did not really need 6 bedrooms at the moment, but it would allow them to grew a family and still have guest accommodation for years to come.

Rachel had hoped to be the big news that evening, but then came an announcement that blew her out of the water. Puck stood up, and once he had everyone's attention, he told them that he had been given a promotion, but that it meant a move to a base in Massachusetts. It was a shock, but he and his wife had talked about it and agreed it was too good a chance to miss… He had stopped as he realised everyone was staring at him open-mouthed, and Quinn was just shaking her head…

After people had come out of the moment of shock, Quinn had spoken. "This move will be expensive in terms of finding a new home, unless I wanted to live in a badly designed base house. We decided that we needed to use our money wisely, and to that end, we decided that a big wedding was just a waste of cash, and it would be better to do it on a small scale, quietly. To avoid anyone being disappointed by the small guest list, we decided we should just do it alone, and to that end, we were married at the City Hall here in town this morning. We do intend though to have a reception of sorts nearer to Christmas, and naturally, all of you will be invited to attend and celebrate with us."

"Well, what can we say to that?" said Sam. "In my opinion, only a toast to the new Mr and Mrs Puckerman will suffice…"

Mike and Tina would remain blissfully unaware of Puck and Quinn's new status; they had not been able to join the others and instead were sharing a light dinner in Mike's dressing room. It had been a hectic day for them both, but it had been Tina that had been under most pressure in a way. With Mike in rehearsal from lunch time, it had fallen to her to keep his family entertained after an early brunch together. As neither set of grandparents had ever spent any real time in New York before, she decided that she would take them all to the Met, where she could spend time showing them the best of the collections gathered from around the world. It had gone well, but only because Mike's mom had taken her to one side just as she was about to direct them to the Chinese collections; she explained that her father-in-law took issue with Chinese artefacts being collected outwith their homeland, and so she did a U-turn, showing them instead the saved Egyptian temple and the collections of furniture, china and glass. They ended up in the small art gallery, and their feet lead them to _The Judging Angel_ ; she took great pride in explaining who had drawn it, and who the angel in the picture was.

"One of Michael's former roommates drew this, and it is now on display in the most prestigious art gallery in New York?" Mike's maternal grandmother asked in awe.

"Yes, and Jeff will be coming to the show tonight. He is one of our closest and dearest friends, and just such a talent. He also does a lot of book and fashion illustration, including for _Vogue_. As for Nick, Mike's other old roommate, he is now working at the United Nations," replied Tina.

"They are married, are they not?" asked Mike's paternal grandfather.

"Yes, and they are now happily raising their son together," responded Tina, praying that news would not create an issue.

"It is good that two young people can now be together and love whoever they wish; the world has changed in so many ways, often for the worse, since I was young, but this change is not a bad one. I wish that my older brother could have had such tolerance shown to him in his lifetime," the old man replied sadly. He said no more, and the subject was quietly dropped, but it left Tina more interested in the history of the Chang family.

After the museum, they had headed directly to the Lincoln Center; having settled the older people in the restaurant, she had, with their best wishes, gone to eat her own dinner with Mike. She was a bundle of nerves for him, but he seemed calm and serene. She could not help but wonder if that was an all an act; whether like a swan itself, the exterior tranquillity was masking frantic workings below the surface. She stayed with him as the make up team arrived to get him ready, and changed Mike's face and torso with powders into a work of art. Then he donned the short length feathered trousers, before they got to work on his lower legs and feet. This ballet was being performed barefoot, as had always been the case. For Mike, that had been quite unusual at first, but now the soles of his feet had hardened slightly, and it just felt right and natural.

Then it was time for Tina to go; she did not kiss him goodbye as she wished him luck, not wanting to spoil his make up, or even hug him, in case she removed the powder on his torso. Once she had left, Mike found himself alone in the room. He began to meditate, using a technique that he had been show all those years ago in an Asian summer camp by Wes, when his dancing had just been a guilty pleasure. He knew the part so well; all of his musical cues, his entrances and exits; more importantly, he had the backing of the creator, Mr Bourne. He was more than ready for the call to places when it came. He got up, and before he left, dug into his coat pocket and removed his good luck charm; he then placed it inside the zipped pocket that was stitched inside his trousers. He checked it was secure several times, as he did not want to lose it now of all days…

By the time that Tina guided the six members of the Chang family into the auditorium, many of the others had already arrived. Isabelle waved to her on seeing her, then after explaining to her boss who she was, Tina found herself exchanging waves with Anna Wintour. Mike's mom knew who she was, and could not stifle a little gasp of delight. "Isabelle is married to Sebastian's brother, and so we are quite friendly," Tina said in explanation. They stopped briefly to say hello to the Schuesters, who had accepted the invitation after much deliberation; the fact that two of Mike's former teachers had made the trip was greatly appreciated by Mr Chang. He and his wife stopped to talk, and so Tina guided the grandparents on to their seats, which were in the row behind the one she and Mike's parents would be sitting on.

They were easy enough to spot, as Nick and Jeff were already in place. She introduced them to Mike's grandparents, who all wanted to talk to them. Jeff found himself signing the back of two postcards showing his famed drawing, doing so with a smile as his husband explained what his job at the U.N. entailed. Mr and Mrs Chang then arrived, greeting Nick and Jeff warmly too. Mrs Chang enquired about little Wes, and that lead to photo being brought up on phones, as she explained to her family the reasons behind the young men's choice of surrogate in Michelle. Then as the theatre began to fill rapidly, they all settled in their seats to await the start of the performance. Jeff was in the seat next to Tina, and not able to resist, he whispered Puck and Quinn's news to her. She spun round to look at them on hearing, smiling broadly. In their seats, that look told the newlyweds that they would be getting grilled by her after the show…

For most of Mike's friends sat in the Lincoln Center that night, it was their first time at the ballet. Tina had naturally attended each one in which her boyfriend had appeared; Nick and Jeff had attended his first. Rachel had been taken to the ballet by her dads several times when she was younger, but she could not recall that much of the experience if she was being honest. They at least had the benefit of knowing what to expect, although this performance had the added twist of a virtually all male cast, which was evident from the start when the first swans made their appearance. They were good, but it was the moment that Mike first burst onto the stage that would stick in their minds afterwards; he almost appeared to glide on, moving with a regal elegance amongst the other, lesser swans, his head held high and his movements carefully judged. Not one step seemed out of place as Tchaikovsky's music played. Each scene that came was more enchanting than the last. Mike principally interacted with the dancer playing the young Prince, and his moves were every bit as exquisite and fluid as the swan's. The love and affection that existed between the two characters was clear, and when the interval came, all of them would freely admit that they had been spellbound.

At the interval, Tina found herself the centre of everyone's attention, as she tried her best to answer all the questions that were being thrown at her. A lot of them seemed to be about the dancer portraying the Prince. "He is good; he was born in Switzerland but trained in Paris. He is of course not quite as good as Mike, but he is very close. The two of them are being tipped to rule the roost here for a while, although he does have the advantage of being a couple of years younger than Mike. We have had dinner with him a few times, and he is a good laugh; thankfully he also has a girlfriend, or I would be getting jealous…" At that, Nick turned to look at Santana pointedly, and shook his head. For her part, the latina decided that the comment she had been about to make about how if he hadn't, Tina would not have minded that much was uncalled for, at least right now…

The second part of the show was if anything even better, and left all of them stunned at just how high the bar had been set on this performance. The music told the story, and they could all feel the tension as it mounted up as the disapproval of the relationship between the swan and the Prince grew amongst the other swans. Then came that final climatic scene, in which Mike's swan was attacked by his fellows in an unfairly balanced fight to the death. The drama was so real that Quinn actually had to restrain Puck to prevent him from going down to the stage to assist his friend at first; and then, when it became clear his character was doomed to die, had to hand him tissues to dry his eyes. Along the row, Santana was in a similar situation with Brittany, and was quite moist eyed herself; she would later admit that what she was watching reminded her of what had probably happened down an alley the day before a wedding, two people in love hopelessly outnumbered and therefore doomed.

They watched on as with Mike's swan dead, the young prince, guilt ridden for not being able to save the life of his love, died on his bed from a broken heart, to be found there by his grieving mother, the sole woman in the cast. As Puck tears turned into full blown sobs, Quinn, who knew the story, told him to look up at the 'mirror' above the bed, hoping that the trick she had seen used by the show in a Youtube clip would still be in force. She was gratified to see that she was correct, as the mirror changed to a screen, showing Mike with the Prince clutched in his arms, the two of them reunited in death. Then it was over, and the applause began; the first person to start clapping was Mr Chang, and he was also the first on his feet. He was not alone long as the dancers came back to take their bows, and as Mike returned, the applause and cheering rose to a thunderous level…

When it died down, Mike stepped forward, and spoke. "Ladies and Gentlemen, my thanks on behalf of myself and the cast for your gracious reception. It is nice to know that what you feel is good meets with the approval of the most important people; the audience. I am reliably informed that the critics also liked what we did, for which I am grateful too; it means that I have arrived as a performer. I could not have managed that without the support of my colleagues, my friends, my family, and one very special person - my girlfriend. Tina, I would like you to come up here for a moment…"

Tina tried to decline, but she found herself manhandled by a grinning Nick and Jeff into the aisle, from which she walked to the stage herself, but only after they had threatened to carry her bodily between them if she didn't go. She blushed as there was applause as she walked towards him on the stage, but that was only the start…. "I met this young lady in high school, and we have been dating more or less since my junior year. She means the world to me, and I can truthfully say that I might not be here now had it not been for her support. Now the thing is, I did make her a promise a few years ago; I told her that I would marry her when I was a success. Well, it seems that might be what I am now, so…" Mike sank down onto one knee as the audience gasped or cheered at what they knew was about to happen. "…Tina Cohen-Chang, will you make my happiness tonight complete, and agree to be my wife?"

Privately, many of their friends would later comment that the chances of Tina saying no to Mike's proposal were equal to those of President Trump giving up his Twitter account; Fox News not backing the NRA; or Rachel saying that Barbra Streisand was an awful, talentless nobody. They did however all note that she had developed a degree of restraint, and rather than screaming yes and then attempting to drag him off to City Hall there and then, she just nodded and smiled. Her eyes might have widened just a bit as Mike slipped his hand into the top of his trousers - most people's did to be honest - but then he produced the ring he had called his good luck charm for a while, and carefully slipped it on her finger. Then he literally swept her off her feet, pulling her into his arms and kissing her, leaving the audience cheering and the rest of the cast clapping. Mike's mother was in tears by this point, as was his dad, although he would later deny that, and nobody would ever contradict him.

With Tina still held in his arms, Mike then made his way off stage, leaving Jeff to gather up her coat and purse. "He kept his promise; he always said that he would only marry her when he was a success, and this is his first step there," Nick whispered to his husband. "I think that it is time, given that pretty much all of the rest of us are either married or engaged." Jeff nodded as his phone buzzed; it was a message from Mike, asking him to gather up Tina's things, then join him, his family and his new fiancée in the bar for a celebration drink; the message would act as their invite. "As long as it is only one drink, I don't think Grace and Cooper will object," said Nick as Jeff showed him the message, "but I will call just in case. If need be, you can go on your own and I will collect our boy…"

As it happened, when Nick explained why he and Jeff had been invited for drinks, Cooper consulted his wife, and they both suggested that they could just keep little Wes for the night, as he was asleep at the moment and it would be a shame to wake him. After a quick word with his husband, Nick agreed, but only on the proviso that Jeff would come with him as he headed to work the next day and pick him up first thing. It did feel strange to both of them that their son would not be spending the night at home with them, but he was going to be with family, so it wasn't too bad…

Their discussion had delayed their arrival at the bar, and as a result they were pretty much the last to arrive and collect their drinks. Puck and Quinn had been cornered by Matt and his wife; they had not been at the Spotlight earlier, and so had been surprised when they found out that the two of them had got married that morning. It transpired in the course of conversation that Matt's wife had studied the same subjects as Quinn at college, and was also now a teacher; as Matt and Puck discussed football, they talked about the ideas that they had been taught at school, and how applicable they actually were in their day to day work. Artie and Kitty had drawn the short straw, and were sat with Rachel and Sam, feigning interest as the former told them all about the things she was going to have at her winter wedding in December; many of those things were news to her future husband. She had just begun to talk about the Bronte musical when the door opened and Mike walked in with Tina, a big smile on his face. There was no need for anyone to clap as he already knew what they all thought…

After handshakes and hugs from his family and the Schuesters, he headed over to Puck and Quinn, shaking his head. "So my fiancée tells me that you two got married today. Whilst I am disappointed not to have been there, or even been asked to be best man, because boy, what a speech I could have written there, I am so very happy for the two of you."

"Well, we haven't had an official reception yet, so maybe when we do, you and the guys can all get together and write a joint speech as my best men," quipped Puck.

Mike smiled, and with a grin replied, "Consider that done…"

It was fairly late for a weeknight when Mike and Tina finally got home to the West Village that night. Nick, Jeff, Artie and Kitty had been the first to leave the party, sharing a cab, all of them having work in the morning, followed closely by Sebastian and Dave, who had a train to catch back to Maplewood. In the end, the newly engaged couple had found themselves waving the Bushwick bound contingent off, followed by the Schuesters and Puckermans, who were booked into neighbouring hotels. With their family also gone, they had debated taking the subway home, but in the end they had chosen to take a cab.

Back home, Tina went to make them both hot chocolate, leaving Mike on his own. He picked up his tablet, and logged in, then with a deep breath, went to check the online reviews for his show. That was what he was still reading when Tina returned, and to her horror he was crying. She placed the two mugs down and braced herself for the worst. At his side with an arm around him, she worried as he still said nothing, just pointed at a line in the _New York Times_ review. _'Michael Chang is the best dancer of his generation; in my opinion, he is the Nureyev of the 21_ _st_ _century.'_

"They say that I am like Nureyev," Mike said quietly in an emotion filled voice. "He was the best of the best…"

"Until you came along, my love. Now the best of the best is you," said Tina, her heart filled with pride for the humble man that she sat beside.


	114. The one with The Wizard of Oz

**The one with The Wizard of Oz.**

The run up to Christmas was normally a period of quiet reflection, except for those with young children - little Wes had now grasped the concept that Christmas meant gifts, and he had even pointed out a few choice items to his fathers in Macy's one Sunday afternoon, when they had been there in search of something else. It was not the most expensive items that he pointed out though, as some children are wont to do; he was not a spoilt child, and they both knew that his favourite toy was the little white bear that his Aunt Grace had given him on the day he came into the world. His choices were noted, and most were indeed purchased by Nick on his way home from work over the next couple of days.

That was about all that anyone was doing though to prepare for the holidays, as most of the nation put its plans on hold as the country went into virtual meltdown with the arrival of the Presidential election. The level of vitriol that was coming from the current incumbent's camp had reached toxic amounts. Nick had now taken to leaving earlier and watching the morning news bulletin at work rather that over his breakfast at home, after several expletives were uttered by a Republican spokesman live on _Good Morning America_ , and little Wes had promptly repeated them. The Democrats were not responding in kind as they could just sit back and let their opposition pull themselves apart; they were also paying no attention to the polling numbers, not after the fiasco of 2016, when everything had looked so rosy.

The swing states had been given the usual high level of attention by both parties, the experts had said their piece, and some celebrity endorsements had been made, but far less than in 2016 by the Democrat side. They had instead invited local people to come and speak at their grassroots meetings. At the big events, they invited people that Kennedy had helped as a congressman, the kind of ordinary Americans that the party intended to be there for. They had also galvanised the youth vote, with those affected by such high profile events as the Parkland shooting touring the nation, holding rallies, and doing their level best to ensure that young people went out and actually cast a ballot on polling day.

Then in November, with just days to go, a scandal erupted. A document emerged that had been sent to a voter registration office in a largely Republican area of Ohio, in which instructions were given from a federal source on how to block young people from getting onto the voter register, and how to remove those already on it. The fact that it had been sent on the instruction of a senior member of the President's White House team horrified people, and it was worse as it became clear it had been sent to every state in the land.

Just hours later, a document came to light in one of the swing states, which gave a list of places from which ballots had to be collected on election day, and on close inspection, it was apparent that several polling places in predominantly Democratic areas had been omitted from the list. It had been drawn up to replace the previous instructions by the staff of the pro-Republican office of the deputy governor. With rumours of such flagrant attempts to rig the vote by disenfranchising people, the protests against the incumbent began to grow louder and more voracious, even amongst his own party members. His flippant response in which he suggested that the Russians had been behind it saw him ridiculed across the media, and even the puppets on Fox News looked sick with embarrassment.

Then, the day before the actual poll, one of those puppets broke their strings. In a special report, one of which the co-anchor had clearly not been informed by their expression, a video of the President after one of the channels recent sycophantic interviews was played. Across the nation, jaws dropped as they saw and heard him say that he would win as the rednecks were stupid enough to believe that he actually gave a damn about them; the religious evangelical right were crazy enough to believe he would actually do their bidding; and the NRA were so obsessed with their guns that they would vote for Putin or Kim Jong-Un as President as long as they were able to stay armed. It was a delightful bit of off the record supporter bashing, and it came as no shock the next morning when the final poll of polls indicated that the President would be moving out of the White House in the next few weeks…

Even so, nobody was taking anything for granted this time. The pollsters were suspected of all kind of nefarious tricks by both sides, and no-one was going to celebrate until the result was made official. Nick and Jeff voted early in the day, with half of their friends from the street right behind them in the line; a line which was full of young people, that had been galvanised to go to the polls to change the old order once and for all. In Ohio, Trent and Rory saw the same thing as they helped to get Burt's supporters out, and it was the case in every state of the Union. Seasoned news reporters gave excited reports about high schools across the nation where large numbers of Seniors were absent, of colleges that were empty of their students, classes abandoned as they went out to ensure that they took advantage of their democratic rights. It was clear to everyone that the nation's youth was no longer going to just sit by and do what they were told; they wanted change, and they were voting for it. Fox News initially condemned them for missing class, but as the size of the youth quake became obvious, they stopped. No-one wanted to risk angering the kids anymore.

The young people only started to vanish as the polls began to close; they now waited in the hope that their votes would be enough to give them a country with a brighter future; a nation that could begin the job of repairing the damage of the last four years…

On a similar night in 2016, Nick and Jeff had headed to bed in the belief that they would wake up with the first female President in the history of the country in office. Now, even with all of the signs being so hopeful, they made their way to bed early with no conviction that there would be a change at all in the morning. Indeed, the wildest of rumours abounded, including those that the President would declare the election void if he lost, stating that he believed there had been an intervention in the results by an enemy state; that would rule out Russia and North Korea. Others stated that the army had been put on standby so that martial law could be declared as he attempted to hang on to power, and that his first act in office would be to axe the two term only rule…

The two young men had considered staying up to watch the results come in, but Nick still had work in the morning, and Jeff had both a diner shift and a toddler to look after, so they had made the decision to wait and see what the morning would bring. Indeed, as Mike headed home from his show that night, refusing to listen to any sort of politics as he did so, he walked along a street where every window was dark, apart from the glow of the nightlight in little Wes' room; Tina was asleep when he reached his own home, and he climbed more or less straight into bed beside her…

Just after 4am, Nick was woken from his sleep by the sound of his cellphone buzzing away on the bedside table like a demented bee; he attempted to ignore it at first, but whoever it was just kept on ringing back. In the end he grabbed it, groaning at the time when he saw it, and hoping for the sake of the person on the other end of the call that it was a dire emergency. He answered and made a noise which resembled hello…

"Ding, dong, the witch is dead! Which witch? The wicked witch!" came a voice singing on the other end of the line in response.

Nick's brows knit together as the same line of the song was sung over and over again by… "Trent! Are you drunk!? It is 4am, and you are singing songs from the _Wizard of Oz_ to me!"

"I am not drunk, Nicholas, just a little tispy," replied Trent in scandalised tones. "I had to call, because the wicked witch is dead! The dog days are over! He can't win, he has lost… WE WON NICK! WE WON!"

Nick flinched as his friend shouted, then shook his head. He was about to rebuke him for calling again when his tired brain suddenly computed the words… "We won! Please tell me that is true…"

"President Kennedy is on his way to the White House. It is a massive victory; a virtual landslide. Only some of the bible states have stayed Republican Nick. We have a new President, and a female Vice-President. I keep having to pinch myself in case it is all a dream, but I don't wake up. Anyway, if it is all a dream, it is one I want to stay in."

"Who on earth are you talking to, Nicky?" came a sleepy, grumpy voice from beside Nick in the bed.

"Trent my love. He is very drunk - yes, you are Trent - and he is excited about our new President."

"That is nice, but couldn't he… New President! He's gone!" squealed Jeff, before he leapt up and starting jumping about on the bed.

On the other end of the line, Nick could hear Trent laughing as he pictured the scene, and to be honest, he felt like laughing too. "So, Trent, who else have you phoned so far with the good news?"

"Just you so far, but I was thinking I should call Thaddie next as he will be so happy. I did consider Sebastian, but I don't think he would be very polite…"

"That is true, but Thad will be pleased. I will let you go and call him right now…" Nick stopped talking as the call ended abruptly. Suddenly Jeff was on top of him, raining kisses all over his face. He laughed then, and when Jeff stopped for a moment, he said, "Trent hung up on me. He is so, so drunk, but that is understandable in the circumstances. Anyway, he was about to call Thad and share the good news with him…" Jeff giggled as he pictured the Head Warbler's reaction to a call at this time, but then he realised that once he got over the initial reaction, he would be overjoyed that the nightmare was finally over…

In the end, Nick and Jeff decided not to try and go back to sleep; instead, after checking in on Wes, they went downstairs and made themselves a celebratory breakfast of bacon, French toast, fried potatoes and sausage. Nick switched on BBC America first, and smiled at the beaming faces of the London based news anchors as they talked about the results. Just after 5am they switched over to ABC, resisting the temptation to tune into the sad faces on Fox News. If the presenters on the special early edition of the usual show said "Good Morning America!" with a very cheerful tone, almost reminiscent of the late Robin Williams in _Good Morning Vietnam_ , no-one cared. A dark cloud had gone, and soon the light would be shining through again.

They were both listening in awe to the size of the vote swing in some states when they heard a frenzied knocking at the back door; a glance showed them Seth and Skylar, in their night clothes, bouncing up and down as if they had just consumed all the sugar in the world. As Jeff went to let them in, Nick heard a knocking on the front door upstairs; he ran up, and the moment he opened the door, he had an Ethan wrapped around him. "This is real… Please tell me it is real," Ethan whispered in Nick's ear.

"It is real, and Trent is very, very drunk," replied Nick, and he laughed as Ethan nodded in agreement.

"He is, and I intend to get the same way myself tonight; after all, I have work, although I think personally that today should be declared a national holiday."

"It will be Thanksgiving soon enough," replied Nick, "and this year, most of the country will have one thing that they can agree on being really thankful for…"

It would turn out to be the strangest of days for all of those in New York. The majority of the populace were acting as if they had just won the lottery, and nothing was going to get them down. When Nick arrived at the subway on his way to work that morning to discover that the northbound trains to Times Square were not running due to a signal fault, he did not curse as usual under his breath; he just thought 'Oh well…' and headed for the 'L' Train to Union Square, where he managed to squeeze himself into an overcrowded '4' Train. As the train headed north, and Nick tried to hold on in the tight mass of humanity, he found himself humming _Zippity Doo Dah_ and worse, everyone around him seemed to be joining in. Then, as he strolled along from Grand Central to the UN Building, he realised that the usual blaring of horns on the crowded thoroughfares was absent; drivers were showing so much courtesy to each other that the traffic was actually worse than ever…

Inside the UN itself, ever an impartial place, no-one mentioned the result itself, but Nick did notice that as the person that President Trump had appointed to represent the country in the UN walked past him and down the corridor that morning, it was to the sound of blown raspberries and the occasional "Ha! Ha!" He pretended not to notice that there was a poster up asking for donations to their leaving gift, and suggestions as to what it should be; he also pretended not to laugh at the fact that bolt cutters and orange jumpsuit were at the top of the list. In any case, nothing would change here until after the inauguration of the new President in January - and right now, the delay between the vote and the taking up of office did seem stupid. On his own floor, there was a display of cake and candy just as you entered the department, with a notice telling people to help themselves. Everyone seemed to be smiling too…

Similar scenes were taking place in Flint and Ethan's offices; Beats was startled to discover that there was an ice bucket with bottles of champagne in it next to the water cooler at the MTA. At the Spotlight, never the home of politics, Michelle ran the special on cheesecake she had intended, and served everyone with her usual smile, whether they had backed the winner or the loser in the race. Many of the latter she suspected were secretly glad that they had lost and that he would be going, as it would allow them to rebuild their party…

By lunchtime though, the euphoria had begun to die down; after all, he was still technically the President for another ten weeks or so, and a lot of damage could be done in that time. Many suspected that he would start to issue decree after decree, repealing years of hard fought for legislation from before his own period of office, making sure that there would be time wasted re-enacting it in the first months of the new presidency. To that end, the Democrats in both Congress and the Senate made proposals that allowed a veto to be placed on all such decrees from the White House for the next two months. To the relief of everyone, the majority of the Republicans in both houses agreed, including many that had lost their seats in the other votes held on the previous day.

The President, when he was informed that such legislation had been passed, sent out a string of nasty tweets, promising all sorts of retribution to those that had dared to take his rightful powers away. He threatened them with the nation's courts, but even there he found that he had been stymied at the first hurdle. The unanimous verdict of the judges in the Supreme Court was in favour of the political wishes of the lawmakers elected to the Capitol, and against the whims of one man. Having made that pronouncement, the nation then watched as Congress announced that they had instigated the first motions of an investigation into the affairs of the President at the White House since he took office in January 2017. The motion called for the seizure of all documents, electronic and physical, and placed a prohibition on the destruction of any item. The two Congressional representatives that stood side by side on the podium to make that motion where from opposite sides of the political divide, but did both represent seats in Ohio…

Rory had been the one to pass the finished document to Burt and Sue; he and Trent had drawn it up together prior to the election, but his husband was not in the office that day; his tolerance to alcohol was much lower. As the moment came, Trent was just waking up at home, his head pounding. He groaned as he saw the time, and then the note from Rory, telling him to get some rest, next to the box of Advil and the flask of coffee…

Those two immediate needs dealt with, Trent checked his phone, blushing at the message from Thad that he forgave him for calling him at 4am given the circumstances, but that he would not be responsible for his actions if he ever heard Trent singing that song from _The Wizard of Oz_ ever again…

It was as Trent was eating his way through a pack of cookies that he heard the mail box go, and he got up slowly to head and see what the mailman had delivered for them. To his surprise though, it was not actual post in the box; instead it was a handwritten note in a blank envelope, which stated _Storage Units K28 to K33, 605 S Ball Street, Arlington, Virginia will catch fire tonight. Your congressman needs to know and see it is stopped. A friend._

Trent looked at those words in confusion for a few moments, and then his befogged brain computed, and it hit him. The documents from the White House had to be stored off site somewhere, and the public state facilities were the repository they were supposed to be in; but what if they were not the actual papers? What if the stuff placed in there on a more or less daily basis was something else? Did anyone actually check what was being put in the archives, other than the White House itself? If not, then it could all just be reams of blank paper…

His headache was suddenly gone, and he grabbed his phone to call Rory. This information had to be got to the FBI, the CIA and the new President Elect. They had to stop a fire breaking out in Virginia, and they had to check what was in both the official repository and those storage units. Time was of the essence; any delay could potentially mean that the cause of justice might not be served…

It would later become known as one of the greatest scandals in the world's political history; how a President of the United States tried to destroy all of the physical documentation of his entire four year term. Which staffer in the White House had decided that they could not sit by in all good conscience and allow it to happen would never be known, but they were one of the unknown heroes of justice. They would remain unknown thanks to Burt; when he and Rory arrived at Trent's home having received his call, the congressman's first action was to take the note and hand it to Rory, and instruct him to type up a copy on the PC, which he then printed off.

"If we give this note to the authorities, they will be able to use it to identify the whistle blower. If there is a lot of damaging stuff in those lockers, then they will become a target for every nut job that thinks Trump was the best President ever. They will also be targeted by the new administration, and I don't think any of us here would wish that to happen to them. This person has been forced to do the bidding of that man, and that they should lose their job for telling the truth would be unfair. It is better for them if we help them remain anonymous," said Burt, and although it seemed a little wrong, the two younger men took his point.

They finished just in time; moments later the representatives of both the CIA and the FBI arrived, and after reading the note, they despatched units post haste to the address in Virginia, there to stake out the storage facility. The next few hours were ones of tense waiting to see if the actual attempt would go ahead, but eventually the phone call came to Burt that they had all been awaiting; a group of four people, carrying all the necessary equipment for a spot of fire raising, had been apprehended at the facility. They had the keys to the lockers, and when they were opened, they were found to contain all of the papers that should have been placed in the state repository, each unit containing the documents for a separate year of the presidency. As Trent had also surmised, when the papers in the actual repository were checked, after a lot of protests from those in charge of the facility over breach of confidentiality, the files there were found to consist of a covering front page, and then page after page of blank copier paper. At a stroke, the mystery of the Trump administrations sky high stationery bills had also been resolved…

The three people who had alerted the authorities were sworn to the strictest of secrecy at first; Burt was not even allowed to tell Carole what was going on until such time as the incoming President and his team had been informed fully of developments, and the miscreants had been caught. The President Elect was horrified, and decided that it would be best to check what all parts of the offices of government had done with their documentation under the Trump administration. The office of every Trump appointee was thus searched…

That was how Nick became aware of the growing scandal first; he was just about to leave the office that Friday night, having stayed a little later than usual, when he found himself stopped by Miss Worthington. "Well, we have a final act in the freak show that has been the Trump administration, Nick. The Secretary General has just given special permission for the FBI to enter the building and seize all the paperwork from the offices of the US Legation here, from the start of his presidency onwards. They are downstairs right now, and the ambassador is not best pleased; screaming about diplomatic immunity, violation of international laws, and being illegally on foreign soil to them. From what I have just been told by a source, the first three files they have opened contain nothing but blank paper, and they are know seeking an arrest warrant for the ambassador and their staff."

"Blank paper!" exclaimed Nick. "They obviously did not want a record left of all of their wrongdoing. I just hope that they manage to find the originals…"

"I am sure that they will," Miss Worthington began, and then stopped as her phone buzzed with a message. She shook her head sadly, then said, "Well, well, it gets more interesting by the minute. Rumours of an attempt to burn down several storage units full of White House papers in Virginia… Seems that there was a tip off to a Democrat congressman's assistant, who just happened to be off work as luck would have it, due to a severe hangover." Nick nodded, and suddenly he wondered if that could have been Trent…

It was Sunday that saw the big reveal to the public take place, in an exclusive shared by the _Washington Post_ and _New York Times_. Even in the era of digital news, both journals had increased their print run to offer a special, no supplements edition, which along with the normal editions sold out rapidly across the country, leaving them with no hesitation in ordering a bigger run of the Monday editions, in which further revelations would be forthcoming. Across the nation, people pored over their Sunday newspapers in a way that had not been witnessed for more than a decade. The plot to burn down the lockers at Arlington had only been the start, with other smaller storage places set to have been destroyed over the coming weeks, in an attempt to erase all of the evidence…

The papers from Arlington were now being studied by the staff of the CIA and FBI, all only too happy to give up their weekend to nail the administration that had bad mouthed them so constantly, and which as a consequence most of them hated with a passion. An order had already been issued which banned all of the key players from leaving the country, and in some cases, even Washington DC. Some felt that order had only been issued by someone that was fed up of the President heading out of town every weekend to play golf in Florida, not that he could have this weekend anyway; his resort was being searched, and some papers had already been found…

Nick was intrigued as he read the papers to find confirmation of what Miss Worthington had said about the congressman's assistant, but still no name attached. Telling Jeff that he needed to go out and purchase more cinnamon, as he had an urge to make buns, one of his husbands favourite's, Nick found himself a quiet corner on his way to the store, and called his friend. When he answered, Nick said "Thank goodness you were hung over…"

There was a silence, then Trent replied, "You can't tell anyone, not even Jeff! But yes, it was lucky. If I hadn't been at home, then by the time we returned from the office to find the note, all of the evidence would have been destroyed. As it is, people here are only saying one word…"

"Watergate," whispered Nick.

"Exactly, but this is much, much worse. From what I can gather, the aftershocks from this will last years…"

The remainder of November saw the media dominated by news of fresh scandals from the papers that the administration had tried to hide and had failed in so doing. There was no great attempt made to seek out the source of the tip off in the White House that had saved the day, but the contents of the waste paper baskets had been checked, and shredded papers were carefully put back together. The hard drives of all of the computers in the building were checked by the best tech experts from around the nation to see if any encrypted data was lurking - Nick and David pretended not to see each other one morning at the UN as the latter headed to check the systems at the UN legation. The investigation also entered the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue…

Nick said nothing to anyone about Trent being the aide that had managed to kick the whole process off, and the young man in question had returned to work with his usual mission of ensuring that the speeches that were delivered by Burt Hummel were some of the most anticipated not only in Congress, but amongst the media pack. A mark of this came when Burt was invited to appear by CBS to appear on _Face the Nation_ ; he was uncertain about making an appearance, but eventually he accepted on the proviso that it was not broadcast live, and that he was allowed to check the final edit before it was broadcast. On the day in question, Carole made sure that Burt was very smartly turned out, with final judgement handed to Kurt; and then he was joined at the studios by Trent and Rory, who had been given the list of questions in advance, and had prepared some notes for him. They were then taken to the studio, which was empty apart from the presenter, Margaret Brennan. That was when the bombshell that none of them had been expecting was delivered…

She turned to Trent after Burt had made the introductions, and whispered "Rumour has it that you are the young man that had the most fortunate hangover in history…" Trent went scarlet, and nodded slightly. "I think I speak on behalf of the majority of the nation and most of the press when I say thank you very much. Fox News might have a different opinion, but thanks to you, justice is being done. I am just glad that your generation has seized the opportunity and is getting more powerful; that is how it should be. I shall be watching your progress here in the political world of Washington."

She took his hand, and shook it warmly as Burt and Rory looked on in shock. Trent was smiling, but he could not help but worry; if she knew who he was, then how long would it remain secret from the rest of the world?


	115. Mr Nixon at the White House

**Mr Nixon at the White House.**

Thanksgiving 2020 came and went, and as Nick had suggested to Ethan, the whole world did indeed seem thankful for the change at the White House. Even the most hard line of the Republicans were trying to put some distance between themselves and their soon to be former President; he was never seen now, and had even gone silent on Twitter. His duties were being covered by the Vice President. The day after the big holiday, as the nation digested just how much government money had been appropriated for works at Mar-a-Lago, Trent received a phone call asking him to attend a meeting at the Democrat Party headquarters on Monday at 10am, to discuss what they called recent issues. Burt knew nothing about it, but he did not think that Trent had anything to be concerned about.

"If it was a meeting at which they intended to punish you, then it would have happened long before now, and I would have been informed as your employer beforehand. I would suspect that they just might want you to answer a few questions about the note, and any suspicions that you might have about who it came from; anyone you know in the White House that would know were you lived. Or it might just be to talk about just how drunk you were on election night…"

Burt had meant the last line as a joke, but it did nothing to ease the fear that started to grow in Trent's head over the weekend. On Monday morning, as he ate his breakfast, he could not help but feel like the condemned man. Rory could sense that he was stressed, but his kind words did little to help, although the usual goodbye kiss was longer than normal… At the reception desk, he got no further indications as to what was going on; he was just shown into an interview room, which was empty, and was told to take a seat and wait for the interviewers to arrive… He did as he was bid, and sat there, a bundle of nerves, until the door opened and in walked…

By 1pm, Rory and Burt were both growing more than a little concerned. They had heard nothing from Trent, and both were coming to the conclusion that a meeting that had lasted for three hours had to have been more serious than they imagined. Rory was starting to think that he should have insisted on going with his husband, as then he would at least know the worst by now; as for Burt, he was on the point of calling up to ask what was happening to his assistant. At that moment, just as he reached for the phone, the door opened, and Trent walked in, looking dazed but happy.

"I am sorry that I have been so long, and that I didn't call; it was quite the experience," Trent said as he took his seat.

"Is it bad?" Rory asked with concern, coming over to kneel by his husband, his eyes and Burt's meeting, filled with worry.

"No, it wasn't bad; quite the opposite. First off, it wasn't some party worker that wanted to interview me, it was the new Vice President Elect. She knew exactly what I had done that night, and also my entire history from my freshman year at Dalton onwards. We talked a lot about my life so far; about you, Rory; and then we discussed my hopes for the future, including our plans to start a family. Then she came out with it, the purpose of our meeting. They are building a new team of speech writers and aides for the Presidential team at the White House, and basically, they have just offered me a very junior role in that team. In a nutshell, they want me to write speeches for President Kennedy…

There was a moment of silence whilst Burt and Rory just looked at each other in shock, before the former found his voice. "That is quite something, young man; to be invited to join a President's close team at your age is unusual. I will miss having you around in the office, but it isn't like I won't still see you, and I will hear all about you from your husband."

"Burt, I didn't accept the job. I told the Vice President that I was flattered, honoured, but that I needed time to think about it and have a proper discussion with you and Rory. For a start, this position will not be as simple as the one I have now. Working for you, Burt, I get most of my weekends off, but that will not always be the case if I am working in the West Wing. There will be more late nights, more early mornings and even the prospect of foreign travel to contend with. The level of security is much, much higher, and so is the danger. Finally, as we all know, it is not forever. In four years time, I might be out of a job, although hopefully it will be at eight years. What do I do then?" asked Trent.

"I very much doubt that you would have any problem finding a new position in eight years time with the words _White House Speechwriter_ on your résumé," Rory replied quietly. "I admit that I am more than a little jealous of the fact that you are getting this opportunity; and I will miss seeing you everyday at work, although maybe in the long run that isn't such a bad thing… I will back whatever choice you make; however, if you do decide not to take it, tell them there is a charming young Irishman waiting in the wings that would do it like a shot…"

Burt let out a chuckle at that, and soon Trent was laughing too, whilst shaking his head at his grinning husband. "I don't think it quite works like that, my love. I did tell them that we were going to be having a child of our own in the very near future, but she assured me that they would accommodate that; in fact, I could even work from home most days. They also said that they would share their diary for me with Burt so that one of us would always be free… I guess the big thing that frightens me about all of this, and I say this with no offence to you, Burt, if I take this role, my speeches will be analysed by the whole world's media…"

"No offence taken, son," Burt said with a smile. "It is a much more high profile job, but they wouldn't have offered it to you if they didn't think you had the capability, and I certainly believe you do. However, the decision isn't up to me; it is for you and Rory to decide what to do about this offer. If you do decide to take this, then I will miss you, but Rory and I will manage until we can find someone new to replace you. If you can think of anyone, then let me know…"

Trent found it hard to concentrate on his work that afternoon; both his husband and Burt could sense that, and when it came to the time that Burt had to head to the House for a meeting, he insisted that Trent remain behind. "When we are done, we will give you a call, then you and Rory can come and have dinner with me and Carole. She is always happy to see you, so I will accept no arguments." Trent offered none, and then, with a kiss on the cheek from Rory, he found himself alone in the office, his thought immediately turning back to the opportunity he had been offered… When he felt the draught, it was not unexpected, and he knew who it would be; to his surprise though, Wes was not alone.

"I hear that congratulations are in order, Robin; I also know however that you will be being plagued by the same self doubt that often held you back at Dalton," Wes said with a sympathetic smile.

"Trent, you were the one that stood up to Hunter and was prepared to lose all of his friends, just to ensure that justice was done. Then in the aftermath, you went on to take the lead and hold all of those people together. Without your strength of character and courage then, who knows how all of this might have ended up?" said Blaine, earning himself a nod from Wes.

"You have the rare talent to be down to earth about the most complicated of things, and can put quite complex ideas into simple words that people can understand, as does Rory. It seems such a pity that you do not get to show that talent much more widely. Rory knows that he has to stay with my dad, but all both of them want is to see you soar to the heights you deserve to be in," added Kurt.

"I am of the opinion that if you don't accept, you will spend the rest of your life from this day onwards wondering, what if?" said Wes. "We all need to leave our comfort zones sometime, although I can hardly talk… I often wonder how life would have gone had I romanced my Thaddie from the day I met him and realised that he was the one for me. As Burt said though, the choice is not ours to make; ultimately, that all falls to you…"

"I know that you are right guys, but the whole idea scares me. It puts me in the spotlight, and you all know how much I hate that. Also, when I write speeches for Burt, I have Rory to bounce my ideas off; what if I can't do it without that support? I do write the speeches, but then he reads them through, and he is not afraid to be harsh and critical."

"So tell them that if you accept the post, you will still need to be able to do that. I am sure it is not unusual for a speechwriter to share things with a spouse," reasoned Wes. "However, if they do say no, then you can always just show me your drafts. I can be every bit as critical, I have a gavel to wield, and the best bit is that no-one need ever know…" Wes then winked conspiratorially at Trent, and that made them all laugh.

"Actually, if you were able to do that, even if they say yes to Rory, then it would be wonderful, particularly when I am not feeling confident," said Trent, suddenly feeling a lot happier about the prospect. "It would make things so much easier, and to be honest, I always pictured you in either the Supreme Court or the White House itself one day…"

"Yeah, President Montgomery would have been good," mused Blaine. Wes blushed as Kurt nodded in agreement, but then, when they came to mention it…

The knowledge that Wes was prepared to help him screen his speeches for the President was a great help to Trent, but it was not quite enough to help him make his final decision. He knew that Rory would be behind him, regardless of what his final choice was, as would Burt; he knew that Wes would accept things too. However, he wanted a little more input, and for that he turned to the three people he had been closest to at Dalton for their thoughts. He was pretty certain that they would all tell him to accept the offer, but he also knew that when he told them that he had doubts and what they were, they would give him an honest opinion. By luck, he discovered that all three of them were online, and able to talk to him on Skype.

The moment that they were all online in the small group chat, Jeff came straight to the point. "Okay, so why have you called this little meeting of musketeers, Trent? What has happened?" His words immediately got both Nick and Sebastian wondering the same thing.

"Nothing has happened yet, Jeff; I am merely seeking the advice of my closest and most trusted friends on what I should do about an offer that I received this morning," Trent replied calmly.

"Say no to the media, Trent! Tell them that you have no interest in revealing anything that you know about us!" Sebastian responded at once, and the fact that he had made the young man in Washington laugh.

"Actually," Trent continued once his giggles had stopped, "I have been offered a new job, and as you all know…"

"You have tremendous self-doubt, and always feel you are not the best for anything," Nick said, cutting his friend off whilst smiling wryly. "Still, in this case, I guess it all depends on what the job is you have been offered…"

"I had a meeting today with Michelle Obama, and she has offered me a role as a speechwriter for her and the President," said Trent, "and I don't know what to do for the best."

There was stunned silence for a moment, and then Sebastian whistled. "That is certainly a job offer and a half," he mused. "What with Nick at the United Nations and you in the West Wing of the White House, the world would not know what had hit it. Your folks will be pleased, and well, the Carmichaels will probably want to throw a massive party at Dalton… Now, if I know you, you are probably feeling that even considering taking the job is a betrayal of Burt, but I don't think he would see it that way. Furthermore, not working with your husband day in, day out, would be no bad thing…"

"I happen to like working with Rory; we bounce ideas off each other," replied Trent defensively.

"I am sure that you do, but much as I love him, I wouldn't want to spend all day everyday working alongside Nicky," said Jeff. "You wanted an opinion, so here is mine; take it. This job will be the making of you."

Nick had said nothing so far, and Trent now looked to him. He was looking pensive, as if he were weighing up what he was going to say in his mind carefully. "If I know you Trent, your biggest fear right now is not letting down Burt or Rory, it's something else. We all know that your are capable of doing the job you have been offered, and there is no way that you would even have been asked if they had any doubts about your flair, talent and ability with words. So I would suggest that your fear is that when it comes to the crunch, the pressure of the deadlines will get to you, and you will fall apart. With Burt, you have time to respond to the issues; you can do your research in a methodical way and then deliver the exact words that are needed. In the White House, you will not always have the luxury of time, and stylistically, you think that those speeches will need to be very different. The whole world will be waiting to hear those words after all, not just a few people in Congress or Ohio; it will be heads of state in those audiences, not just ordinary people. The fact of the matter is though that no matter who is the intended audience, they will still appreciate the honest simplicity of your style. I also wouldn't worry about time pressures, as there is a way around that. After all, most of the time there will only be two possible outcomes to a crisis; you can have a speech more or less ready for both of those sets of circumstances way in advance, and can just tailor them to fit the situation… Anyway, what do Burt and Rory think? I assume that you have told them both…"

"Yes, and they will both support me whatever I decide; Wes and the guys also came to see me, and said the same," Trent replied, his mind filled with Nick's words.

"Well, for what it is worth, I think that you should accept the offer. You are perfect for the job; what I have heard of Burt's speeches over the years have always left me full of knowledge, and inspired. If you can be every bit as inspirational, dignified, honest and clear with the information for the President as you have been with Burt, then I can see your words helping him to win a second term, and the goal of healing all the division that man has created will be met in full," said Nick with a grin.

"I second that; the few speeches of Burt's that I have heard since you started to work for him have always made so much sense to me; no jargon, no threats, just honest truths. God knows that is exactly what we need to start hearing from our President," said Sebastian.

"The same goes for me," said Jeff, with a broad smile. "When you think about it, what we four have achieved will be quite something. Nicky working at the UN, you more or less in the Oval Office, Sebastian ruling the Great White Way…"

"…and my husband wowing the art world with his talent. We will all truly have made it in the world, and who imagined that when we were in the mess in our Senior year at Dalton?" finished Nick.

"Well, if you guys are sure, then maybe I will take it… but I will call them with my decision in the morning; make them sweat a little. I don't want to appear too eager after all…" said Trent with a wink…

In the end, Trent actually held off for three more days before he finally made the call to accept the role at the White House, and then only with the caveat, which they agreed to readily, that he would be allowed to share his speeches, for review purposes only, with his husband. That acceptance was a mark of just how pleased the team that would be in the Oval Office were to have him on board; as they said to Trent, even if Rory did accidentally leak something to Burt in the course of his work, then there would be no issue, so highly regarded was the long serving congressman from Lima, Ohio in the top of the party. With him committed to the role, they informed him what his first task would be when he joined them officially in the first days of 2021; he would be writing a large part of the text of the President's Inauguration speech. That prospect threw Trent into an immediate panic; the very idea that he would be responsible for such an important speech nearly made him resign from his position before he had even started…

However, after a few deep breaths, he calmed himself, knowing that he was more than capable of producing such a document; all he had to do was think about and include the themes of responsibility, expectation, tolerance and fairness. These after all were the things that people had chosen the new President to deliver to them. He could also refer back to the text of past speeches, to the words of all those great leaders of men, elected or not, who had inspired a generation to face the challenges ahead. There were a great many of those now, after all, not least dealing with the highly controversial and toxic legacy of the soon to be former occupant of the Oval Office. He could not mention him by name in the speech, of course, as that would only stir up the very divisions that they were trying to avoid. The new way of working in the governance of the nation had to be based on consensus and compromise, otherwise they would just fall back into the mire that had lead in part to the election of Trump in the first place…

The official announcement that Trent would be taking a position in the West Wing was made by the party the following day, and it was news to most people. He had only added Thad to the small group of people he had consulted before making his decision, knowing that the Head Warbler would be the soul of discretion; he had been delighted for his friend, just as everyone else he had spoken to had predicted. After all, Trent would be able to exert just a little bit of influence on the political scene, not that the policies of the new regime would cause any of the circle of friends as much fear and stress as those of the party now leaving power…

The best news for them all was that for the first time in a long while, the Democrats were in control of both the Senate and the House at the same time as having the presidency. Some had high hopes of very radical change, but most accepted that such things would not be possible right away; the priority at first had to be the restoration of much that was lost in the bonfire of policies in the first weeks of 2017. Healthcare had to be sorted out and made available to all; education had to be dealt with too, and college made available to everyone, not just those with sufficient money, or who were prepared to take on massive debts. Immigration was a thorny issue; a fairer policy was needed, but there was no place for a free for all in the agenda. Most importantly, the party had to pay close attention to those in the heartland of the nation, to ensure that the divisions felt, rightly or wrongly, between them and those on the two coasts, could be removed. Funding would also be restored to the arts, to public broadcasting, and to the railways. Infrastructure projects, much lauded by Trump in his campaign but never delivered, would begin to be signed off before February arrived. As well as repairing the crumbling road network, there would be investment in high speed rail lines across the country, similar to the best in Europe. Yes, all of this would cost money, but if the nation was really to return to the glory days of the past and flourish, then it had to be spent…

Trent was overwhelmed by the amount of congratulations that he received, and all the love that came with it. He laughed at the reaction that he got from his grandmother-in-law in Ireland, who had called him up to pour out so much love and affection in her joy at his success that he couldn't stop grinning. He then found out that when the local newspaper had decided that it wasn't as important a news story as she believed it to be and refused to publish the news, she took out a full page advert to tell the story instead…

Thad had sung his praises non-stop on the Dalton Facebook page as they might have anticipated; however, he also feted Nick at the same time for getting his job at the U.N. and that left the latter feeling very embarrassed. As Sebastian had stated, the Carmichaels had been ecstatic at the news that one of their boys was going to be in the corridors of power, albeit in a very minor capacity; the fact that he was going to be in the West Wing had caused them both to cry when they called him, and that had ended up setting him off too.

Then it all died down, which was something that Trent was grateful for, never having loved the limelight. There was after all another big event scheduled for December; the wedding of Rachel to Sam. He was taking the approach of his big day in his stride, staying calm and collected. His family were all confirmed as attending, giving up their usual Christmas rituals to celebrate with him. He did not have the time to stress and worry, as he was busy with work; he had been praised for his performance as Willy Wonka in the reboot of _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ , and there was much speculation about his future in the gossip columns, a sure sign that his star was on the rise. He refused to accept that though, in his usual modest way; he told people that he had been lucky, and he was marrying a true star. Those words made many roll their eyes, and even retch, but then Sam knew how to handle her. As far as his wife to be was concerned, their nuptials were going to be an event that would grace the pages of both _Vogue_ and _Variety…_


	116. The Wedding of 2020

**The Wedding of 2020.**

The choice of Christmas Day for the wedding of Sam Evans and Rachel Berry was more out of common sense than choice, given that it was one of the few days in the year that saw Broadway close most of its doors. Even that plan was no guarantee though, and there was a moment when it looked as if Sam would be working that night; however, his understudy agreed to do the performance in his stead, but only after he had received a visit from Santana and Sebastian. Most people thought that the two of them had turned on the evil ways of their teenage past once more, with Santana making threats about the razor blades in her hair, but those in the know guessed that they had persuaded him by telling the poor man all the horrific things that an irate Rachel would do to him if she was forced to abandon her elaborate wedding plans.

The ceremony was to be held in Central Park, a prospect that had initially left everyone absolutely horrified; they all pictured themselves huddled up in coats, hats and scarves as someone held an umbrella over bride, groom and celebrant in the middle of a blizzard. The comment that resonated most was made by Ethan; "I know that she wants a white wedding, but this is taking things too far; hypothermia, bronchitis and pneumonia are also not desirable as wedding favours." When the venue was clarified by Sam as being the Loeb Boathouse within Central Park, they all breathed a sigh of relief that the worst had been avoided; still, the weather could be a factor, and she and Sam might not be as fortunate as Dave and Sebastian had been for their re-wedding…

The other good factor was the fact that the timing was reasonable, with the actual wedding being scheduled for 1pm, which would allow the parents to deal with the whole of Christmas morning before they had to get themselves done up in their best clothes; the dress code was very much formal, given that she expected the place to be filled with photographers. Mercedes had agreed to come and sing at the ceremony; but that was done partly for Sam, and partly because it meant she could avoid phone call after phone call from the bride to be. Isabelle had also put Rachel in contact with the designer that she had used to create the KEH Collection, as Kurt had eventually managed to produce a design that Rachel liked, and the pictures that Jeff painstakingly copied out a dozen times before she was happy were duly handed over. There were wild rumours that somewhere in Jeff's studio there was a drawing in which Rachel's face had been replaced with that of the Wicked Witch of the West from the film version of the _Wizard of Oz_ , but they were never substantiated; after all, a Warbler never told tales on another…

Sebastian discovered early on that Rachel had invited the entire cast and crew of _Hello Dolly!_ to join her on her big day from his Aunt Bette; she confessed that they had all agreed to avoid her getting in a strop. She also admitted that she had threatened David Hyde Pierce with actual bodily harm if he declined, as she was not prepared to suffer alone. "Don't get me wrong; she has a great talent and a wonderful voice, and I think that Sam is just a darling, but I have the feeling that this affair is going to put the average British Royal Wedding to shame, at least in her opinion. I also heard that she wanted the Governor to conduct the ceremony for her, but I believe he informed her in person that he was already fully committed that day."

Sebastian laughed. "Yes, she wasn't too pleased about that. I heard a wild rumour that she then called up Burt Hummel and asked if a President Elect has the authority to conduct weddings…" he responded, which caused Bette to laugh out loud at the fact that she had even had the audacity to ask that….

Both Trent and Rory knew that was actually no wild rumour, but gospel truth. In the end, it was only Sam telling her that he had found someone to conduct the wedding that was every bit as good as a high powered politician that had stopped Rachel from jumping on a plane to Washington DC to ask the man himself face to face…

The day of the wedding came, and still the only person that knew the identity of the actual person that would be conducting the wedding was Sam himself. They had of course rehearsed the ceremony, with Cooper standing in, although he had been unprepared for the number of times they had to stop and restart. As he finally left, he hinted very loudly that since he had been on sabbatical from the whirl of showbiz, he had been able to find time to do other things in between caring for the twins; he had been studying for new qualifications, and he had just obtained one… Sam knew of course that this was a full first aid certificate; however, if Rachel had decided that he had just been ordained and would actually be in charge the following day, then he wasn't going to dissuade her, particularly as he knew that Cooper and Grace had both switched their phones off…

He would spend Christmas Eve in the company of the Hummel-Warblers in Murray Hill; what he did not tell them was that as a result, his Christmas the previous year had been his last as an owner of the Bushwick loft. They had received a very good offer from the young doctor friend of Ollie Harwood's that had rented it from them whilst the 'L' Train was off; his contract in Brooklyn was now a permanent one, and the current place he and his family were renting was no patch on the loft. When he had heard it was up for sale from Ollie, he had done his sums, and had come in with a cash offer at the full asking price. As he and Rachel had already found a house that they both liked in Bedford-Stuyvesent, and Brittany and Santana had their eyes on a place in Maplewood, they had all accepted without hesitation…

Sam had ensured that he would get to the boathouse early, having first checked that his family were okay and knew where to come. He was not the first to arrive though; that had been Artie, who had been charged with filming the event, with only one stipulation from the bride - that it should have the look and feel of a Hollywood epic. He had neither the budget or the team required to do so, of course, but he had called in a few favours, and as a result there was professional lighting and the best sound recording equipment. He had even managed to get Kitty to agree to be the make up artist, and had got her to promise not to make the bride look like a clown. He was however more than a little certain that some guests would object to having their faces powdered to remove excess shine…

There was one thing that had made Artie smile on the way to the venue that morning, and that was the weather. It had snowed during the night, just enough to give the whole park that Hollywood Christmas feel. He had left the park staff bemused at first when he had asked them to dump the snow that they had just cleared from the paths on to the lawn area beside the boathouse, until he explained that he was dealing with a Broadway diva bride. Then his request had made perfect sense, and they had piled the snow deeply around the venue, bringing it from every corner of the vast urban park. As a result, the Loeb Boathouse now looked like it had been caught in a freak blizzard. The sun had come out, and the clouds had begun to clear, giving a marvellous natural light on a wintry scene… Inside, Sam was a still a little bit nonplussed when Artie presented him with a radio mike, and then proceeded to pin it to his tuxedo. "If the picture is good, but the sound isn't, she will have everyone back to do dubbing sessions," Artie explained. "That would be a pain in the proverbial, so this should hopefully allow us to avoid it."

"I guess you have a point there," said Sam, "and it is a lot safer than using a boom mike."

"Oh, but I have one of those on standby, just in case the bride herself decides that she doesn't want to wear a mike. I hope that she will agree, but she has always been a little…" Artie stopped, mortified that he had nearly criticised Sam's fiancée, but the man himself was nodding, knowing all too well that his wife-to-be had diva tendnacies…

The guests all made a special effort to arrive early too, knowing that they had to avoid a diva strop at all costs. Mercedes was one of the first to arrive; she stopped to stare at the building, and the amount of snow around it compared to elsewhere. Neither she or David could stop themselves from laughing when a passing park worker saw the looks on their faces, and shouted, "I know! Someone that thinks they're a big star is getting married, and the poor video guy needed more snow to keep her happy. I mean, who does the broad think she is? Barbra Streisand?"

As everyone else arrived, they too paused to stare at the snow, and depending on their temperament, shook their head sadly, muttered something about igloos, or in the case of most of the Warblers, laughed hysterically. It came to the appointed hour, and their was still no sign of the bride, not that anyone was really concerned about that; they had all expected Rachel to fully exercise her prerogative, and there was also the fact that she might have got held up by the external snow drift. Sam waited with his two best men, Cooper and Stevie, the latter still beaming with pride at the fact that he had been asked to take the role. They were all assured that the celebrant had arrived, but they had done so in such a way that no-one other than Sam had seen even so much as a glimpse of them. That mystery had promptly become the main topic of conversation as they waited…

"Is Barbra licensed to officiate at weddings?" mused Quinn.

"I don't think so; maybe it is Oprah or Ellen?" added Beats.

"Maybe she has gone for someone like Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt," quipped Ethan.

"No, that would be far too common!" scoffed Santana. "I doubt she would settle for anyone less than the Archbishop of New York…"

"…but only because the Pope himself was too busy," replied Sebastian.

"I am sure that whoever it is, all that matters is that Rachel and Sam end up being married," said Burt loudly and sternly, making them all fall silent. "Personally, my money is on Archbishop Curry…"

As Carole playfully slapped Burt's arm, and everyone else howled with laughter, Leroy Berry appeared at the door, which they all knew was the signal that the bride had arrived. Hiram joined him first, and then Rachel appeared, with two little girls, cousins on her mother's side of the family, carrying her train. They took some time to appear, as it was easily half the length of the building… As Santana rolled her eyes, and Brittany was secretly glad that she had chosen to sit next to the aisle as that was all that was probably preventing her wife standing on it, they all noticed that the celebrant still hadn't appeared… and about halfway down, Rachel noticed that too, and slowed up. Suddenly she heard a familiar voice in her ear. "Don't worry, they are here; they just want to make as big an entrance as you… Kurt would have come to do this by the way, but he is a little overwhelmed at the moment…"

Before Rachel could question Blaine on that statement, there was a squeal from one of the guests as the celebrant made their entrance. Mouths fell open across the room, and eyes bulged in shock. Artie was thankful he had set up two cameras, as he was able to film both the entrances to the centre stage, so to speak.

"How on earth did Sam organise this!?" Mike exclaimed in a whisper.

"I think that Rachel will approve; if she doesn't, then she won't be getting married today," stated Mercedes. Suddenly, she found herself wondering how a certain angel would be reacting, and looking round the room she caught sight of him, being held up by his husband and stepbrother, as Wes just shook his head. Then again, this was from left field, and everyone was a little stunned. Of all the people that could have been conducting the wedding, none of them had even suspected that Sam could have got Lady Gaga…

The ceremony passed off without incident; Lady Gaga had come dressed soberly, and observed the dignity that such an important occasion required and deserved. Rachel quickly got over her initial shock, and although she was disappointed not to have had the future President officiate at her ceremony, she had to admit that the fact that such an icon of the music scene had performed her marriage would make her big day unforgettable. The others there also quickly realised that they would not be allowed to forget that she had been at the wedding ever too, but it was pretty cool… Mercedes sang beautifully, with David joining her at times, and the completely unplanned duet she had with the celebrity celebrant after the wedding had them all smiling. The two singers began to talk of a future official collaboration after their song together.

Stevie Evans had performed his part perfectly, and was rewarded with a kiss from the celebrant afterwards, which Sam had the presence of mind to ensure was photographed so that his little brother could prove to all of his classmates that he really had met the star and she had kissed him. With her official part over, Lady Gaga stayed for a little while, which allowed them all to say hello, taking the inevitable selfies, and then recover… It was during this that Carole, whilst admiring her dress, was told that it was one of her favourites, and had come from a limited edition called the KEH Collection. All those in the room that could see and hear angels heard a shriek at that revelation, followed by the gasped words "Oh..my..Gaga…" and a thud.

"Now that is quite a coincidence," said Carole, trying to ignore Blaine trying to revive his husband in her immediate eye line. "The KEH Collection was actually designed by my late stepson, Kurt Hummel. He was a massive fan of yours, and he would have been thrilled to know you were wearing something of his…"

"Oh, I gathered that from the shriek just now; he is the tall thin angel with the glasz eyes, or am I wrong…?" came the whispered response, which just left Carole staring at the star open mouthed.

Fifteen minutes later, Lady Gaga took her leave of the wedding party, but not before she had returned to the ante-room where she had prepared herself and was formally introduced to four angels, an experience which made the lady smile. Wes was his usual dapper, polite self, and when after a few minutes the star gasped and said, "You're the one in the drawing!" he merely smiled and nodded. Secretly, he wondered how Jeff would react when he discovered she was a fan of his work. Finn was tongue tied, and said little after he blurted out that he had gone to school dressed in a shower curtain during Gaga week at Glee club. Blaine found himself talking for himself and his husband, who it appeared had lost the power of speech; he opened his mouth, but nothing came out, not even when she praised his designing abilities.

Wes excused himself as she made her final preparations to leave, and went to find Jeff. When he told his blond friend what had been said, the young man swayed a little, as an alarmed Nick looked on, then rallied, and dived for the substantial bag that he as a parent took to all social events; he pulled out one of the postcards from the Met of _The Judging Angel_ and wrote a brief message of thanks on it, before signing it. Then, as the lady was about to leave, he ran over to her. "Ma'am, we didn't get a chance to meet earlier as my husband and I were changing our son, but I have been informed that you have seen my little drawing…"

"Wait; you're Jeff Sterling-Duval? Now this time the pleasure in meeting is all mine! It was such a vivid and uplifting piece of art, and now that I have met your inspiration for myself, I can see why you chose to draw him, and why it is so wonderful. I hope that you are working on another project?"

"Well, being a dad takes up a lot of my time at the moment - that is my husband Nick with our boy over there; little Wes… Nick works at the UN, and so I do most of the child care, and I have my illustration work to do for _Vogue_ , and several children's books… But, yes, strictly between us, I have been working on something; a whole series of drawings that can be displayed together. Anyway, I have taken the liberty of signing this card for you just now…"

He handed the card to her, and she took it with a smile. "Well, all I can say is that I can't wait to see your next creation, Jeff; send me an invite to the unveiling," she replied, and Jeff nodded with a grin. Then she headed out to her car, leaving them all to celebrate the day…

The reception would go on late into the night, the usual mix of singing and dancing, made all the better by the fact that the world seemed a lot brighter now thanks to the political change. It had been five years since the infamous re-wedding at the Rainbow Room, and they all had to agree that there was no way that a certain person would get preferential treatment over them there now. When that fact was brought up in passing, Sebastian suddenly felt old; he had been married for such a long time now, but then again, Nick and Jeff had been married even longer. They also had a son, and of that fact he was increasingly jealous. He and Dave had been trying for a few months now, but so far their surrogate had not uttered the magic words, and that was starting to be frustrating. It was some relief that he was now an uncle twice over. He adored Peter, but he was getting older by the day and was starting to exhibit some worryingly Smythe family traits; and then there was Sienna, who had Uncle Bazzy wrapped round her little finger already. Still, it was never going to feel the same as fatherhood would, and as he watched his two old friends across the room as they interacted with their boy, he silently prayed that he and Dave would be in the same position sooner rather than later…

After the excitement of the wedding, it seemed all too soon that the end of the year was upon them. With it though came the delight that the current incumbent at the oval office would be leaving it all too soon, and as a result, they would all feel less like the most undesirable nationality in the world. There was of course much speculation about exactly what would happen to him after he had formally left office, although most people reasoned some sort of trial, and certainly no great Presidential library would be built to commemorate him… There was also a rumour doing the rounds that he was refusing to actually go through with the official handover process, claiming that the new President was elected falsely; he was even it was said considering going to court with the same claims of vote rigging and collusion that he had made when the midterms had not gone entirely his way two years earlier. They were only rumours though; none of the news networks were giving much credence to the story, or even time to the man. Even that most loyal of stations, Fox News, was now ignoring him, mentioning him only in passing, and his family had also been shunned, and pushed from the media spotlight…

There would be no big party that New Year's Eve at the Trump Tower; it had been cancelled in a fit of rage by the man the building was named for, just as Christmas had been, leaving the building looking cold and devoid of decoration. There would also be no parties that night amongst the group of old friends, given that many had to work that night or the next day, or had young children to think of. In the end, they had all gathered for an informal lunch, if they could, the next day at the Spotlight. In some ways, such a gathering suited them all much more as they grew older. It was there that the official announcement of the completion of the sale of the Bushwick loft was made; they had all known, but those words drew a line under part of their mutual history. The building it was in had been a home to many of them, and the bigger loft had seen parties and celebrations, but also the saddest of days. However, they could all see that it was not a practical home for two married couples, and they would always have their memories to look back on…

The first Monday of the new year came soon enough, and with it Trent's first day in the 'shadow' West Wing, so to speak. They would not move into the actual one until after the big handover, and there were some in the building that feared the state of the place when they did get there; it was widely rumoured that the tasteful décor of the former First Lady had been removed and replaced with the kind of flash glitter that the current President loved… The people that Trent found himself working with were an eclectic mix of youth and experience, although at the moment he was the youngest employee in the room. His first job as he already knew was to help pen the speech that the whole world it seems was eagerly anticipating hearing at the end of the month. He had already sketched out some rough concepts before he had arrived, and he was quick to assemble a basic outline for the speech he felt should be given. He felt quite nervous about producing those notes when the group tasked with the speech met up for the first time, but the noises from them all on reading it were favourable.

Indeed, the most senior of the small team went so far as to pat him on the back, then said, "There were some people that had their doubts about entrusting a young man like you with such an important task. However, I had heard a number of the speeches that you had written for Burt Hummel, and I was certain that you could deliver just what we need. Your basic outline works well, and I think we should use it as our base line, and just flesh it out a bit. As you say, we need to make this speech simple and accessible; make everyone feel that it is being aimed at them. The metaphors you have used about the need for healing, and the idea of asking for forgiveness for past errors of judgement are also quite commendable. I like it, and the President will do too. My only worry is that if you carry on like this, you will soon be taking over my job, Mr Nixon…"

Trent blushed furiously at that, but inside he felt more than a little bit of pride at himself for a change. Maybe all the people that he had talked to about taking this job were right, and their faith in him was not as unjustified as he often believed…


	117. The Allure of the Greasepaint

**The Allure of the Greasepaint.**

The first Monday of January 2021 would also become an important milestone in the Hummel-Warbler house in Murray Hill. Grace was returning to work at her office, albeit only for three days a week at first, and that would leave Cooper at home alone with the twins for most of the day. His mom would be looking in at lunchtime that day; Pam Anderson was every inch the doting grandmother, but she knew that she had to give the couple and their young family some space, or she would quickly become an overbearing nuisance instead. She did not have any qualms about the situation in any case, as her son was almost a textbook modern dad, hands on in every respect. He had most recently asked Nick for help in finding a cookbook with simple recipes for infants; he intended that as soon as the children were old enough to enjoy proper food, he would cook nutritious meals for them himself, rather than resorting to store bought meals. He unintentionally made Nick feel a little guilty in doing so, as he had not considered doing that himself; then again, he had not had his troubles to seek around the time of his son's birth…

Since the twins had been born, Cooper had fallen into a comfortable routine, and had still found time in the day to complete his first aid course and gain his qualification. On that Monday morning he had been up and about before his wife, and had prepared her a good breakfast whilst at the same time attending to his son, who had woken before his sister that morning. By the time that Grace came down the stairs with Lily in her arms, it was to find not only breakfast waiting for her, but a packed lunch too. She sometimes wondered, she had to admit, if the Cooper she had first met had been swapped over by aliens without her knowledge, as these days he was just so much better organised. She left for work that day happy in the knowledge that Devon and Lily would be more than okay. She was not wrong, but Cooper would be thrown a slight curve ball that morning. Just after 9am, the phone began to ring…

The call did not come at the most opportune of moments, as he was in the process of changing Devon's diaper; he somehow managed to hold the new one in place with one hand as he answered the call, then sandwiched the phone between his shoulder and his ear, thus giving himself two free hands to finish what he saw as the more important task.

"Hello, am I speaking to C J Hummel-Warbler?"

"Yes, you are, although you may have to excuse me for a moment or two as I am in the process of changing a diaper."

"Oh, my sincere apologies. I heard that you had taken time off for the birth of your children, through from what I recall, they did come along a little earlier than you expected."

"Yes, and made my official last night a no show. Forgive me, but you haven't actually introduced yourself…."

"My apologies again; my name is Laurel Wilks, and I am the personal assistant to the senior productions manager with the Schubert Theater Group. I will come to the point; I have been asked to call you on behalf of the casting director of a new show that is scheduled to open in late spring or early summer this year. Our belief is that you are taking a six month sabbatical and then you would be open to considering a return to work?"

"That much is true," said Cooper, as he managed to successfully secure the diaper on his son, and now only had to slip back on his pants. "However, that return is subject to the right production being on offer. I am hoping for something a little different to what I have appeared in so far, so if this is an offer for a musical…"

"Yes, and no; initially it isn't. I have actually been told to offer you a two show deal, the first of which is a revival of _Twelve Angry Men_. The feeling here is that a play about courtroom procedures might well be of great relevance by the summer. It is anticipated that it will have a short run of approximately three months, although it may run longer if the audiences are good. Then there is to be a revival for the 20th anniversary of its first run of the Mel Brooks musical _The Producers_. They have decided that they wish to cast a younger man in the role of Max Bialystock, and then age him up for the show, and that man is you…"

"Let me get this correct? You are offering me a two show deal, one serious drama, one musical… It is interesting. What part is it in the first show?" asked Cooper, his mind starting to work overtime.

"You are to be cast as the one juror that protests the innocence of the accused from the start, and changes the minds of the others; basically, it is the lead. We have already lined up people for the other jurors, starting with…"

Cooper's eyes widened as she named names; actors that he knew the names of, actors that the whole world knew the names of. He was being cast alongside them, and moreover, he was getting the biggest role. "It certainly does sound interesting, but I will need to speak to my wife first, and appraise her of the situation. We have talked about getting a nanny, but we have not made any sort of commitment to that idea, and I would hate to accept even provisionally now and then have to let you down later if we decide not to go in that direction. Out of interest, have you made any casting decisions for the musical?"

"They have ideas, but they would give you the final say as it is very much a double act, and that is why they have chosen the people they have I guess. The outsider at the moment is Sebastian Smythe, as they believe that there is another revival in the offing that he is wanted for. The two main contenders are Mason McCarthy and Sam Evans. Of course, you know all three of them."

"Yes, they are all good friends; they were friends of my late brother. The idea of working with one of them is to say the least, intriguing. Anyway, can you give me your number, and I will call you back by the end of the week with a decision one way or the other…."

The offer would fill Cooper's thoughts for the rest of the day as he went through his usual routine. He was glad to see his mother at lunchtime, and took advantage of her presence to get out for a while into the cold, crisp air. He headed to the supermarket under the AMC on Second Avenue, and thought about the offer as he made the necessary purchases. He had heard of the play of course, and had watched the film right through one rainy day just after he had moved to L.A. The part was complex, and the challenge would be exactly what he needed to keep his mind active. To then move on to such a musical would be such a great honour, and to have in the cast as his protégé one of the young men that he saw as family would be all the sweeter, although in an ideal world, it would be his kid brother that had the role. As for Grace, he was pretty sure that she would agree to him going back to work, as his job meant that he would be at home for most of the morning. They could afford to get childcare after all and they could even think of an au pair, with the added advantage that they could live in. They had the bedroom space, and his mom would probably have no issue whatsoever with popping in during the afternoon to check up on the young woman, or indeed man, concerned…

Pam insisted on cooking dinner for her son and daughter-in-law that evening, which meant that Cooper felt obliged to ask her to join them for dinner that night. He initially considered waiting to tell Grace about the phone call once his mother had left for the night, but he realised that the offer of work would have an impact on her too. He smiled as he watched her that afternoon; the arrival of her grandchildren had been the making of her. She might have failed in many areas as a mom, but she was more than making up for that now. She was always at her best when the twins were around, and Cooper had always had the feeling that if she was asked, she would have been there to help all day, every day. He also knew that such an arrangement would be far from ideal, and would only give rise to flashpoints and clashes as time went on, which could damage the relationship that he now had with her.

He waited until the main course of the meal had been served before he made his announcement. There was an initial silence, even from the twins, and then Grace replied. "That is actually quite wonderful news, CJ. I was always a little concerned that by taking time out to look after the twins you might hold back or damage your career, but it would appear not. I do hope that you said yes?"

"Actually I told them that I would have to speak to you first, as it isn't just the two of us that need to be considered in this choice; it is the twins as well."

"Yes, it would mean that we would need to hire a childminder of some sort… Well, we did discuss the idea of getting an au pair, and it would be useful. I know you will be here in the mornings, and I do intend to tell the partners that I intend to cut back my office hours from what they were before and work from home more, but there would still be gaps in the schedule."

"I would offer to help, but I actually came here today as I have an announcement of my own to make," said Pam, a statement which attracted the attention of the younger couple at once. "Many years ago, before I met your father, Cooper, I worked as a demonstrator for a major cosmetics brand. Jonathan made me give it up when we married, and I stupidly agreed; but I have always tried to stay up to date with the trends and developments in that area. Anyway, to come to the point, I was in Bloomingdales in November, and there was a young woman in the cosmetics department attempting a demonstration, and it was all so wrong. She was paying no attention whatsoever to the unfortunate woman that she had selected to be her model, and as a result, the work she was doing left her looking like a mess. I went to the manager of the department after seeing that to express my concerns, namely that the way that she had been making the woman up was not age appropriate. To my surprise, she agreed, and stated that she wished she had someone older and more experienced to assist in her department… One thing lead to another after that, and essentially, I start work there next week on a part-time basis, and I am so looking forward to getting back into the workplace. Much as I love my grandchildren, I do crave company from an older age bracket too…"

"My goodness, mom, this is great news!" exclaimed Cooper. "I am so proud to see that the smart, successful woman I recall from my earliest memories is now well and truly back."

"You will certainly be able to show those young girls a thing or two," added Grace. "I will of course be making all my cosmetic purchases from you from now on."

"It does mean that you will definitely need someone to help out, and an au pair is a wonderful idea. If she hadn't retired of course, then our old housekeeper from Ohio would have come and done it for you. She did such a good job taking care of you and Blaine," admitted Pam.

"True, but I think that someone a little bit younger might be better," said Cooper, "and that person can be of either sex. We will need to find the number of a good agency. If we call Isabelle, she will probably know one…"

"I have no doubts on that score," replied Grace. "Also, she is the soul of discretion; I would suggest that we keep this news to ourselves for now."

It was after 9pm before Pam finally headed home; she had helped out at bath time, and then she had headed home to the little apartment she rented close to the store that she would soon be working in. "She is quite the changed woman from the one I first encountered," Grace said as she settled down on the sofa. "She is sober, industrious, and the kind of hands on grandmother that new parents need."

"Yeah, she is the mom that I used to know again, and the first time I walk into Bloomingdales and see her at work, I will feel like I am a little kid again… I am so proud of how she has turned her life around after she got rid of the millstone that used to hang around the whole family's neck…" Cooper paused then, and Grace knew he had thought he had heard a noise from upstairs; that made her smile. As nothing else was audible, he started again. "It will be a strange feeling for me to be back at work every night again, at least at first. I also have to admit that being a serious actor does frighten me a little. Some would say that it is easier as there are no notes to learn, no steps to follow, just the lines; but the choreography is still there and vital. It is just as important to know where to stand and how to arrange your feet. Plus, I am going to be Juror 8, and that is by far the biggest part. I have to convince everyone else that someone deserves a chance. There is of course another little thing that worries me in this day and age; it should surely be called Twelve Angry Jurors now, and we should have more women in the show. I don't know how that would go down with the team behind the show if I said that though."

Grace nodded, then said, "You could suggest to them that the judge and the court clerk could be women, my love. Leave the jurors as men as the playwright intended, but make all the officials women. That would satisfy me…"

With his wife and mother behind him, Cooper called back the following day to accept the offer, and made his suggestion about the creation of at least a limited female role in the production. He was gratified to discover that it was already the intention to have all of the parts in the production other than the jury and the accused played by women. They had even considered having a 50/50 split in the jury, but that would have entailed a major rewrite of the classic script, way beyond just a few minor updates; the fear was that such a decision would have left the play clunky and far from the original intended. Cooper couldn't help but laugh when the young woman he had talked to the day before went on to say that the production team had also considered changing the crime from murder to fraud on a national scale, alluding to someone that was leaving office, but they had abandoned it as they would have needed Juror 8 to convince everyone else of their guilt, not their innocence to avoid widespread condemnation.

She was still unable to give him an exact date for the start of the read through process, but she was certain it would be sometime in March; in the meantime, she made arrangements to have the script couriered to him so that he could start the process right away. It would arrive in a few hours; in the meantime, Cooper downloaded the film version and began to watch it again, this time with more attention to the way the show was acted. The film was regarded as a classic, and he could see why as he let the emotions and words of Henry Fonda enter his head; it was his part he would be playing after all, and watching where he put certain nuances in his performance would help him prepare his own interpretation of the character. The script arrived just as he was about to start feeding the twins their lunch; he was grateful to see that there were two copies in the envelope, along with a contract pack. He resolved to sit down and begin the learning process that afternoon whilst the twins took their nap, hoping that an angel or two might be available to help him out…

As Cooper returned to the processes of showbiz, his former tenant was heading into town from New Jersey, getting ready to start another week of performances as Curly McLain. The week ahead would be a strange one for him; Laurie Metcalf had announced that she was leaving the cast, as had been predicted, and her replacement would be announced that evening. Apparently the lady in question had been rehearsing the part on her own already with the assistance of the directors; she would then need a few sessions with the rest of the cast, which would mean long days for them, before taking over at the start of next month. Unusually for Broadway, the plethora of rumours and leaks that normally happened in these circumstances had been absent, but that had much to do with the fact that not even main cast members like himself had been given so much as a hint.

That fact rankled with him just a little, and he had said as much to his Aunt Bette when she had insisted on taking him out for a hot chocolate one afternoon in the week before Christmas. She had listened sympathetically to his rant, then had replied, "Oh I agree, you should have been told by now, as should all the others that have to work extensively with the character on stage, but sometimes that is just how it is in our line of work. I would surmise that the person taking on the part of Aunt Eller is a big name and maybe they didn't want to affect ticket sales in the run up to the change; a new star can have that effect. I just hope that she can match up to you in terms of her star quality, darling boy."

"I am more concerned that we might not have the necessary chemistry and therefore will not gel convincingly. Laurie and I get on well behind the scenes, and that shows on the stage too."

"I do not think that there will be any problem there; you charm every single woman that you might with your good looks and excellent manners. However, I can say now that I will not be able to come and support you on your first night with the new actress, as I will be tied up alas, but I am sure that it will all be fine…"

He kept Bette's words in his head as he headed in through the stage door that afternoon. He collected his mail from the doorkeeper - as usual there was a lot of fan mail, mainly from people that did not want to accept the fact that he was married and/or gay - and made his way to his dressing room. On the threshold, he was stopped in his tracks by a shout from the director. "Sebastian, could you come to my office for a moment? I want to introduce you to Laurie's replacement, not that I think she will need much in the way of an introduction…"

Sebastian nodded, then quickly dropped his mail and his bag in the room; he then headed along to the office, pondering as he did so who it could be; they had to be a big name as Bette had said, given that he wouldn't need an introduction. He racked his brain, thinking of actresses of a certain age that would fit; those close to Laurie's age like Elizabeth McGovern and Joan Cusack; or older, like Christine Baranski, Kate Capshaw and Megan Mullaly… He grinned as he imagined working with the latter, recalling how much he had loved the character of Ms Karen Walker in the sitcom when he was younger…but then again, could he picture her as Aunt Eller?

Now he had reached the office door, and he knocked before entering. When he saw who was sitting there across from the director, he shook his head for a moment, then said "No sir, that reprobate doesn't need much of an introduction; it does also explain why she told me she would be tied up on the new girl's first night…"

Bette laughed, then replied "I just hope that we will be able to work together as well as we socialise; something tells me that we will though…"

"We will have to see about that," replied Sebastian with a laugh. "I have to admit though that your name never entered my head as a potential one for this role. I didn't ever imagine you as an elderly, dowdy, hard-bitten woman; I always picture you in a far more glamorous guise."

"To be honest, if you had asked me a few years ago if I would ever consider playing this role, I would have laughed at you, but I am not as young as I used to be, and there are far fewer glamorous roles open now; in any case, the make up process is exhausting. Dolly Levi was one of the few that was open to a woman of my advanced years, so I decided that now was as good a time as any to push my boundaries and take a part that was smaller and a little more serious. On top of that, it is probably going to be my only chance to share the stage with you, darling boy, for more than a one off for the Tony Awards or a charity gig. Admittedly, you proved that night that you can high kick with the best of them…" Sebastian smiled as he recalled the night he and his fellow Mormons had been the chorus line for a _Hello Dolly!_ skit for the L.A. relief appeal; it had been fun, but a little painful afterwards.

"Anyway, now that you know who the new Aunt Eller is," said the director, "we had better get on with letting the rest of the cast know before we make the official press announcement." Sebastian took the hint, and got up, giving Bette a hug before heading back out to his dressing room, humming the title tune from _Hello Dolly!_ as he did so. By the time that he headed out on stage that night, the whole cast knew who the new Aunt Eller was going to be, and the information had been given to the media. Amongst all of them, there was a division of opinion; they all knew that she could handle the singing parts, but there were many who like Sebastian found it hard to imagine her in the role…

Bette would take over from Laurie Metcalf in the week of the inauguration. The critics were in the theatre en masse that night, but they were joined by one lone Warbler; Ethan had been offered the ticket by a work colleague that had been forced to cancel attending at the last moment. As he had no plans for that evening, and his roommate, Flint's cousin Leo, was out on a date (again) that night, he had decided that he would head along. Sebastian had given none of his friends any clue as to how the dress rehearsals had gone, although they all noted that he had not looked too concerned as the date of the takeover approached…

As the curtain rose that night, the audience gasped almost collectively as the light caught the figure sitting in a chair on the stoop. With great skill, the costume designers and make up artists had turned the star that was usually associated with glamorous looks into an old woman. She looked every bit of her actual age, with her grey hair scraped back into a tight bun, not a trace of any make up on her face, and a pair of glasses perched on the end of her nose. The silence was broken by a lone person applauding, and they were swiftly joined by half the audience in appreciation of the great transformation that had been worked. Then there was the sound of footsteps, and Sebastian stepped on from the wings, causing the applause to stop as the first notes of the shows score began to be played.

At the end of that night's performance, the applause was thunderous, and many rose to their feet when it came to Bette's turn to take her bow. The critics would call it a triumph, and stated how much they liked the fact that the risky choice of Ms Midler had paid off. They also questioned why it had taken a director so long to give the lady in question such a challenging role. Sales of tickets for the show had slowed a little, but now they rebounded, and the full house signs were once more back in play on a daily basis. It was all very gratifying for the cast, but now some began to ask a new question; how long would it be before Sebastian moved on to a new role…


	118. A World of New Beginnings

**A World of New Beginnings.**

A few days after Bette Midler's Broadway triumph, the attention of the entire world turned to Washington DC, where Joe Kennedy III was about to become the country's youngest President in years. The city was quite literally full of people, young and old, as vast numbers swarmed to the city to see the moment that the divisions of the last four years were hopefully put aside at last. Not everyone was happy with the result of the election of course, and security had never been tighter in the capital; there were real fears that an assassination attempt might be made by the more right wing elements of society, anxious as they were to strike a blow to the hopes of the liberal minded. The city was in lockdown around Capitol Hill, with whole buildings having been cleared of people, and the windows being guarded by trusted soldiers.

The day was also a huge one for one Trent Nixon; the final draft of his inauguration speech had finally been approved by everyone the night before, and after personally thanking him for his hard work, the man that would be President later that day had invited Trent and Rory to join the party on the steps alongside him as he gave his speech. It was a completely unexpected request, and Trent had no hesitation in accepting, immediately knowing that he had to call his mother ASAP to let her know she would see him on television the following day. Rory was every bit as shocked when Trent told him; he would call his Nana in Ireland the next morning, as the news came too late for him to call her that night. He knew that the moment she hung up, she would be hastily assembling a party in her house so that everyone could watch as her grandson stood behind the man that was taking one of the most important jobs in the world. The television was after all how the majority of their closest friends and family would see the inauguration in any case. Work commitments meant that they could not come to join the throng that had already begun to assemble in the viewing areas before the sun even began to rise. With several hours to go, it was already estimated that the crowds had exceeded those that had been there four years ago…

Trent's friends might have been at work, but as the appointed time approached, none of them were actually doing much work, their focus like everyone else being on the upcoming broadcast from Washington. At Dalton, classes were suspended, and boys and staff alike made their way to a place where they could see the moment that a new hope dawned for their nation. As the hour approached, the big story that was dominating the airwaves was that the outgoing President had refused to honour the age old convention of meeting with his successor at the White House; instead, he had left that job to the outgoing Vice President; it was just another sign of what a sore loser the man in question was. It was widely rumoured that he had attempted to boycott the inauguration too, but he was being forced to attend by the Republican party hierarchy, which had lead to one of his characteristic outbursts on Twitter.

All of that would soon fade into the background when the cameras began to show the size of the crowd that had gathered in the National Mall; they stretched back as far as the eye could see. In New York, Jeff had headed to the Spotlight to watch the event, not wishing to see the moment alone, and yet not wanting to crash on Nick at his office either. He believed that the UN would still be a hive of activity, but even there, in the most international place on the continent, all attention was focused on DC. Work had stopped as everyone wanted to hear the youngest President in decades make his pledge and his address. Nick sat amongst his colleagues, in the knowledge that Trent had played a big part in creating what they were about to hear. As the hour approached on the city, the subway began to empty as only those in urgent need caught a train. Even in the cold of January, crowds had gathered to watch the event on big screens. Wall Street too fell silent, with the traders elsewhere in the world assisting by stopping trading too; indeed, those in Europe headed home early, or like their American counterparts, gathered to watch the moment on television…

The cheering that went up when the official swearing in had been completed was immense, not just in Washington, but in all those public spaces were a global audience viewed with interest. As they carried on with the event, the face of the now ex-President Trump was scarlet, a sign that he was about to lose his temper with those that he felt had betrayed him; the American people. He had ranted out over the last few days about not just heading out of Washington and New York for that matter, but out of the country altogether. He had hinted that he might move to Scotland, the ancestral home of his mother; that prompted a response from the government there that whilst he would be welcome to visit, there was no question of him being allowed to settle there.

All of those plans were made moot all of a sudden, as in a swift movement, some of the FBI men and women that had formerly been assigned to guard him now surrounded him. The crowd could not help but notice, and fell silent almost instantly; that meant that they all heard the words "Donald J Trump, you are under arrest…" What exactly he was being arrested for would remain a mystery for a while as the crowd once more erupted in noise. Many were now jeering at the man who had been so powerful just hours before, but was now being lead away, screaming and ranting, in handcuffs; his wife too was lead away. For Trent, just yards away at the time, there was no doubt as to why he was being arrested. Attempting to destroy the records of his presidency was a sure sign that they contained details of wrongdoing; the two months they had had to comb through those papers had obviously given them enough time to find some, if not all, of the pay dirt. Now that he had been taken away, the new President raised his hand, and the crowd fell silent as they waited to hear what he would say.

The political commentators would later say that his speech was one of the finest delivered since the Second World War; it was one that managed expectations, but still managed to convey the hope that people needed. With each burst of applause from the crowd, Trent's heart swelled just a little more, knowing that his words would be going on file for posterity. He smiled, not in an overexcited way, but just enough. Rory had his hand discretely entwined with his husband's, resisting through doing that the urge to wave at his Nana, who would be holding court in her front room in Clane as she watched. He knew that his mother-in-law would be doing exactly the same, and he was pretty sure that Trent's phone would explode with messages from around the world when he was able to turn it back on.

At the Spotlight, Jeff found himself sitting with Elliott and Dani, Michelle more than able to deal with the one or two people that were actually ordering. Most of the people in the diner were just sitting and watching, clapping from time to time like everyone else. At the UN, Nick said nothing about the fact that he knew the person that had written those eloquent, accessible words, but his heart was bursting with pride for him as he caught the occasional glimpse of him on the screen. At Dalton, Mrs Carmichael had begun to cry early on, and her husband was close, both from the words, and from the knowledge that it was one of their own that had written them. Wherever they were, all those that knew who had written the speech felt so proud and honoured to know Trent, and full of a new hope, as the author had intended.

With the speech delivered, the nation returned to work, with a new sense of a unity of purpose for the first time in a generation or more. The young were no longer willing to sit back and have political decisions thrust upon them by their elders, simply on the grounds that they were older and therefore 'knew better'. That was no longer going to be justification enough, not when that age group had just helped to give the nation four years of daily embarrassments. True, there had been that photo op moment with Kim Jong Un, but there had been so many other people threatened or alienated in the process. The new President had a pile of decrees prepared and ready to be signed on his desk, on subjects ranging from climate change, via trade deals, to infrastructure projects. In the latter, that did not just include road repairs and bridge replacements, but the restoration and indeed increase to the Amtrak budget. The backing of both houses was with him, and for the first time in many years, things might actually get done.

The first media briefing of the new administration was done just yards from where the President had made his speech. They announced that Trump had been arrested on charges of fraud, collusion with a foreign state, and for his attempts to destroy the evidence of it all. The papers that they were still going through revealed new horrors each and every day, and it was considered likely that the majority of his immediate family, save his wife and youngest son, would end up on trial with him. Trent heard every word from his privileged position, having been told to remain where he was by his new bosses. The briefing over, Trent was told the reason why he had been asked to stay; he was charged with preparing a speech for the President to give to the American people that night on the issues; one that would reflect on the serious nature of his crimes, and hinted to the fact that other revelations would be forthcoming. Trent nodded, relishing the challenge; he kissed his husband goodbye, then hurried to his new desk in the West Wing to commence his task. Having achieved success with the big speech, this one did not concern him at all…

In a theatre green room in New York, the cast of _Oklahoma!_ had come together to watch the speech; Sebastian had sat in silence just as Nick was doing on the other side of town, secretly so proud of his friend's achievement. He was helped by the fact that Bette knew who had written the speech too, and had remained as tight lipped as he had been forced to, but still smiling broadly at the man's words. "Well," she said as the ceremony on screen ended, "whoever wrote that speech deserves all the acclaim in the world. It said all that it needed to, and then some, and was easy to understand. I just hope that they know how much we all appreciate that." She winked at Sebastian as she finished, and he made a mental note to text him her praise later on.

As the cast and crew then began to disperse and prepare themselves for that afternoon's matinee, Sebastian's phone began to ring, and checking the caller display, he smiled as he saw his husband's name. He picked up and said, "Hey, my love. Wasn't that just a marvellous speech? Trent has excelled himself…"

"Sebby, that isn't why I am calling," came Dave's voice, interrupting him. There was something in his husband's tone that made Sebastian freeze. "Are you sitting down, and more importantly, are you with someone? If you aren't, then I think it is best you should be…"

"Dave, you are worrying me," Sebastian replied as he hurried along to Bette's dressing room on instinct, and knocked on the door. He walked in, and sat down across from her; the look on his face was all she needed to know that he required her full attention. "Okay, I am with Bette. Please tell me it isn't something bad with my maman, or Jules, or Peter, or…nobody has died, have they?"

"No, no-one has died. I just wanted you to have company when I told you that Caitlin called."

"The surrogate…what's wrong?"

""She's missed her cycle again, and so she took a test at home; then she went to see her doctor, and she had confirmed it this morning. We are expecting, Sebby. She is about 10 weeks pregnant, so we should be parents sometime in August."

"She's… really? This isn't a joke… Really?"

"Really. We are pregnant, Sebby!"

"I'm going, no we are going to be dads… WE'RE GOING TO BE DADS!" Sebastian finished off at the top of his voice, leaving Dave to laugh, and Bette to clap her hands together in delight for them.

"Okay, so calm down," said Dave when he felt it was safe. "We should keep this to ourselves a little while longer - April maybe before we make any kind of announcement to everyone. In the meantime, it is just us, Caitlin, and unless she is deaf, Bette. It is still early days…"

"That is going to be so hard! I want to yell it from the rooftops. We're having a baby…" Sebastian suddenly found his vision blurring as his eyes filled with joyful tears, and then his voice went. Unable to speak, he handed his phone to Bette and let his tears roll. He heard her congratulate Dave, then promise that she would take care of the young man in her dressing room. Sebastian suddenly realised that he had never imagined that the prospect of fatherhood could get him so choked up, but here he was, crying his eyes out… He also knew that regardless of which of the two of them was the bio dad, he would have a child to spoil this Christmas. To be honest, he could not have asked for any better a gift at the start of the year…

As a consummate professional of the Broadway stage, Sebastian did not allow his excitement at the news colour his performances that day; if there did seem to be a special twinkle in his eye, then only Bette knew why it was there, and why he seemed to be performing with a fresh gusto. His steps seemed livelier, and the young lady that was playing Laurie was nearly swept literally off her feet in the dance sequences. The audiences loved every minute of it, and they took their bows to a standing ovation twice. With the shows over, Sebastian remained professional as he went through all the usual motions; he signed autographs at the stage door as always, posing for selfies, but he was glad when he could hurry out to catch his usual train from Penn station. Once he was back in Maplewood though, that all changed, and he virtually sprinted all the way home, and ran through the front door to find Dave waiting for him with his arms open. As they embraced, both of them felt tears begin to flow, as they realised that their dreams of being a family were now coming true. Keeping that fact a secret was going to be difficult for both of them; the next few weeks were going to be stressful as they waited for the time it would be safe to tell their family and friends.

"I remember what I promised you," Sebastian eventually said when words could finally come. "I will love our child regardless of which one of us is the biological father."

"Likewise; they will always be ours, and a part of someone that we love so very much."

"But, when we do find out who the father is, then if we try again…"

"Not if, Sebby, when…"

"Okay, when we try again, then it is the other one of us that provides the necessary…"

"…as we agreed. But we will stop with two. Two is the right number."

"Unless this child happens to be twins," quipped Sebastian. Dave laughed at that, then nodded in agreement. Life suddenly seemed all the better for both of them with this news…

At breakfast the following morning, the phone rang, and Sebastian got up to answer it. It was the secretary at NYADA, apologising profusely for calling him at such an early hour, but Carmen had expressed a desire to see him in the early afternoon, if that was at all possible. Sebastian laughed at that statement, knowing that with the Dean of NYADA, such a request meant that you went, regardless of what you might have had planned for the day. He arranged that he would be at the school at 2pm, then returned to his original plan for the morning, which was spending quality time with his husband, before he too had to head to his work that afternoon. They enjoyed an early lunch together, then headed their separate ways to the roles that paid their bills.

He was just on time in arriving at NYADA, a combination of a signal failure at Secaucus Junction and a late running train on the subway. He smiled at the students that recognised him as he passed by, enjoying every moment of the fame that he had in those hallowed halls. He was waved straight into Carmen's office, and after a quick knock at the door, he entered…

The first surprise was that Carmen was not alone. Sitting on the opposite side of her desk from her was Santana, who looked just as surprised to see him there. "Ah, Mr Smythe, right on schedule," said Carmen with a smile. "I am guessing that is due to the vagaries of the New Jersey Transit. Hopefully our new President will find the necessary funds to deliver better signalling, and even the new tunnels under the Hudson that are so badly needed. Please take a seat, and then I can explain why I have summoned both of you here to meet me today."

"That would be good; much as I love having a chance to catch up with my favourite Meerkat, I do have things that I should be doing at the theatre," said Santana testily.

"It is the same for me," added Sebastian. "Satan and I have both made our way here at short notice, believing that it was for a one on one chat. I would like to know what you are up to…"

"And know it you shall," replied Carmen. "Firstly, I would like to say how proud I am of both of you, having risen to the challenges of being in a lead role on Broadway. You are both such an inspiration to so many of the students here, proof that they can achieve their dreams."

"If this is going to be a request to come and teach a master class of some sort, then I would need to check my schedule first," interrupted Sebastian.

Carmen frowned at him over her glasses, and he felt duly chastened. "It wasn't, although that idea does have some merit nonetheless. No, this meeting is to discuss with you your next moves career wise. You have both been in your current roles for a year or so now, and your audiences remain good; however, very few shows have an unending run, and those that do regularly change their casts. That is why you both need to think of your next role. I have a suggestion as to what those should be, and before I make it, I would like to point out that I have discussed the idea at length with several very influential people. They all agreed with me; a show in which the two of you star together would be an ideal scenario, and a money spinner. I have made a suggestion as to what that show should be, and I have secured potential backers."

Santana looked at Sebastian, then asked the question that was on both their minds. "So, what show do you think that the two of us could work in together?"

"One from which you have already sung a number together; one that was critical in getting both of you a place here at NYADA. I have proposed that the two of you star in a new revival of _Cabaret…_ "

Santana and Sebastian turned to look at each other for a moment, before they turned back to give full attention to the Dean of NYADA. "So you really think that the two of us should be in a show with each other? Do you honestly think that working together for eight performances a week would not bring us close to committing murder?" said Santana, before turning to Sebastian and saying, "No offence meant, but…"

"None taken, and ditto. I mean, we do get on together well enough these days, and the insults we trade are more playful than meant with the venom they once had, but that could all change in the blink of an eye in the confines of a theatre," continued Sebastian.

"I think that you both seriously underestimate yourselves on that score. I see before me two young people for whom professionalism on the stage is the key; for you, the thing that matters is the show. I know of several big hits of recent years where the leads had to be given dressing rooms at opposite ends of the theatre; that had the situation where the only words that they ever spoke to each other were those in the script. The audiences never found out, and the interviews they gave were stage managed to make all appear sweetness and light. So before you dismiss the idea out of hand, please hear me out." Carmen paused, waiting for a comment, but when none came, she went on. "I am suggesting a limited run of at most six months; just long enough to let the world see what I did on that night at the memorial. Two performers with brilliant timing, and an almost psychic ability to be aware of all the other is thinking and doing. Two voices that work so well with each other, blending in a harmony that few do so easily. Yes, it will be unconventional, and so will my staging. After all, who is to say where Emcee is from - Germany or America? And just because Sally Bowles lived in Chelsea, who is to say that it was the one in London? After all, we do have an area of that name here too."

"That much is true, so it would be possible to portray her as a New Yorker. In my opinion though, Emcee would still have to be a Berliner," mused Sebastian.

"That sounds like you are actually contemplating saying yes to this scheme, Meerkat," hissed Santana.

"Well, yes, why not? After all, I am a professional Broadway star, able to put all my issues and misgivings aside to ensure that the show can go ahead. I will however only consider doing it if you are my co-star. There is no-one else that can hold a candle to you for flair and talent…"

As Sebastian winked at her, Santana continued to scowl, and huffed at his words. "I suppose that we could consider Miss Rose for the part, or even Miss Berry…" mused Carmen, ignoring the look of horror on Sebastian's face at the mention of the second name.

"Marley would never be able to vamp it up in the way that I can; her voice is wonderful, but would I ever believe she was a hard-bitten cabaret artiste? No! And as for Rachel, there are a billion and one reasons why she wouldn't work. If you bring in either of them to perform my part, then the show will flop!" snapped Santana.

"Your part, Ms Pierce-Lopez?" said Carmen, with just a hint of a smile. "Does that mean it is a yes from you too?" Sebastian promptly burst out laughing as he realised the same thing that Santana was at that moment; Carmen had just played her, and she had won…

Afterwards, the two of them walked together in the direction of the subway which would take them both uptown to the respective theatres for their shows. "I hate that she can do that to me," groaned Santana. "She is the only person in the world that can get through my defences, with the exception of my wife, but that case is unique and different."

"Oh, she is good, and you have to admit it. She knows exactly what your kryptonite is, and the minute she put it out and said the word Rachel…"

"She knew I would bite."

"For which I am grateful, because the idea of spending six months in the company of that lady is enough for me to consider giving up theatre altogether and becoming an accountant. Admit it, the show does actually sound fun, and working together should be okay. Of course, they will need to make sure they have a very good understudy for me…"

"Why? Are you planning to be sick or something in the middle of the run?" said Santana with a grin, but then she caught sight of the expression on Sebastian's face; an expression which indicated to her that he had said too much… "Hmm… Right, you had better spill what is going on right now, or I will call Carmen here and now, and tell her that I have had second thoughts, but you will quite happily work with Rachel on a nightly basis instead…"

"You wouldn't dare!"

Santana pulled out her phone, and in a low voice said, "They didn't nickname me Satan for nothing. Still, it is up to you…"

"Okay, but you have to promise me that you will not repeat this to anyone, not even your wife. Dave would kill me for breaking our promise not to say anything to anyone," whispered Sebastian, and the pain in his expression broke Santana's heart just a little.

"Okay, I promise. Whatever it is stays between us…"

"Our surrogate is expecting. We found out yesterday, but it is still such early days, and we don't want to jinx things…"

"I can only say that I am pleased for the pair of you, and I promise that I will act as surprised as everyone else when you break the news," she replied quietly, placing a hand over his.

"Thanks. You really don't deserve to be called Satan, you know…not all the time." Santana just smiled back at him, whilst in her heart she felt just a twinge of jealousy at the prospect of him being a father; after all, she was starting to feel ready to be a mom herself…

By the time that they reached their respective theatres, the whole country was in the grip of an excitement that had not been seen in years. It was not because there was a major presidential announcement on the future of the nation to be heard; no, it was more the fact that a joint press conference between the FBI and the CIA had been scheduled for that afternoon over what charges had been placed at the door of the previous President after his very public arrest the previous day. Some people had been more in the loop than others, and that had of course included the staff in the West Wing. Trent was amongst the first to be informed as they were only in the position they were in because of his reputation for honesty and his quick thinking; otherwise, all of the evidence would probably have been reduced to ashes. He was of course sworn to the strictest of secrecy, not even allowed to say anything to Rory or Burt about what the truth was. All around the capital, the political rumour mill had of course gone into overdrive, with claim and counter claim being made everywhere. The press conference, when it came, confirmed the original charges of fraud and collusion with a foreign power; there was some damning evidence in the files as to how far it had actually gone. There was also now a lot of evidence that all of the problems he had produced from his trade wars had actually benefited close friends in various sectors, and most of them had paid him back in cash or shares for the benefit that they had gained. Those people that were behind all of those backhanded dealings were now themselves subject to investigation, and in two cases, had been arrested.

The NRA was found to be tied in to many of the worst charges on the sheet, and it was seen as highly likely that most of its key players would end up on the stand with the man that had been President. After all of those announcements, the nation was ready to hear more, and in a carefully timed move, the current President would give an address with his Vice President at his side. After all, the process of repairing the damage and healing the wounds of the last four years needed to begin that afternoon, and many of the things that would be said would be huge. Trent had written the initial draft of the speech first thing, and had then spent the rest of the day revising it, responding to the constructive criticism of his seniors, particularly the man that would actually make it. Even as he handed it over as the cameras were about to roll, he still felt that all of it was just a very long and vivid dream, and that any moment now, he would wake up on the couch at home, with a hangover, and find it was the day after the election again…


	119. Snow and a Rash Moment

**Snow and a Rash Moment.**

The country would enter February 2021 with the promise of a new order; one of the first tasks facing the new President was overseeing a change to the way that the Supreme Court was organised. The idea that someone was elected for life was an outdated one, and a bill was waiting to be submitted at the first opportunity to the house which would restrict the term of a judge to five years before they had to face re-election. That way there could be a reflection of the way that the nation was changing and would also mean that justices that had failed in their duty could be removed.

There was also a promise that the new government would treat the heartlands better, and would ensure that the kind of prosperity seen on the east and west coasts came to even the smallest of settlements in the Dakotas. There was to be an unprecedented investment in agriculture, to ensure that the nation had access to good quality, affordable, safe food. There would be new and upgraded infrastructure to ensure it got to markets faster, and a new system of subsidies and payments to bolster the incomes of the smallest of farmers, which would in turn help the economy of the small towns nearby. Communication networks were also to be upgraded to ensure that the best internet speeds were available everywhere, which would allow access to high tech jobs and services from even the remotest of spots, ending it was hoped the drain of the younger generation to the coasts.

Similar high levels of investment would be made in healthcare and transportation, in an attempt to reduce the nations dependence on the car and indeed, air travel. The arts would also benefit, and the public broadcasting system, which had struggled on in the face of death by a thousand cuts would be restored and revived to the standard the nation deserved. As the President had said in his speech,

"A civilised nation is judged not just by its victories in war and conflicts, not by the great and good men and women it produces, nor by the size and scale of its economy. No, a civilised nation is judged by the culture that it protects and promotes, and the degree of humanity with which it treats all of its peoples. I pledge today that we will restore our nations humanity and compassion; we will listen to you, and we will learn. We cannot after all properly govern the people if we ignore the input from all of the people. You have told those of us now in Washington DC what you want to see, and we will do our utmost to ensure that you are given what you want."

Even as people listened, they all knew that in reality the promises would take some time to deliver, but with the Democrats now in the majority in both of the houses, the President's programme would have a much easier progress. They also accepted that there would have to be tax increases to pay for it all, but it was clear now that those interventions had to be made for the good of everyone. They did not want to see sections of their nation's highways collapse due to poor maintenance, as had happened in Genoa in 2018; they wanted to see the repair backlog dealt with, and that would cost. Above all, they had to protect the future of the next generation of Americans. There was no place any longer for the selfish attitudes of the past. If they wanted a good safe country to live in for themselves, their children and their grandchildren, then they had to make small sacrifices of their own. A secure future was essential, and for the first time in years, it now seemed possible. That feeling of safety was one reason why away from work, both Trent and Rory had decided to hasten on with their plans for surrogacy…

February was of course the shortest month of the year, and for once it passed without any major event disturbing the peaceful life of the group of friends from Ohio. True, there were still those little moments when events in the outside world intruded into their lives and created problems, not least of which was when a major blizzard blanked the whole of the north eastern United States with two foot of snow just after Valentine's Day. Even the middle of the major cities found themselves dealing with a foot of the white stuff, and the hustle and bustle of daily life was stilled as the traffic vanished, stopped on the orders of the politicians for the safety of everyone. In New York, only those parts of the subway that were below the ground functioned, minus the express trains, so that the greatest numbers of people could be catered for. Nick woke up to the scene of winter outside the window, and hastened through his morning routine, before much against his husband's wishes, he left home to battle his way to work; he was fully aware that the needs of the rest of the world would not diminish or vanish just because one metropolis was partly paralysed.

When he arrived at the UN, twenty minutes late despite the fact that he had left home nearly an hour earlier than normal, it was to find an almost empty building, his feet echoing in the corridors that normally were buzzing with conversations in a myriad of languages. His own department was even worse; it was the Marie Celeste. He found himself entirely on his own, making him, in theory at least, the senior human rights lawyer that the world could turn to in a crisis - and that fact scared him. He checked his own mail first, after switching on the coffee machine, then having done so, he accessed the mail that had been sent to the department in general, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw no major global crisis alert on the screen. There were updates on a couple of ongoing problems, and he read through them carefully. Then he opened a few others that looked simplest of all, and answered them as best as he could, stating that the senior staff were absent due to the weather first, then giving them a list of the options they had in his opinion. He did have to check up on a few legal codes that he was unfamiliar with in the process, but he was proud of the fact that by the time he stopped for a later than usual lunch, he had resolved some of the smaller issues…

Ethan, Beats and Flint had also managed to make it into work; Leo, Flint's cousin had accompanied Beats to the MTA offices, as he knew his external job site would be as deserted as all the others that day. In every case, they discovered that the more senior staff were absent; this was down to the fact that they lived out in the outermost suburbs, which might as well be on an other planet at the moment, with the road network closed and public transport outside the five boroughs being non-existent.

That fact had not stopped some of the more determined folks in the suburbs from reaching the city; in other cases, they had not even gone home the night before. Santana had taken a few days off work, so it was only Sebastian that had hurried through the falling snow to Penn Station the previous night to board the usual post theatre train to Maplewood; it had managed to get as far as Secaucus Junction before it stopped. After an hour of not going anywhere, Sebastian had accepted the grim reality that he was not going to get home that night, and that he was facing the prospect of having to hunker down on a New Jersey Transit train with all the other late workers. He had decided to get up and get a breath of air, stepping off the train into the cold night air, and that was how he had heard the announcement that there was a city bound train approaching on the other side of the island platform. He dashed over, and climbed aboard. The train was caked in snow and ice, but was soon on the move again, albeit slowly, leaving the station behind…

Sebastian called Dave to let him know that he would not be home that night as he was on a train back to the city, which made his husband relieved, as he had been picturing him trying to sleep on a train. As the train crawled towards the tunnel, he caught glimpses of other trains on the opposite track, going nowhere fast. Just before he headed into the tunnel below the Hudson and lost signal, Sebastian made another call to an old friend that he knew would probably be awake at what was now almost 1am to ask if he could come and sleep on their couch. After a long trudge along an almost completely deserted 34th Street, Sebastian found himself entering the street he had lived on for so long, and after a few more minutes, was knocking quietly on Cooper's front door. His old landlord came to let him in, and hurried him through to the kitchen, where there was a pot of hot soup waiting for him. As he tucked in gratefully, Sebastian watched with a smile as Cooper took Devon back into his arms, his son now almost asleep. All that meant though was that it would soon be time for Lily to wake up…

No-one was at all surprised when the theatres began to announce the cancellation of the matinee shows initially; the bigger surprise was that some of the shows would actually be going ahead, albeit with understudies in place and fewer people in the chorus as a result; _Evita, Oklahoma!_ and _Book of Mormon_ soldiered on, testament to the calibre of their casts, and the houses were busy; those that were unable to attend due to the weather had left open seats for others whose original shows had been called off, or who could not make their travel plans. In any case, life in the city was starting to get back to the normal rhythm as best as it could be early afternoon. The storm had past, and as the snow was no longer falling, the authorities could begin to deal with it effectively.

When Nick had heard the voice of Miss Worthington talking to someone on her phone as he ate his lunch at his desk just after 2pm, he had smiled; she had just shaken her head and smiled right back when he had headed along to her office shortly thereafter to tell her all that he had accomplished that morning on his own. As the plows reopened the roads, the city began to open up; the bigger stores were trading not long after 2pm, with reduced staffing levels. Some of the banks had opened up too, and the coffee shops and drug stores that had helped keep the heart and soul of the city alive were no longer the only places that were available to eat and drink. By the time that Miss Worthington virtually frog-marched Nick out of the door at 4pm, he found that his walk back to Grand Central for the subway was along now cleared sidewalks, and his journey home was almost the same length as on a normal day, albeit on a quieter subway system. Jeff had dinner prepared for him, and as they ate, Nick was regaled with the story of the fun day he and little Wes had had building snowmen in the back yard, as Caleb looked at them as if they were quiet mad…

By the time that the theatre's ended their shows that evening, there was good news for the casts; having resigned himself to having to sleep on Cooper's couch again, Sebastian almost kissed the stage doorman when he announced that the trains to New Jersey were up and running again. He hurried to the station again, and caught a train, which he had almost to himself, back to Maplewood, where his husband was waiting to welcome him back with open arms…

By the time the end of the month came, both Santana and Sebastian had received their official scripts for _Cabaret_ , and had begun the process of studying them at home; there was naturally a lot more to it than _Money, Money_ and the important thing for both of them was that they made it work as a show; they did not want it to appear as just an opportunistic vehicle launched on the back of their current success in musical theatre. On the train to and from work, Sebastian had taken to listening to the soundtrack album that the original cast had recorded, concentrating naturally on the songs that Joel Grey had recorded. He could emphasis with the terrible story behind the song _Tomorrow Belongs to Me_ ; in fact, he could almost picture the singer that would eventually drown him out as a brown shirted Hunter Clarington. That gave him the parallel with real life that he needed to get the emotional feel, which he would use to create his character's expressions.

As for Santana, she had bitten the bullet and headed back to NYADA, to ask for some help with developing the more interesting choreography from Cassandra July. She knew about Carmen's plans, and was only too happy to assist Santana with learning the legendary dance with the chair for her part as Sally Bowles. She was the only other person that knew what was going on at the moment; neither of them had told their other halves, and Sebastian had not mentioned anything to his Aunt Bette. If she did have any inkling, as she so often did, she said nothing to him about it, other than to comment that he should think about looking for a new role soon. She knew that despite the popularity of _Oklahoma!_ It would not have the kind of sustained long term run that shows like _Phantom of the Opera_ or _Book of Mormon_ could. Even if it could have, he needed to avoid being tied down and typecast. What Sebastian was also unaware of was that Bette herself had begun to put out feelers for him, and the role that she pictured him in in the future was a million miles away from the world of musical theatre…

The first cast read through was to be in mid March; before that, Cooper would have the first read through for his own new role. The announcement that he was returning to the Broadway stage in a straight role had raised a handful of eyebrows, some wondering if CJ Hummel-Warbler could pull off such a major role in a serious show; others wondered if the show could be turned into something more contemporary, and instead of having a murderer on trial, it could be all about a case of serious political corruption. It was only at this point that Cooper was finally told the names of all of his co-stars, and he discovered that he was going to be sharing a stage with some of the biggest names in the acting world. People that he had admired on the screen as an aspiring actor would now be colleagues, and that left him more than a little anxious as he walked into the first of the read throughs….

As it happened, when Jake Gyllenhall and Stephen Amell arrived, they were the ones to make the first approach, and tell him how much they admired and respected his work; he was left more than a little shell-shocked by that, thinking that they would hardly know his name, let alone have seen him acting in both of his Broadway shows. It would be the former that he would be spending most time with, as Gyllenhall was playing the only other juror whose name was made known by the end of the show. As was inevitable, there was a moment when the press appeared, and a photo of the three of them ended up online. The response was very positive, but there was also a request made directly to Cooper by Julian Smythe. He wondered if he could obtain Stephen Amell's autograph for him, as Peter's favourite superhero after _The Flash_ was _The Arrow._ Cooper smiled, and decided that he would ask Isabelle about the possibility of an interview in _Vogue_ with him and his two much more famous co-stars; she could always bring her stepson with her to the meeting…

It was almost exactly a week later when the cast of the new run of _Cabaret_ came together for the first time; in this case though, the two big stars were Santana and Sebastian, and neither of them had to take starry eyed photos. As an icebreaker, the two of them recreated their version of _Money, Money_ , exactly as it had been sung on a November night at the Spotlight Diner so many years ago. The chemistry was still there, as indeed were the moves, and the applause they were rewarded with at the end was genuine. The cast was a mix of young actors, not long graduated in many cases and anxious for their first taste of Broadway, and old stalwarts who had so much knowledge and experience to share. The most important thing was that they all gelled in their parts, and on that there was no ground for complaint.

Sebastian was glad to see that the young actor that would take the part of the Nazi singer in _Tomorrow Belongs to Me_ was a shy, blond haired, blue eyed boy, still in his senior year at drama school, and slightly in awe of meeting him. He reflected that he had not been that much older himself in that golden summer when he had wowed the world with his show saving performance. His voice was just right too, and to Sebastian's ears, it did sound quite uncannily like Hunter's…

Santana's fellow chorus girls were a diverse mixture, all of them with the talent and drive needed to perform the show eight times a week. She recognised a couple of them as NYADA students; people that she had actually taught before she had been so lucky and had taken the part of Eva Peron. The fact that she found herself signing autographs though did make her blush, and the same was true in the case of Sebastian. The only thing it did make them feel, in a bad way, was their age…

As that first read through had been held on a Monday, neither Sebastian or Santana had to hurry to their respective shows when they finished up; however, they both knew that if they headed home to Maplewood now at just after 5.30pm, it would involve standing for most if not all of the way home on an overcrowded train, as the exodus of office workers from the city was in full swing. "As I see it," said Sebastian, "we could head down to the old Spotlight for a couple of hours to get a bite to eat, which comes with the risk that we might find ourselves waiting tables or having to sing for our supper in the process, or we could try and find somewhere closer to Penn Station and eat there in relative peace. I am of course assuming that you have no other plans and are prepared to share a dinner table with me."

"I was considering suggesting that we could head to the Spotlight as well, but the more that I think about it, and factor in just how busy the subway will be at this time of night as we head downtown to reach it, then your plan B is all the more attractive. As for having dinner with you, that is no issue; we can always sit and bitch about our new co-stars," replied Santana with a grin.

"That sounds fun, but it rules out Sardis or anywhere else within a five block radius of the theatre district," Sebastian answered with a smirk of his own. "I guess that we could head to the place that Thad always seems to organise an outing of Warblers to when he is in town; the Heartland Brewery. It is on 34th at 5th, so just a few blocks from our trains home, and they do have pretty good food; not a patch on the Spotlight naturally, but good enough. I will even pay…"

"As a strong, independent woman, I should naturally take offence at that and say that I will pay, or that we should go dutch; but hey, I was also told never to look a gift horse in the mouth. What say you pay for the food, and I will pay for the drinks?"

"It's a deal," Sebastian replied, then started to chuckle. Santana just looked at him for a moment, wondering what the joke was, then he said, "I was just imaging our high school selves looking at the pair of us right now, and wondering what the hell happened, given how much we detested even the sight of each other back then…"

"I sometimes so ask myself that question," Santana responded. "I guess that I realised that you weren't a completely spoilt prep school boy, and that we were actually fairly similar in some ways. Also, I am less of a bitch now than I was back in Ohio. It is far too much effort…"

A short while later and they had both eaten the generous plates of food put before them, and were finishing up their drinks. "So, how is the biggest of all secrets getting on? Everything still going according to plan?" asked Santana.

"Yes; mother and baby are both doing fine, but I have to admit that I still worry constantly that something might go wrong. To be honest, it would devastate me if something was to happen now that jeopardised our happiness, and Dave would be ten times worse; I have caught him looking at baby clothes online, and he is talking about decorating the nursery…"

"I am sure that everything will go okay, and you and Dave will soon be enjoying what Cooper and Grace do every night - I mean of course night feeds and diaper changing. If I am being totally honest though, I wouldn't mind having those kind of problems myself…."

"Honestly?" said Sebastian, unable to hide the note of surprise in his voice. "I always thought that of the two of you, it would be Brittany that was desperate to have children of her own."

"Oh, she is, trust me, but she has a substitute of a kind in all of her cats, whereas all that I want is to hold a little someone in my arms and be able to say that they are mine. Of course, my child will take after me in all respects…"

"Well, that will make your life very interesting when they become a teenager," quipped Sebastian, and luckily for him, Santana just laughed.

"If your child turns out to be like you, Meerkat, I would also pity you and Dave," she responded in kind.

"True," said Sebastian with a smile. "Now of course, a child with my talents and your looks, or vice versa, would be pretty formidable. They would know instinctively how to handle themselves around bullies, how to wrap their teachers around their little finger, and generally wow the whole world with their total awesomeness…"

"Or get the worst of both of us, and end up hanging around in the wrong kind of bars, making more than a few potentially catastrophic mistakes in their live that would leave us both pulling our hair out."

Sebastian shook his head, and wagged his finger at her. "Now stop being such a pessimist, Satan. Our child would be a prodigy! In fact, it hardly seems fair to deny the world the joy that the combining of our DNA would bring. I will be your donor if you want; send you round the necessary in a jiffy bag…" He began to laugh, but quickly it stopped when he realised that he was laughing on his own.

"You would do that? Be my donor? Meerkat, that is the kindest offer that anyone has ever made to me! It does make sense when you think about it, as we live so close to each other, so it would be easy to get all the necessary, as you put it, sorted. I accept! Obviously I will need to talk to Brittany about it, and you should talk to Dave to see that they are both okay with the idea, but yes, I accept!"

As Santana beamed at him, Sebastian said nothing; he smiled, but largely out of fear. He was now in quite the quandary. He had intended the idea of being her donor as a joke, thinking she would laugh then say not in a million years. Now however, he also knew that the wrath of Satan would know no bounds if he said that was his intention. He now had a very interesting chat with Dave in the near future, and his reaction would be very interesting too… He suddenly looked up, across the shoulders of a now beaming Santana - and that was a scary sight - to see Wes standing there, his arms folded across his chest, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. However, the angelic man was smiling, and there was something in Sebastian's head that told him that just maybe, this had actually been meant to take place…

Sebastian spent his train journey home that night dreading his husband's reaction. He had no choice other than to come clean the moment that he got home, as he knew that Santana would tell Brittany that night, and once she heard, it might only be seconds later that she was on her way over to thank him. As if she had been reading his thoughts, Santana stopped him at the point that there paths home diverged and said "I do want to go home and tell me wife exactly what you have offered to do for us right now, but I will resist the temptation and give you a little bit of time… I will tell her at breakfast tomorrow, which gives you a bit of a head start."

"Of one night, Santana! What if Dave is dead set against the idea when I tell him about it?"

"Then I will have to have a word with him then; I can be very persuasive when I need to be, and can make people see my point of view…" She laughed at the look of horror on Sebastian's face as he pictured her persuading Dave with the legendary razor blades in her hair. "I am only joking, Meerkat. I have a funny feeling that he will be okay with it all, once he has told you off about saying you will do stuff like this without talking to him first."

"You think?" asked Sebastian.

Santana replied with a wink, and the words, "We will be having breakfast around 7.30am… I would expect a visitor around 8am…" With that she headed off towards her home, leaving Sebastian standing on the sidewalk, shaking his head and groaning internally at what he had just got himself into.

"She is probably right; I think that he should be okay with it," came a voice, and Sebastian turned to see that Wes was now standing at his side. "Okay, so I know that you did not mean it seriously when you said it, but when you consider it, is it such a bad thing? A child born between the two of you will certainly be a strong one, blessed with all the positive attributes that the two of you possess; tenacity, drive and talent."

"But what if instead of all of that, our child gets all the bad stuff? The nasty streak, the ruthless nature, the need for pranks and revenge? It would be akin to creating a monster!"

"I think that in the process of creating a child, there is a lot of nature, but just as much nurture at play. Can you honestly see any child that was reared, for want of a better term, by Brittany, being anything other than sweet natured? Also, before you start saying I should look at Hunter, consider Jeff; he had the same biological parents, and yet he ended up as such a well balanced soul, because of how the Sterlings brought him up. Your child will not be going out there and starting World War III; if there is a child, of course. Now, would you like me to come with you and help explain all of this to your husband?"

Sebastian smiled, and said, "You would come and do that as well… Thank you, Wes, but no. I created the situation on my own, and I need to deal with the aftermath on my own too…"

As it happened, both Santana and Wes were correct; Dave listened, shook his head, then laughed. "I honestly can't believe you sometimes, Sebby. You actually thought you could make a joke with Santana about being her donor…? That was asking for trouble, given what you have just told me about the strength of her desire to have a child. Well, the two of you can deal with the whole process yourself, but if and when you do succeed, they will still be a part of our little family, albeit on the quiet. After all, Santana is not expecting the two of us to live with them in some kind of co-parenting commune?"

"Don't even suggest that in jest!" exclaimed Sebastian. "You, me, Santana, Brittany, our children and all of those cats… it is a nightmarish vision from hell! I am assuming that we will just be 'uncles' and nothing more, and I am fine with that. We will have our hands full with our own little family. So, you really don't mind - because if you do, then I can call Santana right now and tell her…"

"Sebastian, I am very attached to my head, so it is just as well that I am okay with all of this, even if you should have asked me first. Frankly, I think decapitation would be the mildest of the treatments she would meet out to me if I said no. You have my blessing to go ahead…"

It was actually just prior to 8am the next day when a knock at the front door was followed by footsteps stampeding through the hallway, and Sebastian found himself wrapped in Brittany's arms, being showered with kisses. Dave stood by and tried his best not to laugh out loud, but then was rather startled to hear Brittany state that she had posted the news that he was the best birdie ever on Facebook so everyone would know what he was doing. A swift check brought the news that she had meant every word, and the whole of their circle of friends now knew that Sebastian had agreed to be Santana's donor.

At that point there was no response; within an hour, that had all changed. Several of the responses revolved around the fact that they should all start to pray now; David had gone one better and had actually attached a link to the theme music from the film _The Omen_. "He would not dare to be so brave if he wasn't in Boston," Sebastian had commented through gritted teeth.

Jeff and Nick had both posted very positive comments though, wishing them all the best, and wondering who the child would live with. Sebastian smiled at their warm wishes, and remarked, "I knew there was a reason that I loved those two."

"Just remember that they also have a son that they don't want to end up as an orphan Sebby," pointed out Dave, and much as he hated to admit it, Sebastian could see there was an element of truth there. His love for the two of them further diminished when he arrived at the theatre that afternoon to find a parcel from his two friends waiting in his dressing room. He opened it and found to his horror that it contained a quantity of small reusable tubs, several jiffy bags, and much to his disgust, something that was labelled helpfully as a turkey baster…

The fact that he had still been holding it with a look of total disgust on his face when Bette walked in to greet him would go down as one of those moments in his life that he would rather forget, and one moment that she would not. She was of course all for the idea, saying that the child that was created between the two of them would be born to be a Broadway star, given the amount of talent that it would inherit. "I would hope that I would still be around to witness their opening night, or at least be invited to their school shows, darling boy…"

"That will be down to Santana; after all, this child will be raised by her and Brittany, with just the occasional visit from Uncle Sebastian on his days off," he replied, as he finally managed to put the turkey baster down, a shiver running through him as he imagined where it was supposed to go.

"Well I am sure that when your own child comes along, you will make an excellent father to them anyway. I saw it in the way that you acted when your nephew was missing in L.A. You would have sacrificed everything, including your own life, just to ensure that he was safe, and that is one of the things that a good parent would do." she took his hand and squeezed it, and he smiled.

"Well, it won't be all that long until we see whether that is true or not; sometimes the prospect scares me, the next I just want them to be here!"

"That is perfectly normal; I have noticed how broody you seem, and how you gravitate towards other people's children, given half the chance. I think that this child will be one of the luckiest in the world…"

Sebastian smiled, but could only think that the luckiest person in the world was him; after all he had done over the years, he had found his happy place, and everything was coming up roses for him…


	120. The Start of New Families

**The Start of New Families.**

The next few weeks were particularly hectic ones for Sebastian Smythe. He had his current role to play eight times a week; he had readings and rehearsals to begin on his next one; and on top of that he had moments such as the one when Brittany called him at 4am to tell him that it was the perfect time, and could he bring round a donation in a jiffy bag as soon as possible… The ringing of his phone had woken Dave up, and when he told him why they had been called, his husband had laughed long and loud. Sebastian did not; he just looked at him until his laughter died down, then pointed out with a wink that he wouldn't mind a hand in the process, if he wasn't too busy… It was almost 5am by the time that he was walking up the path to Santana and Brittany's place, intending to just post it through the door and ring the bell; instead he found the latter waiting for him on the threshold. The whole thing was extremely unnerving, and he left as quickly as he could, the whole affair having reminded him of that horrible looking thing for the turkey… He made a note of the date when he returned home, knowing that he could expect another call in around 4 weeks, although hopefully at a more respectable hour, unless he was very lucky indeed…

Before that event came along, he also had the joy of a trip with Dave and the surrogate to the doctor's office for another check up; with all still well, and the twenty week mark having been passed, they agreed that they could finally go public with the news, and that the best way to do so was in the most modern of ways. He made a point of calling both his parents and his brother first to share the news, whilst Dave called his own father; they were all delighted at the news. Then with all of the most important people in his life told first hand, including Peter, he posted the most recent sonogram image on Facebook for his friends to see, with the simple caption "Due in August…"

Nick and Jeff were on the phone to him less than a minute after the post was made, offering their warmest congratulations, and a loan of all of the parenting books they had acquired when little Wes was expected. Trent and Rory were not that far behind them in offering their best; when at the end of the conversation Trent whispered to him that he should look out for something similar on their Facebook page very soon, Sebastian felt a warm glow spread through him at the realisation that very soon all of the musketeers would be fathers. He guessed that Trent had also been sworn to silence as he and Dave had been, and he said nothing further on the matter.

Messages quickly built up on his post too, all of them congratulating them on their impending fatherhood, even that from David on this occasion. He would however later admit to Thad that his initial intended message had been spotted by Mercedes just before he posted it, and she had threatened to have him locked alone in a room with Santana if he did not delete at once the reference to the fact that Sebastian being the father of two children was surely one of the first signs of the end of Western Civilisation.

Thad accepted the news from New Jersey with a smile, but it only served to remind him that he was never going to feel the wealth of emotions that came with finding out that you were going to be a father himself. He went for a walk on his own after the last classes of the day were over, giving himself time to think; on his return to the school, it was to the sight of Mrs Carmichael returning from town with a bag full of wool, which made him smile as he thought of all the tiny articles of clothing she would be knitting again…

The only person that was not overjoyed on Facebook was Brittany, who felt that it wasn't fair of Sebastian to be having two babies at the same time. Santana was able to console her a little by pointing out that the baby in the picture could well have Dave as its father. In private, she hoped that would indeed be the case, as it would make things a lot easier if she did happen to fall pregnant through their attempts if her child was the only one he was father to…

The month of May was upon the world all too soon after that, and with it came the first real signs of the benefits of the new order in the government of the nation. The first works were started on the new rail tunnels below the Hudson that would double the number of tracks between New Jersey and Penn Station, using a tunnel boring machine that had been brought over from England, where it had been instrumental in constructing new rail routes underneath the heart of London. The unions were not exactly pleased with its arrival, as it meant less jobs and a new way of doing things, but the simple facts had been stated by the government; the works were urgent, as the old tunnels would soon need to be closed for repair, so the old order had to change if the city was to carry on working as normal.

This was not the only rail project in New York, as a delighted Beats was finding out. The month had seen the opening at long last of the long awaited East Side Access project, and the first trains had begun to arrive from Long Island at Grand Central Terminal. The planners were now talking about building another curve below the city streets, using the machine, which would allow trains from New Jersey to access the great terminal at 42nd Street too; in addition to that, there was a plan to build a new station on the existing line under 34th Street near Second Avenue, to provide a new interchange there with the new subway line, allowing the commuter load to be spread far more evenly than before. The MTA was beginning to dust off projects that it had designed then consigned to storage as the funds just were not there, among them the idea of running the '7' Train through to Secaucus Junction, and even all the way to Meadowlands Stadium on game days; the long awaited subway link to La Guardia Airport, and even of a through train from JFK to the heart of the city via the LIRR…

With all of this going on, Beats found his working life busier than ever, and the same was true of his fellow MTA employee, Flint's cousin Leo. In spite of all of that, he had managed to find time to meet a nice girl; that he had done so at the synagogue he attended from time to time with Flint, Izzy and Ethan had been a surprise, but they all liked her. She was from a very nice family, and the two made an excellent match; so much so, that everyone predicted wedding bells in their future…

They were ringing at home for Beats too, although not with himself and Elliott, but with the latter's brother. Josh had come home one night and announced that he and his long term boyfriend Scott had decided to get engaged, and that they intended to get married as soon as possible, having decided that they were perfectly matched. It had not come as a real shock to anyone, but the speed with which they wanted to get married did worry some. On top of that, they had decided that when they married, they wanted to move out, and given the amount that they could afford between them for rent, Elliott was concerned about just what kind of area they would end up living in.

As so often seemed to be the case for the circle of friends, fate was on their side. Isabelle had decided that she no longer needed her little place in town; as a mother, she no longer did the same number of late nights she once had, and when she was out late, she always wanted to head back home. At the same time, she did not want to sell up, just find a reliable tenant. The rent she had decided to ask was low, and it was close to the West Village without being right next door, something that Josh and Scott wanted. With Sebastian acting as an intermediary, an approach was made, and within a few days, there was no longer any need for anyone to worry about where the newlyweds would make their first home together.

The first week of May also saw Sebastian being proved right as Trent and Rory announced that they too were expecting their first child. It seemed that they had struck lucky on their first attempt back in January, and that they would be proud fathers in October. Everyone was just as pleased for them as they had been for Sebastian and Dave, and they all predicted that a certain Irish grandmother would be in the States at around that time… Mrs Carmichael was seen with yet more wool, as Thad pondered the implications of a Warbler baby boom; as a go to confidante for most of the others, he knew things that others did not. Flint had confided in him that he was worried that Izzy was working too hard, as she was constantly tired, looked so pale, and on top of that was being sick most mornings… And then there was the fact that David had informed him that Mercedes had announced that she might be taking a break from her music career for a few months at the end of this year and the start of the next; he knew her well enough to know that she would not be considering that right now if she had the very best of reasons… He pitied Principal Carmichael if his suspicions were confirmed as correct, as he would be surrounded by knitting for many weeks to come if they were…

The talk of weddings and babies had different effects on different people. Ethan for example was very pleased for Leo, particularly as he had actually been instrumental in making the introduction between the two of them. It was definitely love, as Leo did not bother about whether her family were wealthy or not, he just wanted to be with her. As it happened, they were, but as he plainly stated to his potential father-in-law one night, his immediate family were not; but they had enough, and they had love, and that was all that anyone really needed in life. Such honestly had made him popular with his girlfriend's father, who saw that he was a hard worker, and a skilled, college educated man in a good job that would allow him to provide for his daughter and any future family.

However, talk of weddings always made Ethan think of Drew, and he was always heart sore that he did not even know if his best friend was well; was dead or alive. To make matters worse that month, he had arrived at his office one morning to find someone waiting for him - Drew's mom. His face must have betrayed the worst fears that filled his head the moment that he saw her sitting there, as she quickly said, "It's okay, Ethan, he isn't dead - at least, not as far as I know…. I came here half hoping that you would know something more than I do, but I can clearly see from your face that you know as much as his father and I do…"

He abandoned his work that day, and instead spent it with Mrs Symons; he went so far as to bring out something he had kept hidden away since the day he had been given it. As she read the last letter that Drew had sent to him, Ethan felt tears filling his eyes, and by the end of it, she was sobbing as much as he had that day at Dalton. When they parted that night, it was with a promise to stay in touch with each other, as they could both clearly see that they were equally desperate for any news about their son and friend respectively. Ethan was desperate for so much as one word from his friend; and if that word was "Help", he would be on the first flight that he could catch…

The forthcoming wedding of Josh and Scott had also given Beats a pause for thought. He was quite content in the nature of his relationship with Elliot, but he was now starting to realise that there was one thing that could possibly be added to that mix, and that was children. He had enjoyed being a surrogate older brother to both of the younger boys, and the apartment would seem much emptier when they were gone. He had resigned himself for a while to that fact, as neither he or Elliot wanted to go to all the hassle of finding a suitable surrogate, and then playing the waiting game to see if they would fall pregnant. Then there was of course the fact that as he was not a stranger to the opposite sex, Elliot might decide that it would be best if they conceived the natural way, and he would see that as tantamount to cheating, even with his partner's permission. Then as he travelled home from work one evening, he found himself looking up as he waited for the lights to change at a crosswalk, and saw a billboard…

He said nothing to Elliot when he arrived home from work, just kissed him on the cheek before carrying on with the final preparations for that evening's meal. It was only once that meal had been eaten, and the two of them were side by side at the sink washing the dishes that he decided to broach the subject… "I saw a poster as I was walking home from work today, and what was on it got me thinking; it was a picture of two men with a teenager between them, and the strapline was 'New York needs foster families'. I am guessing from the picture that they are open to same sex couples as foster parents, which would cause people to have all kinds of fits back in Ohio…"

"It wasn't all that long ago that such things would have been unthinkable even here, Nate. We are really fortunate that we live in such tolerant times," Elliot replied.

"I brought the subject up because it made me think that with Josh and Scott moving out very soon, and yes, all of my friends in the Warblers starting a family, that maybe being foster fathers is something that we could consider doing. We both know that there are kids out there in bad situations; some of them like Josh, being bullied and tormented by the people that should love them unconditionally because of their sexuality, and we are in a position were we could offer them a safe home and the stability that they need."

"I guess…" said Elliot, then paused, before taking Beats' hands in his own. "I am not against the idea, far from it, but I wouldn't want a very young kid, because I don't think I cold cope with that, but a teenager… I don't know exactly how the system works, and if you can actually specify what kind of kid you want to foster…"

Beats nodded, glad that it wasn't a no from the man he loved. "We could make enquiries about that; they must have a website, and it would probably tell us more on there…"

"True, but then we come to the second thing. There is the question of whether Jeff would approve of us bring potentially very troubled kids into the mix here; my brother was one thing, but complete strangers might well be something different altogether."

"I don't see him objecting," Beats replied, "given that he is only here because he was adopted himself, but obviously we would ask him… Look, maybe this is a bad idea, and if you are not behind it, then we can forget about it."

"No, it is nothing like that; I think it would be a wonderful thing to do. I just think we need to be cautious, and not start to build up our hopes about the idea too soon. They might not approve us as foster parents as we aren't in a legally recognised relationship. That is what I am afraid of…" Elliot's statement did give Beats pause for thought. Could it be that their choice not to formalise their relationship would be the one thing that would cost them their chance to do something useful and help children in need of a home?

There was only one way to find out, and with the dishes washed and dried, they headed to Beats' laptop to find the answers. There was indeed a website, and the first thing it stated was that there was a desperate need for foster parents willing to take on teenagers. A further check revealed that applications from co-habiting couples would be considered, providing that they could prove that they had been in a stable relationship for at least two years. On reading that, they had both turned to each other, and found the other smiling as broadly as they were. They decided to move on to the next obstacle immediately, and headed out together to the house two doors away to see their landlord.

They found Jeff at home, sitting quietly with Nick, little Wes tucked up in bed. Beats decided that there was no point in procrastinating, and just came straight out with the question. The response from Jeff was an immediate okay, as he had no issue whatsoever with them fostering. "If I am being honest, had little Wes not come along, then it would have been a consideration for us too. I have been in the situation myself, and I know exactly what a difference can be made to a life if you have a loving family behind you. It won't be easy though; there will be all kinds of checks for you to go through, not that I foresee any issues for the two of you. If you are asked for character witnesses, both Nick and I would be happy to oblige…"

Nick nodded in agreement with Jeff's promise, and with that assurance fresh in their minds, it was with no qualms whatsoever that Beats made the phone call to the number on the poster the following morning to register an interest. It was however a bit of a shock when the lady that answered offered them an initial assessment that evening. After a quick call to Elliot to check he had no plans, the appointment was made, and when Beats hurried home that evening it was to discover that Elliot had been cleaning like mad, and was in the middle of baking a cake…

The lady from Children's Services arrived bang on time, and was given a tour of their home by Beats; then she accepted coffee and cake, full of compliments for their house. When she asked them why they wished to foster, it was Elliot that answered before Beats had a chance. "We currently have my younger brother and his fiancé living with us; my father threw him out of the house on Christmas Day, as he had done with me a few years earlier, because of the fact that he was gay. Nate had no issue in taking him in and giving him the stable environment he needed to be able to go to finish high school, and then head to college. We know that there are other kids out there that are in the same situation, and we are in the position that we can offer them a secure place to call home, where they can be themselves without any fear. We have good supportive friends and neighbours too, and a lot of space. We have love to give, and that is what all kids need…"

Beats smiled, and said, "I agree. We are very lucky in what we have here, and it is only right that we share our good fortune with others who are not so lucky."

The lady took her notes, asking them other questions, and then took her leave; on doing so, she said that in her opinion, they were perfect, but that there would be other tests to go through before they got the final okay. When that happened, she admitted that she actually had someone in mind that she would place with them straight away…

The decision by the two young men to start down the road to becoming foster parents was broadly welcomed by everyone that knew them; they also knew that it would potentially be a long and drawn out process, not least because of the course that they would have to take as a now mandatory part of the role. That would however be the only real hurdle in their way, given that they had a perfect home, good health and a decent level of income. These factors had lead the lady from the Children's Service department to fast track their application just a little; that and the fact that they had a lot of children waiting for a place. She had also admired just how honest the two of them had been during their interview; to confess without any qualm to the fact that you were pansexual was not a new one to her in her personal life, but it was amongst the foster parents she had interviewed over the years. As for the kids that she had in her charge, well she had heard it from some of them too…

By the time that the middle of May came, she had made her decision, and the letter that had arrived at the West Village stated that all that stood between them and being foster fathers was their attendance at, and completion of, the necessary course, the one that taught them how to deal with the issues that could arise with their charges, and the biggest problem of all, the birth parents. Finding the time to attend the course was the next challenge that faced them, but fortunately they were both employed by people that supported what they were doing. Michelle told Elliot that he could have the same time off as Beats, regardless of when it was, as she was fully aware of how passionately the two of them wanted to take on the role now. He had admitted to her that he was reluctant when the idea was first mooted, but now he was relishing the idea of being a father figure to someone young that was in need…

The middle of May also saw the return of a familiar face to the Broadway stage, with the start of the previews of _Twelve Angry Men_. The return to the stage after time away and in a serious role was a little daunting to Cooper, and if that alone was not stressful enough, his placing in the lead role alongside two big names from the world of film and television meant that he found himself booked to appear alongside them on _The Tonight Show_. That had thrown him for six the minute that he was told, and knowing that there was no avoiding it, he did the next best thing and told no-one except for Grace that it was going to happen. In the end, he relented slightly, and told his mother with a few days to go; she was delighted to say the least, and on the day of the actual broadcast she took great pleasure in informing most of her colleagues at Bloomingdale's that her boy was about to star on the small screen. When Cooper heard that she had told people, he had shrugged, and pointed out that he thought it was rather an overreaction to one small spot on one chat show, in which he was sure most of the attention would be on his better known co-stars.

The main reason that Cooper had kept quiet was the fact that there was a studio audience, and the last thing he wanted to see was a slew of familiar faces in the seats. He did go public on the afternoon of the day in question, and as a result, everyone that he knew tuned in. As they did so, they discovered the same thing that Cooper had done only two hours earlier; his co-stars were both booked to appear on the show, but on the next two nights. Like them, he was to appear on his own.

His initial reaction to this was to excuse himself, hurry to the restroom, and throw up. Afterwards, as he stared at his reflection in the mirror, he realised that he was no longer on his own… "Honestly, I am more than a little disappointed in you, big brother. After all that talk about Hollywood when I was growing up, and all of that showboating every time I saw you once you'd left home, you can't even cope with a simple chat show?"

"Hollywood has scripts, squirt. This is live, unscripted stuff. Who knows what might be brought up during the interview!" Cooper replied tersely.

"Well, certainly not your dinner," said Blaine a little sarcastically in reply. "I would put money on both of your previous shows, and why you have chosen to step away from musicals; that means your new family will feature as a result. I imagine they will ask about your surname, and I think if they do, tell them the unvarnished truth. And don't be too shocked if they bring up a certain commercial…"

"They will mention that, won't they," Cooper said with a wry grin. "What if I just freeze up, Blaine? What is he asks me a question, I open my mouth to reply, and no sound comes out?"

"Cooper, you have never been lost for words before now, and I doubt that will start today…" came his reply…

There was of course a quick discussion session beforehand on what he would be asked with the show's host; Blaine was proved right on many things, and the only question that he vetoed was one on his parents; he knew that there was a slim chance his father might be watching, and he didn't want to say anything that might bring him back into their lives. He also made a quick call to Burt to warn him that they would mention his surname, and he wanted to ensure he had no issues with the possibility. He had no qualms, and wished Cooper all the best, before saying that both he and Carole would be tuning in to see him… That did not exactly make him feel any better about the prospect.

If Jonathan Anderson had tuned in that evening, he would not have been alone in watching his eldest son make his TV debut. The man that they all saw on camera came across as cool and composed, talking with eloquence about his move into more serious drama. He chatted happily about the break he had taken, and the reason why, sharing the story about why he had been absent on his final night; the fact that being their for the birth of his kids was more important than anything won him many fans that night. The infamous commercial was also played from end to end, making many at home laugh, but Cooper took it in good heart, and made fun of himself to everyone's amusement; the former New Directions in particular howled when he came out with the line "It was pointed out to me that I had missed the point in acting by continually pointing."

Then came the question about his name change, and Cooper's expression changed. At once, the whole tone of the interview changed as he told everyone the reason behind it. He produced a picture of Blaine and Kurt from his wallet, and held it up to the camera; he described what had happened to them succinctly, and how those events had been the catalyst to a change of direction; how he felt he should go on the stage in their stead. His appearance ended with a song, and the verdict amongst everyone was the same; he had performed perfectly, and deserved every accolade directed towards him…


	121. New Jobs, New Lives, New Issues

_So, as it is Christmas, I thought my regular readers might like a bonus chapter..._

 **New Jobs, New Lives, New Issues.**

The previews for Cooper's new show came to an end just a few days after Sebastian stepped down from the role of Curly in _Oklahoma!_ After much thought, he had decided that he both needed and deserved a decent break between his shows, and with everything in _Cabaret_ going to plan, he had managed to convince the directors that he needed a week away to relax physically and mentally, and where better than in the very city the show was set in? Admittedly, that idea had come courtesy of François, who had been talking about how he was going there, with his new boyfriend, to meet up with Anton, the only member of Sebastian's little circle of friends that he had not seen since his infamous youth in Paris. He had jokingly said that it was a shame that Sebastian and Dave could not come with them, as they could meet the young man that had captured his heart for the first time…

Sebastian had taken him up on his suggestion, booking a room at the same hotel in the Alexanderplatz. Everyone else in the States that knew François was pleased that he had finally found his own special someone, and there was much speculation about what he looked like. Some went so far as to suggest that as François was a doppelganger of Blaine, then it stood to reason that Matthieu, the boyfriend, would look like Sebastian. When he overheard this speculation, Sebastian said nothing, just laughed inwardly. After all, he knew that the young man in question was his polar opposite in every single way…

His trip had been scheduled in such a way that he would still be able to attend Cooper's opening night, as he wanted to return all the support that his former landlord had given him. In any case, he was thinking about where he would go after _Cabaret_ , and the idea of playing it straight and dramatic had an appeal for him too. As his last night as Curly had also been Bette's last night as Aunt Eller, she would be joining him and Dave in the stalls. Sam would also be with them, with the final performance of _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ played the week before; the biggest lament from the critics was that it had closed too soon. Sam would take a role in an off-Broadway show the following week, but he was pleased to know that according to his agent, there was a part waiting for him in an upcoming show back on the great white way, not that the agent was able to divulge any more information on that yet at the client's request…

Grace and Pam would both be in the audience of course, which meant that Nick and Jeff would not be there, having agreed to take on the babysitting duties for the twins; Grace it turned out was every bit as protective as they had been with Wes when it came to sitters. They did not mind, as they had attended one of the previews instead, and had then remained tight-lipped as to their opinion on the show. Burt and Carole arrived at the last moment to take their seats next to Grace and Pam, the former full of apologies, explaining that he had had to take a call from the President himself, and it had run on for much longer than he had anticipated. He still seemed quite distracted as he took his seat, and Carole was full of apologies as he remained deep in thought as the lights faded and the curtain rose…

The show they saw that night was totally different from the one they had witnessed on his last opening night, but it was still a wonderful performance, in which Cooper managed to grab the attention of the entire audience, even Burt. He pulled at their emotions right through the show as he did his best to convince one juror after another that the case was not as open and shut as they had been informed. At the interval, Burt had excused himself to make a few calls, and had returned looking a little less tense. The second act was, if anything, all the more challenging a watch, and when the show finally ended, their was thunderous applause and a standing ovation for the lead. After the show, Bette managed to corner the critics, and after a few minutes of chat, returned to the group with a knowing smile. "So, he will be getting a very positive write up, along with the rest of the cast; there will be a lot of emphasis put on the fact that he is not regarded as an 'A-Lister', but his performance puts him in their class. If more people agree with that, then he won't just be getting theatre offers; it will be TV and movie roles too…"

After the show, Cooper insisted that the small group went for a drink, having decided to eschew the usual big party for a smaller, and more intimate affair. His co-stars were there too, of course, and Sebastian was left to blush when most of them recognised him. In a few cases, they even asked for his autograph; he laughed out loud when Jake Gyllenhaal came up to him with an actual copy of the Book of Mormon, and so he signed it quite happily as Elder Price…

As he mingled, Cooper could not help but notice that Burt was on his phone again and looking tense. The moment that he rang off, he made his excuses and headed over to the congressman. "Okay, I owe this to Kurt; Dad, are you okay? You seem kind of distracted… Of course, if there is some confidential national security crisis going on that I as a civilian should know nothing about, then say nothing, but the truth is that I worry about you, just like Kurt would…"

"It isn't a big crisis, but it is a big moment," Burt answered. "The truth is that I have a lot of thinking to do in the next few weeks…" He paused, and drew Cooper closer to him and away from the crowd. "Okay, so this can go no further, but the leader of the Democrats in the House, Nancy Pelosi, is stepping down in the autumn, as there are personal issues that demand her full focus. The President has been casting around a few names, asking influential figures for their opinions on who should be chosen as a replacement… For some reason, most of those people have suggested one person - me."

"Some reason?" whispered Cooper with a grin. "Burt, they have chosen you as you are one of the most popular people amongst your congressional colleagues on both sides of the house, and the public recognises you too; they know you are a good and trustworthy man."

"I guess," Burt replied modestly, "but the question is, do I want the job? Do I need all the extra hassle and workload that comes with it?"

"Nobody has ever needed extra workload, but I assume that you will have a few extra staff assigned to you as part of the job. You will still have Rory there to support you with the day to day stuff from your constituents, and Carole to be there at your side at all of those state dinners you will be forced to attend. It also won't do you any harm to know that Sue will also be covertly helping you out, keeping her eyes open amongst the depleted ranks of her own party. The country needs a good man at the helm in the house right now, and I can't honestly think of anyone that I would trust to do the job even half as much as I trust you.. Have you talked to Kurt as well, and asked for his input?"

"He said just the same as you, son, as did both Trent and Rory for that matter. It is an honour to even be asked to do this job, given that I haven't been in the house for nearly as long as some."

"That might actually be the point. President Voldemort got into power as he promised that he would change the system and remove the rule of that very old guard; he didn't do it, but appointing you as party leader in Congress is a sign to the electorate that Kennedy is serious about making changes. You are a man of the people, quite simply because you are one of the people. The only reason that you even ended up in your job was because you wanted to protect your son, my brother and kids like them. You have done so much so far to achieve that, even when dark forces robbed you of your stepson, your son, and your future son-in-law. You have suffered, but you always got back up and kept on fighting for the things that matter not to the elites, but to the real people. That said, the choice in this situation is yours, and yours alone. It is not up to us, or even to the voters in Lima, despite the fact they would all love that their congressman is in such a position of power. If you don't want the job, you just have to say no; all they will ask is that you tell them who they should chose instead…"

Burt laughed at that, but had been smiling since the Harry Potter reference. "Now that last bit is the hard part; I can't think of anyone that is perfect for the role. Guess I will just need to think harder."

"Whatever you decide, we will all be behind you; after all, you are the father that we all needed and most of us lacked, apart from a small lucky few…"

As Burt considered his offer in a bar near Broadway, a drama of a different sort was playing out in the West Village. Ethan had arrived home from work a little later than usual to discover a note from Leo, saying that he was going to be having dinner with his girlfriend's family, and not to cook for him. Ethan smiled at the blossoming romance, and changed his meal plans to cooking for one. He was just making the finishing touches when his phone began to ring. He sighed, but turned down the gas. He glanced at the number, then picked up in anticipation of hearing a certain voice…

"Ethan, it's your mother. I need to speak to you."

It took a few moments for Ethan to reply, so used was he to talking to his parent's PA or the housekeeper when the number in question called. "Hey mom, so I am guessing that this must be particularly important for you to be calling yourself…"

"It is, and I know that this is unusual," she replied with a sigh. "I do regret that we don't talk personally you know; habits were formed, and it is so hard to break them… That is a subject that we can discuss later; Ethan, I am calling because your father suffered a heart attack this afternoon…"

"Oh my God; is dad okay? I can come straight up…" Ethan replied, anxious all of a sudden.

"There is no need for that, although the offer is appreciated; it was a very mild one, more of a warning than anything else, and he is back home now. He has however been instructed by the doctors that he must cut back his workload immediately, and it is my intention to see that he does just that. It will not be easy though, and that is where I need your help. Now, I know that you don't want to be on the board of MacKenzie Inc yet…"

"My own job keeps me far too busy," Ethan interjected.

"Quite, and we are both so proud of what you are doing. What I am going to ask is if you would agree to chair the meetings of the MacKenzie Foundation instead of me; as you know, it only meets four times a year, and the meetings could be transferred to a venue in New York with no issue whatsoever…"

"Wait; you want me to be the chair of the charitable trust?" Ethan said in shock.

"Yes, my dear. I have considered this for a while, but your father's illness had made me take the decision. You have a good, kind heart, and sound ethics; but you also have a head for business. You would ensure that the trust's money is used wisely, and that it is only invested in places where it would make the biggest impact."

"What does dad think about this?"

"He doesn't know, but don't forget, I am the current chairman of the Foundation, and if I chose to pass the role on to you, so that I can spend more time at his side, there is actually nothing that he can do to stop me. Now, I don't need an answer right away, but promise me that you will consider it."

"I will mom, and thanks for having faith in my ability to do the job… By the way, it is so nice to speak to you. Give my love to dad, and I will try and come up and see you both this weekend…"

"That would be nice, and I promise you that we will both actually be here. Moreover, all business will be put to one side for a few hours so we can behave like a normal family."

Ethan laughed, and said, "Now don't go making rash promises, mom. Even an hour would be okay…"

His mother laughed too, then said, "It will be longer than that, son, trust me. When I saw your father clutching at his chest, it made me think about life, and we really need to rebuild our family bonds. We do both love you so very much; we just aren't very good at showing it."

"I know that you both do, mom, and I love you too," Ethan replied. When the call was over, he served up his meal, and sat down to eat, feeling a sense of inner peace that had been missing for a while, but also a tension; after all, could he really be the chair of a major charitable trust?

He was still deep in thought when there came a frantic knocking at his front door. It was followed almost at once by the sound of a familiar voice, uttering the words "I know that one of you is in! The lights are on, and I can smell cooking! This is an emergency!" Ethan was already heading to the door, but those words hastened his steps, and he flung it open to reveal Flint standing there, white faced, looking as if the world was about to end. "I knew someone was home. I tried to call Beats, but he wasn't picking up, so I thought I would come round and see if he just had his phone turned off, but he is out, and so I thought I would try for you or Leo."

"Beats went to the opening night of Cooper's new show with Elliott, and as for your cousin, he is out on a date," Ethan replied calmly. "Why don't you come in, sit down, and you can tell me what has got you into such a state."

"I am not in state! Except I am, amn't I? Oh Lord, I never thought for a moment that I would react like this when it finally happened, but it has and I am! How on earth will I cope when it actually happens when I can't even cope with the idea? I am partly to blame for it, naturally, but it is all just so out of the blue, and…"

"Flint! Sit down, take a breath, and tell me what has happened," said Ethan, who whilst his friend had been rambling had managed to steer him into the kitchen and get him to the table. As he sat down, he pondered whether he should go and fetch him a stiff drink, but he was acting as if he might have had several already, not that there was any hint of alcohol on his breath, nor indication of drunkenness in his movements. He suddenly wondered if someone had drugged his friend and if he should be getting him to an E.R….

"You think that I have totally lost it, don't you? Can't blame you, given the way I am acting, but it is big, and when I tell my mom, and I will have to tell her, she will want to come and stay for a very long time, and there is no way that I am having that…" Flint stopped, then after a deep breath, said "I'm pregnant. Well, not me, Izzy. It wasn't planned, but I am going to be a father…"

"That's wonderful news! I am so pleased for both of you, and now I get all of your behaviour. I mean, impending fatherhood must be stressful enough without the added complication of your mother…"

"Exactly. I need to call all the airlines, or maybe Trent knows someone that can get her put on a no fly list - but then she would only drive here, or get the bus, and when she does arrive, she will interfere! I am not calling my son Abraham or my daughter Sarah, not even as middle names. I am not going through all of what she calls traditional rituals, and I will not be subjecting Izzy to any of that either. Maybe I just don't tell her at all, ever…"

"Flint, that last idea is the worst one ever! I mean, not telling your mom that she is going to be a grandmother - that is a billion, billion times worse than being a gay bar stripper, or a Mormon on a Broadway stage. You do have to tell her, but maybe you don't call. Maybe you and Izzy should just go to Kansas and tell your folks face to face."

Flint looked at Ethan with incredulity. "Go to Kansas!? Are you mad? Actually go into the lion's den?"

"The only reason that she will want to come here is to check on Izzy. So if you go to see her, she can do that, but then work will bring you back here after a few days. Also, you could break her car, burn all her ID, and then handcuff her to something substantial before you leave…"

"I know that you are joking," said Flint with a small smile on his face, "but in all seriousness, maybe the handcuffs aren't such a bad idea…"

"Just now, you need to focus on the good part. You are going to be a dad, Flint…"

"I know, and that does make me feel so, so happy…"

"Just for tonight, pretend that your mom is dead, just like in that song you sung at Wes' Memorial…" said Ethan with a straight face, which made Flint laugh despite himself. Ethan fetched him a coffee, then retrieved his dinner from the oven, which was not as ruined as he had expected. He insisted that Flint stay as he ate it, and they chatted about other things for a while.

Then Flint's phone rang, and he tensed for a second, before relaxing when he saw it was Beats. His best friend was rather concerned about the 132 missed calls he had from him; he told him everything was okay really, and where he was, then asked if he could pop in when he came home. He did not have to wait long as he was already on his way; when he arrived, Flint pulled the sonogram picture that had been taken earlier that day out of his wallet and handed it to him. The minute that he saw it, Beats had his best friend held in the tightest of hugs, and just moments later, they pulled a laughing Ethan in to join them…

The next day, Flint made the call to his parents, and impressed himself by being able to do so without even a drop of dutch courage, and invited himself and Izzy to Kansas for the weekend. She had agreed that Ethan's plan had a lot of merit, even if Beats had described it as akin to a suicide mission. For his part, Flint had asked Ethan and Beats to say nothing yet, promising that he would go public once he had told his mom, and then the Bernsteins. Izzy had felt it was best to let her mother-in-law be the first to know as that would mean so much to her, and her parents would totally understand her motivations…

As they headed off to Kansas on Friday night, with Flint considering taking some kind of medication as usual, another moment took place which left people all the more stunned. Rachel had walked into the Spotlight Diner, where several of the group were gathered, and announced that she would be taking a break from the stage, as she had a new role to play…

The idea that Rachel Berry was pregnant filled everyone with a whole host of differing emotions, but most hoped that the child would be more like its father than its mother. As for Sam, he was so happy that he could not stop grinning like the Cheshire cat; he felt as if he was walking on air. The idea of being a dad was one that he had always aspired to, and although it was a big change in his life, he was eagerly anticipating it. The only problem that some could foresee was what would happen after the child was born. Whoever was chosen to be the primary carer would have to put their career on hold for a while, after all…

Sebastian's need to take a holiday before his new run meant that for the first time ever he missed the annual return of former Warblers to the graduation of the current cohort of boys in that illustrious group. Those younger men knew that his absence was for a very good and important reason, and Thad had started to spread an acceptance amongst them in any case that the older generation could not always be depended on to return. Others amongst them were grateful of an excuse to get them away from the hassle and worry of daily life. Flint for example had used the annual gathering as an excuse to escape his mother in Kansas, although he labelled it as a vitally important work meeting. He and Izzy were both glad to head home, away from the woman that as they had expected, was the clingy grandmother to be, who felt that Izzy should give up work at once, and then devote the remainder of her life to the upbringing of her grandchildren. That meant that for once it was not Flint that was constantly biting his tongue, and he almost laughed out loud when Izzy finally let rip as they drove away about how that woman was stuck in the dark ages, and had no understanding whatsoever of how much the world had changed in the last few decades. The rant lasted most of the flight home too…

Her own mother was much more progressive, and when they informed the Bernsteins of their good news, she immediately began to start a search for a suitable nanny to take on some of the duties of care when her daughter returned to her important work at the hospital. As for Flint, his father-in-law had taken him aside, and told him that he would see that he had a reasonable amount of time off on paternal leave, and that they would make arrangements for him to be able to work from home more often once the child was in the world. Flint knew that he would not be doing that for everyone, and smiled inwardly as he enjoyed one of the perks of being married to the daughter of his boss…

After the school term ended at Dalton, Thad had accepted an invitation from Nick and Jeff to come and spend a few days in New York, as it meant that he could spend some quality time with a fast growing little Wes, and more importantly, he could check up on how Seth was. He had never been totally convinced, despite all his protestations, that the issue with his hand was a one off, but the pressures of work since the day of Luke and Duncan's wedding had not given him an opportunity to check up on the young man in person. Without making himself too obvious, he had managed to convince Skylar that he should organise a lunch for him with the younger boys in the West Village house they all shared, pointing out to him that it might be one of the last opportunities that he would have to do this. Colin and Edward were both increasingly busy with their college courses, and after that, their new careers in pharmacy and dentistry would quite possibly take them away from the city. Skylar was also coming towards a crucial point in his studies, and he knew that the architectural world might well take him away from the city too, particularly as he had met a young lady at a college party, and they had grown close. She was in the city taking an advanced nursing course, and had every intention of returning home once she had graduated; ironically, that home was Columbus, Ohio…

Seth still had a year to go on his engineering course, although he had already begun to do some work as part of an internship. As Thad joined them all at the table for lunch, he noticed at once that he seemed the most down of all of them. The others were all full of the joys of life, making happy chat about their plans as summer approached, and with it a break of sorts to enjoy themselves; Seth said nothing at all, and ate his meal much more slowly than the others did. Thad also noticed that he was eating with his cutlery held for most of the time in one hand, as if he trying to avoid making use of the other, the hand that had troubled him at the wedding… After the meal, he was quick to make excuses and leave the table, a move which had Skylar shaking his head sadly.

"He has been doing that a lot recently," said Colin in a low voice. "I think that he might be struggling a little at school, or in his placement, not that he would ever admit it to any of us. I think that he is finding it harder than he imagined; it is much more hands on too; I think he saw himself as being the designer, not actually having to execute so much by his own hand…"

Thad eventually made excuses of his own, but not to leave the house; instead he made his way up the stairs and knocked gently on the door of Seth's room. He received no response, but he knew that he was in there, so he just spoke through the wood. "Seth, I can stand here and wait for a response all afternoon if necessary, and I will even summon Wes to come in there and threaten you with Mr Bangy if I need to… All I want to do is have a chat with you, one to one…"

The door opened, and Seth motioned him to come in, closing the door behind him. As he walked over to the bed, and in doing so noticed the waste paper basket and what was in it; modelling card. It looked as if it had been discarded as it had been cut in the wrong way, as if the hand wielding the craft knife had wobbled in the wrong way at the critical moment… He sat down on the bed, then motioned Seth to sit beside him. "So, how are things in general? I am not stupid, and I noticed just how subdued you were early, and it was the same when you were at Dalton for graduation day. Wes always used to say that there was no problem, big or small, that couldn't be overcome by simply talking it out…"

"There isn't a problem," snapped Seth, who instantly regretted his tone.

"Really? No issues at school or your placement?"

"Everything is fine. I know what the others are all thinking, but it was just a partial fail on one test, a task that I was able to retake a few days later and this time passed with flying colours."

"What kind of test? Written, or practical?" asked Thad nonchalantly.

"The latter, but the reason I didn't pass the first time was down to nerves about it."

"Nerves… So nothing to do with a hand that you now seem to be going to great lengths to avoid using?"

"My hand is fine!" yelled Seth, startling Thad.

"Seth, to quote the play, methinks you doth protest too much. That reaction… and all the card in the basket there is just another indicator to me that contrary to what you are saying, there is something wrong. In fact, I surmise that it isn't just giving you problems some of the time anymore; it is pretty much all the time now…" Thad stooped then and looked over at Seth; to his horror, the young man beside him was now crying, and making no attempt whatsoever to wipe away his tears. "Now this is the last thing that I wanted to happen," said Thad in a softer tone, placing a hand on Seth's shoulder as he spoke. "I am sorry if I have upset you, but I only asked because I care. I know that your relationship with your parents is about as great as mine, and that you are the kind of person that hates being the centre of everyone's attention, but if your hand is bad all the time…"

"Then I should go and see someone, and ask them what is going on… The problem is that I made the mistake of consulting Dr Google first, and the things that I read on there had me convinced that I was better off not knowing the worst. So I decided that if I just left it alone, then maybe it would sort itself out in time, but it is getting worse every day. It had got to the stage where I struggle to do my work at my placement on the bad days, because the cramps are constant, and I can't do what I need to if I keep dropping things when I pick them up, or make stupid errors from the tremors… I have wanted to be an engineer for the whole of my life, more or less, and to have that whole future snatched away from me now down to something so trivial would be just unbearable… I mean, why me, Thaddie? What did I do to deserve this?" Seth barely got the last words out before he started to sob, and Thad did not hesitate to pull him into his arms and let him cry into his chest.

"I don't think you did anything to deserve this, you just got one of the unlucky cards in the game that is called Life. I wish that there was something I could say other than that I am sorry, and if I could take whatever it is from you and give it to myself, I would without hesitation. However, there is one fact that we both know; we do need to know exactly what it is we are dealing with, and for that, we have to go and see someone professional."

"I don't want to make a fuss, or have everyone fussing around me, treating me with kid gloves. I promise you that I will go, but it might not be for a little while," Seth replied quietly.

"Wrong answer. You need to get me to stop worrying about you, and for that to happen, we need to go and see someone right now. I can make some excuse as to where we are going so that the others do not need to know."

"I doubt that I could get an appointment with my doctor at such short notice, even if I was inclined to go right now," countered Seth testily.

"Well then, it is just as well that I told my brother that I might pop in and see him at the hospital this afternoon; you see, he is on standby today, rather than on rota, therefore he has no appointment schedule to keep. Coming to see him with me will keep me happy and off your back, and Ollie is the very soul of discretion; he won't tell anyone but you what he discovers, not even me. What harm can it possibly do to come with me just now and get things checked out?"

Realising that Thad was not going to accept a negative answer, Seth nodded. Thad left, and a few minutes later, Seth had his jacket on and informed his housemates that he was just popping out for some craft supplies, an excuse they bought. He met the Head Warbler a block away, then walked slowly together the short distance to the hospital that Dr Ollie Harwood worked in, making conversation about anything other than the issue bringing them there. Thad talked a lot about his plans for the Warblers the following year, and about how relived he was that they had placed second in Nationals that year. "Winning is good, but being the winner in a competition continually would give rise to all sorts of spurious allegations about our victory. We still placed in the top three, and that is more than good enough for me."

"You have done so well with those boys… I wish that we had won at least once whilst I was at Dalton, but the fact is people know who the Warblers are, and being able to say I am a former member does give you a certain amount of kudos."

"We have definitely turned a corner in the last decade, that much is true. We are no longer known as the villains of the piece, and the events of Hunter's reign of terror are becoming a distant memory for most. None of us will ever forget the events of those dark days though, and the losses that we have suffered since, but we are the legacy of that, with our tight bonds of fraternal feelings. That is why I am so worried about you; you are all my brothers, and as such it is my job to try and keep you safe and well at all times. It is the least that I can do…"

Once they arrived at the hospital, Thad and Ollie greeted each other warmly, then Thad introduced Seth properly. Then, in an apologetic tone, he said, "I am afraid that I have brought him with me today because he has an issue that worries me, and I have dragged him here before he returns to the clutches of that quack, Dr Google."

Ollie laughed at that, and then in all seriousness said, "Yes, he is one of the biggest charlatans in the business, always diagnosing the worst case scenario and frightening people to death rather than the more common and more likely one. We get people coming in here screaming about double pneumonia and bronchitis when all they have is a common cold; people who have a paper cut and demand immediate treatment for sepsis; and as for all the headaches that are brain tumours… Anyway, little bro, why don't you go and get us some drinks from the coffee stand whilst I have a private chat with young Seth here…"

Thad took his time; for the next ten minutes, having listened to Seth describing his problem, he did some simple tests on reflexes and then took some blood samples, just so that they could rule out certain things. He could see no immediate and obvious cause, and by the time that Thad came back, knocking on the door first, he had told Seth that he would call him back once the results of all the tests came through. The young man nodded, and seemed happier when Thad returned, but neither of them noticed that Ollie's smile was fixed, and there was concern in his eyes. He had come to a conclusion as to what was causing the young man's pain, and the rapid deterioration he had experienced was what made things worst of all. If what he thought was confirmed in the test results, then sharing the diagnosis with his new patient was going to be very hard indeed…


	122. Life's Complex Moments

**Life's Complex Moments.**

A few days after his visit to the hospital with Thad, Seth found himself summoned there again at the behest of the Head Warbler's brother. There was an urgency in his voice that made Seth drop his plans for the day and head in. True to his word, Ollie only spoke to him, and no-one else; as he sat the young man down and gave him the initial results, stressing that the diagnosis was not definitive until they had carried out a few more invasive tests, he ignored the little voice in his head that told him he should maybe have insisted that he bring someone with him to the meeting. As he uttered those words, the inevitable happened and Seth broke down, though as Ollie would discover, it was not from his diagnosis - Dr Google had predicted it - but at the cost of all of those additional tests and the potential treatment. He had long ago been left off his parents' insurance plan, and although he had taken a plan out himself, it was the most basic, as the cost of the premiums had been prohibitive to him. It had been hard enough to afford them and the cost of college, and now it seemed as if he would be bankrupt in a matter of days.

Ollie was sympathetic. As soon as the worst of Seth's tears had subsided, he said quietly, "I am assuming that like so many other people of your age, you do not have the kind of cover that will pay out for all of the necessary treatments, and the minute that I confirm the diagnosis, you will find it impossible to find any sort of scheme that will accept you, let alone cover you? I had my suspicions that might well be the case from the moment that Thad brought you in here, so I made the decision then and there to place you on the list of participants in the little scheme we have here. Basically it involves you being a case study for our medical students, and they will follow you through all the stages of treatment from now on."

"I don't know if I want that; to be prodded and poked at by a lot of people," Seth replied.

"There isn't any of that; I just use you as an example. You become patient X so to speak. You will be used as a discussion point; we give them all the information that you gave me, and see what they think, what they would recommend if they were the first doctor to see you. In return for that, the hospital covers all the costs of tests and treatment. I know it isn't the nicest of things, but basically it gets you free treatment for something that could otherwise land you a hefty bill in no time at all."

Seth sighed, then said, "Well, as long as I have complete anonymity, I guess it would be helpful…"

Ollie nodded, then carried on. "Right, so we need to schedule the other tests as soon as possible; after all, we are looking at the worst case scenario here, and it could be something as basic as a set of badly trapped nerves…" Seth nodded, as Ollie began to look for dates, but in his heart he knew that was not what it was. He knew, as he had always known, that he was in the early stages of Motor Neuron Disease…

In the first week of June, Sebastian returned from his trip to Europe, and returned to rehearsals. By that time, the tests had been completed, and Seth had official word that the diagnosis was correct, delivered with so much apology by Ollie, who knew how much the news would affect his brother and the young man's friends when they found out. However, Seth decided to tell no-one what was going on. Thad asked of course, but he lied, and told the Head Warbler that it was just a series of trapped nerves, which might require some simple surgery at some point in the future; in the meantime he had been given an exercise regime that would make his hand more supple, along with medication which would help to alleviate the pain from the spasms and make them less severe. That much was indeed true, but he couldn't yet bring himself to admit that it would only work for a short time, and that in a few years, if he was lucky, the affects would no longer be controllable, nor would they be restricted to his hand…

He also knew that he would not be able to work at his chosen profession for long, so he began to move away from the idea of a career in the practical side of the discipline and into the idea of helping to teach others; he offered his services to his professors as an assistant, and was gratified when they agreed that might be were his niche lay. They had noticed the deterioration of his practical pieces, but they knew he had the theory. They asked no questions as to what had prompted his decision, although one of them had an idea, and had felt so bereft as the young man had walked out of his office that day…

He had had time to come to terms with the fear of the disease for so long that actually finding out he had it was nowhere near as horrendous as it might otherwise have been. He found a strange sense of calm, and he returned to his old self almost overnight, much to the relief of his friends. However, one of them noticed something that did concern them. As long as he had known Seth, Skylar had watched him as he made his models; delightfully detailed and intricate constructions, fashioned with care from card using careful cuts and folds. He was returning laundry to his friends room one day when he noticed that all of his craft knives and kit had vanished from their usual spot, and from then on, no new models appeared. That was so out of character and Skylar immediately suspected that something was wrong, and he just wished that he knew what so he could help…

In the middle of the month there was an announcement that came as a surprise to everyone, including Nick. Jeff sent out invitations to everyone to come to his first art show since leaving college, an event that was to be held in one of the most prestigious art galleries in the city. Nick had been just a little put out when his husband had informed him only 24 hours before he told the rest of the world, but when he thought about it, he realised that all the signs had been there for him to see; in fact, little Wes had been talking about the 'gawalay' during his bath time for the last few weeks…

"So, what is the show about?" Nick asked, pleased for his husband that he was getting the opportunity.

"It is called Modern Families, and it is basically a series of portraits of myself, Caleb, and all the other people I see as members of my family. I always asked people when I drew their picture if they would mind if I exhibited it one day, and no-one has ever said no. So as well as pictures of you and little Wes, there is a whole section devoted to my Dalton family - and before you ask, no, I am not exhibiting the picture of us all naked. It is in there, but I redrew it with all of us safely in Dalton uniform, and then coloured it in like _The Judging Angel_. It isn't quite life size, but it is much bigger. I also removed the guys that were in that drawing but didn't go to Dalton; Cameron and Mitch are back in, the younger boys are there, and I even managed to get in Gabriel, Connor and Louis."

"It does sound pretty impressive, I have to admit," said Nick with a grin.

"There is a life size one of the two of us with little Wes though; one of Cooper all in costume as Charlie Price; one of Mike with Caleb… I guess the theme is that family is no longer just the people we are related to, but all the people that make our lives special."

"I can't wait to see it; I will be so proud to stand there at your side on your opening night."

"I will be just as proud to have you there, my love - and I want little Wes and Caleb there with us."

As Nick tried to imagine how the cat would cope in an art gallery, when even gatherings of people that he knew here in their home had him scurrying for cover, he also felt such a sense of pride in his husband. He had after all managed to set up his own exhibition, with what seemed like little or no help, whilst taking care of their son, working at the Spotlight Diner at least twice a week, and producing all of his illustration work. He had also managed to prefect his guitar playing; Sam's lessons had been a good start, but it hadn't been long before he had told Nick that Jeff did not need any more. As Sam had put it, he had the raw talent there in his artistic fingers, and once he had been shown the basics, all of that had been released. He could play so many child friendly songs that made little Wes laugh and smile, but he could also play the songs that had been hits in their shared youth. Nick smiled as he realised that since Rachel and Sam's wedding, Jeff had learnt a whole book of Lady Gaga songs, and then recalled the promise that he had made to her, that he would send her an invite to his next show…

The only thing that concerned him was that there would be a lot of expectation on him and that it would be successful. It was a lot like that apocryphal second album; to create it must have been harder than the piece that had made him his name in the art world. All that was going to be on show would be held in comparison to that one masterpiece… His train of thought was broken as Jeff handed him one of the flyers he had created for the show, which had a new self-portrait of his husband on the front. He smiled at the likeness, and then saw the date of the opening. He looked up at his husband, and just stared…

"I know what you are thinking, Nicky, but it was the best choice of date. Before he was born, you and I were a couple; the moment he was here, we became a family. As a result, it seemed very apt that the opening should take place on Wes' birthday." Nick nodded, but that made the need for the show to be a success all the greater. If it wasn't then their son's birthday would always be a reminder of a failed enterprise…

Jeff's announcement that there would be portraits of all of the people that he considered as family in his show did make them all wonder exactly who would be picked. Everyone knew that the Warblers would feature strongly, and the former members of the New Directions immediately assumed that Mike would be the most featured of their ranks. Over the course of the next two days, the artist made time to call up those that were to be most prominently featured himself. Cooper felt an immense amount of pride, but at the same time, he hoped that people would realise that he was wearing those high heeled, red patent leather boots for a stage role, and not because he was a secret cross dresser. Grace for her part hoped that her brother-in-law had chosen a flattering image of her, and not the drawing he had done when she was in the latter stages of her pregnancy; a portrait she loathed as she was much larger than normal in it. Mike was worried as well, and he hoped that Tina would be featured somewhere, and not just him. It would make his home life a little simpler. He knew that there would be a drawing of him with Caleb, and he also suspected that as there was to be one of Cooper in costume, then the drawing Jeff had done of him in his full costume and make up for _Swan Lake_ would also be on show.

Sebastian was glad that he had so far declined Jeff's requests to draw him in his costume for _Cabaret_ as it was much less conservative than those he had worn before. His anxiety was heightened though, as was that of the other members of the Warblers, when mention was made of a group portrait of them being a key element of the show. The only one that any of them knew of was the infamous one in which none of them wore a stitch of clothing, and the mortification of that being on display would be too much to bear for any of them. Of all of them, only Trent suspected that Jeff would have redrawn the piece with them all in their uniform, just as in the original photograph on which it was based. He said nothing though, just enjoying the discomfort of the others for a while. What Trent did not know was that he and Sebastian would be together in at least one other piece, which Jeff had created from a still photo of the two of them together in their costume from _Book of Mormon_ …

Before all of that though came another opening night, one in which for the first time two of their number appeared together. If either Santana or Sebastian were nervous about the show, they did not show it. They had done an interview together in which the interviewer had made them feel so comfortable that they had forgotten they were being filmed for television, and they had called each other Satan and Meerkat with affection. They had both regretted it the moment the words were out, but the genie was now out of the bottle, and the interviewer was not going to forget them.

With a sigh, Sebastian looked at Santana; she nodded, and then he spoke. "When he first met each other, back in Ohio, the dislike we took for each other was instant; it stemmed from the fact that we came from very different backgrounds, and the fact that she is fiercely loyal to her friends. I had hurt one of them, and so I was the enemy. It was easy to turn Santana into Satan, though if I recall I believe I initially referred to her as…"

"Something he will never repeat," said Santana with a glare, but a smile too. "I called him the Meerkat because he had this habit of popping up where he was least expected; because he was tall and lanky; and because he was just a bit of an annoyance with his smirk and CW hair. However, when we lost two people that were mutual friends in the worst possible way, we were thrown together, and in our grief we came to realise that we weren't all that different in many respects after all. We had our share of regrets, of things we had done that we shouldn't have. And we also realised that we could deal with our common enemies much better as a team. The names that started of as jibes are now terms of endearment. He is not just my co-star, he is one of my best and truest friends."

Sebastian blushed, then added "She is right about what those names are now, and I would like to put it on record that she is easily my best female friend. If I am honest, my life would be quite dull without her in it…"

In private, after the interview was over, Santana gave Sebastian the surprise of his life by pulling him into a tight hug. "You are kind of my best male friend too, by the way, although if you should ever repeat that, I will deny it and dance on your grave."

Sebastian laughed, then said, "It is just as well that I am, seeing as the two of us might be united by a child in the very near future. Do you think we would ever have been drawn this closely together if Hunter had not done his worst?"

Santana thought about it, then said, "I sincerely doubt it. In fact, let's be honest; if it wasn't for him, neither of us would be within a million miles of a Broadway stage right now. I would probably be a waitress in some dive of a diner, and I don't mean the Spotlight; after all, it was only thanks to Blaine that I was able to invest in that place. As for you, you would probably be crunching figures for a living in London or Paris and detesting every single minute of it. Still, I would give all that I have now up for those three to still be here…"

Sebastian nodded, noting that she did not mean Wes, whose demise had been nothing to do with the Dalton scandal, then replied, "Me too… When did you and I get so kind and mature?"

"I have no idea, dearest Meerkat, but I am kind of glad that we did. It is so much simpler, and Brittany much prefers me like this. So, do you really think that we will bring the house down on opening night? I know that the public are loving us right now, but that does not mean that the critics will; they might all just be itching to see the two of us fail."

"Well, we happen to know where they work if they do take us down… with your razor blades and my cutting barbs, we will soon have them cut down to size. On top of that, Carmen would probably throttle them."

"Yeah, she is a far bigger badass than the two of us put together," agreed Santana with a smile.

Sebastian's parents were once again able to put their differences aside and even sit next to each other on his opening night. Julian and Isabelle were there too, along with Peter of course; little Sienna was at home with Julian's mother, who had no issue with babysitting her adorable granddaughter. Dave was sat next to Bette, now as much a part of the extended Smythe family as anyone. Nearby, Santana's mother sat beside her own mother; when she had extended the invitation, Santana was not sure that her Abuela would wish to come to this show, being that it was much more risqué, but after she had watched a DVD of the film version, and on realising that Santana was stepping into Liza Minelli's shoes, she had decided that she had to be there. The fact that the other ladies at her club would be jealous again was a major plus point. Brittany and Carmen were seated alongside them. Elsewhere in the auditorium assorted friends sat in eager anticipation of the show; Nick and Jeff sat with Trent and Rory, the latter couple having confirmed to the world that day that they would soon be fathers, just as the man they were waiting for on stage would be. Beats and Elliott arrived sharp, having been on one of their course days for becoming foster carers, and found their seats next to Flint just as the lights went down. He had been fussing over Izzy in a way that was both lovely and frustrating to her. Just as Beats arrived, her temper, already shortened by the rigours of pregnancy finally snapped, and she turned to her husband and hissed, "Will you just stop! You are as bad as your mother!" Flint looked mortified, and Izzy immediately felt guilty and contrite. She could not have said anything else that would have been so cruel…

Before either of them could speak, the lights were down, the curtain went up, and the opening bars of the score were being played. Sebastian literally popped up out of nowhere, dressed in the costume of Emcee; behind a desk initially, he looked so smart above the waist in his black jacket and bowtie. Then he stepped out from behind it, and revealed he was wearing a pair of leather shorts and socks held up with garters below the waist. Of course, his face was over made up, with copious quantities of rouge on his cheeks. "Wanky!" came a voice from the front, and everyone in the know knew it was Kitty…

Up in the box, Peter's eyes had already widened as Sebastian began to speak in his best German accent, camping it up more than a little. Beside him, Julian began to wonder if he had done the right thing in allowing his son to come, as he now began to predict the questions at the interval; questions like "What did Uncle Bazzy mean by Ladies, Gentlemen, and those somewhere in-between" for one thing. Santana impressed them all as well from her entrance, taking the well known songs in her stride, and performing the intense choreography flawlessly…

Their performance of _Money, Money_ brought back memories for some of a sad November day that had ended in unbounded joy. For those in the close circle of friends that had not witnessed it before, like Beats and Flint, it was majestic and hysterical at the same time, and the degree of co-ordination between two people that had once been at each other's throats all the time was something to behold. The standing ovation that the two of them received at the end of that song was well deserved. Their worries about the critics would be unfounded, and they would praise the show to the hilt, most of them singling out for special praise the haunting way that the song _Tomorrow Belongs To Me_ was performed, the choreography showing Sebastian being pushed out of the way by a new, nasty regime…

June was a quiet month that year apart from the opening of _Cabaret_ for most people. For Flint however, the month was marked by the increasing irritability of his wife; it got to the stage that he considered whether he should book in for a vasectomy to avoid ever having to endure future mood swings from his beloved Izzy as her hormones went crazy in pregnancy. Admittedly she had did have her advantages when she was in that state; they would never have to worry about cold calls again after she had screamed down the line at one poor hapless soul. She had also managed to reduce two young missionary men to tears however, and that had made Flint feel quite guilty. The night that she bawled out his mother on the telephone was also memorable for all the wrong reasons, as he had been forced to make a grovelling apology on her behalf later that night.

However, as her outbursts began to grow in intensity, his own temper began to fray, along with his nerves, and that was how he ended up at Ethan's door one night with a packed bag. He did not want to worry Beats, and indeed he had only come to Ethan as he knew that his cousin Leo was back home in Kansas, introducing his girlfriend to his extended family. Ethan said nothing as Flint walked past him into the house when he opened the door. He followed him into the lounge, and it was there that Flint finally spoke. "Tonight was just the last straw for my limited patience. She started on about a tiny little speck of something on one of the dinner plates, which turned into a full blooded rant about my inadequacies as a husband. I could feel my own temper growing, and so I decided to leave. She knows where I am, and she has already called me up to apologise, but I told her we should spend the night apart to cool off. We will be back to normal tomorrow." Ethan said nothing, but nodded as he looked down at the floor - and at that moment Flint realised exactly who and what his friend was thinking about. "Oh God! I shouldn't have come here Ethan… I didn't stop to think…"

"It's okay… Your situation is nowhere near as bad. I mean, she isn't hitting you or anything, is she?" asked Ethan quietly.

"No, she isn't, and trust me, it will all be okay again tomorrow…"

"Well, I am glad that I can be here for a bolt hole for someone… Right, have you eaten? And if you have, would you like a coffee?"

Flint had eaten, but gratefully accepted a coffee, and he followed Ethan into the kitchen to help him make it. To his surprise, he found that the kitchen table was covered in papers, and on glancing at them, he was a little startled to see that they all had the header McKenzie Trust on them. He knew that Ethan's family was well off, but the fact that they had a charitable trust was a new one on him. Ethan noticed his friend looking, and decided that he should explain. "When my dad has his heart attack, my mom decided that she needed to cut back her workload to help him more, and one of the jobs she gave up was dealing with this stuff. They have wanted me to take a place on the company board for years, and I have always said no; I have no interest in the business yet. This however is different, and to help my parents, I agreed to be the chair of the trust in place of my mother. The problem I now have is deciding who is worthy of receiving a grant within the terms of the trust; in my opinion, every one of these organisations is deserving of one."

"It has to be a tough task; I don't envy you in having to decide."

"Actually, you might be able to help me out. Would you look through the papers with me, and maybe between us we can create a shortlist as to who gets money. We could even narrow it down to one between us…"

Two hours later, and after a lot of friendly arguing, they had both agreed as to where the tranche of money that was available to the trust that quarter should go. They had agreed that the money should go to the organisation that would benefit the largest group of people, and for that reason they would be sending the cash to Great Ormond Street hospital in London, towards the construction of new facilities for the Oncology Department. The submission from the clinical director had made a very convincing argument, and the fact that the investment would lead to better services for the whole of the United kingdom was important.

"So what happens now? Will there be a big ceremonial handing over of a cheque, or are the days of that kind of thing over?" asked Flint.

"No, there will be a cheque, but mom and dad might well be the ones to hand it over; a trip to England might be just the thing to get my dad to break away from work for a while," Ethan responded in a quiet voice. Flint knew why he did so. He knew that if he was the one that was going to hand over the money, so to speak, then he would be mentioned in the media, and that might mean that Drew would see he was coming and turn up, hopefully with a couple of packed suitcases. There was as much chance though that he would not come, and if he didn't, then it would make a painful situation all the worse. Ethan did not want to break his heart all over again, and there was no way he would go to Oxford in search of his friend, so all in all, it was better that he stayed in New York…

"We have definitely made the right choice for the grant though. Cancer is awful, but in kids it is 10 times worse, and if this centre can do something to help cure them, then it will be worth every cent we can send them. Right, now that is done, why don't we go and watch some trashy television for an hour before we call it a night?" said Flint.

"Sounds like a plan," said Ethan with a grin. "I do miss the two of us doing that back when you were here. When Leo gets his own place, and that will be soon enough the way his romance is going, I will have to think seriously about my next step. I don't mind living alone, but all the same, sometimes I do crave company…"


	123. New Adventures for Niff

**New Adventures for Niff.**

All too soon it was July, which saw a coming together on a grand scale for two reasons; the gala opening of Jeff's first exhibition, and the second birthday of little Wes. Although the fact it was their son's birthday had been Jeff's main motivation in choosing the date for his opening, the fact it was also a Monday ensured that all of his friends who worked in Broadway would also be free. Nick had been given the day off work as part of the policy of the UN, and so they were able to enjoy a leisurely morning, watching together as their boy opened his gifts, expressing his delight in each one, especially those that he had been pointing out for a few weeks. He still liked the simpler toys and his books; his reading and number skills were well advanced, and his vocabulary and speech were excellent too. Nick gave the credit for most of that to Jeff, who had spent much of his free time tutoring their son, getting him ready for the new adventure that would begin next month - kindergarten. Wes did enjoy his visits to the parent and toddler group, and he had made friends quickly; most of them would be heading to the same kindergarten, giving him that all important continuity, and there was every likelihood that he would be with them for his elementary schooling too.

It was still too early for his fathers to decide if he would follow in their footsteps and head to Dalton, although Peter Smythe would be heading there in a few weeks; after much heart searching by Julian, he had decided that if his son wanted to go, he should not stop him, and if it left him with the close circle of friends that his brother had then it would benefit him for the rest of his life. He would however miss his son terribly, and he had already told both Isabelle and Sebastian that when the time came for him to leave, it would be his father that would be sobbing…

As a number of Wes' friends had been invited to a party in the West Village that afternoon, most of the adults decided that they would wish Wes a Happy Birthday at the gallery opening later. His grandparents did make an appearance though, alongside his Aunt Grace and Uncle Cooper with his two young cousins. To most people's surprise, his Uncle Bazzy turned up too, claiming that he was just in the neighbourhood, but Nick correctly surmised that with the birth of his own child now only a few weeks away, Sebastian wanted to immerse himself in the world of children, so to speak, and his eager volunteering to be the one that changed the twins' diapers when the time came spoke volumes for that. Mrs Duval and the Sterlings, who could recall all that they had been told about Sebastian in his Dalton days marvelled at the transformation in the young man quietly, and all agreed that he seemed to have a natural way with children.

The other adult that paid a visit that afternoon was, of course, his Uncle Mike, who was greeted with great enthusiasm by the birthday boy. He was greeted with just as much delight by Caleb later, when he headed up to Jeff's studio to pay him a visit later on. Mike had come to escape Tina for a while, as she was starting to stress about her wedding day in the worst possible way; she had concerns about her dress, the venue, the food, the celebrant… Mike had refrained from expressing his own opinion on the situation of course, which was that in his eyes, all that mattered was that they would be a couple in the eyes of the law. He knew Tina well enough now to know that such a statement would not go down well…

Jeff left the birthday party early, as he had to head to the gallery to check it out one final time. It was a big deal for him after all, and the impression that people got today was going to shape his future so much. The triumph of _The Judging Angel_ would be forgotten if this show was a disaster, and failed to impress the critics. The gallery's owner seemed to be more than satisfied, and he had had an angelic nod of approval too. The critics were of course just one source of comment; there would also be the judgement of his friends, and they mattered just as much, if not more. So many of them were portrayed around the room in some small way, and others had a much more prominent role.

He had reluctantly agreed with Nick that Caleb would not enjoy the gallery at all, and his behaviour at the party had proven that; he had sprinted up the stairs the moment that the children had started to arrive, not liking the noise, the strangers, and the sight of paint and glue. Little Wes knew not to touch him when he had art stained hands, but the other children did not, and he was taking no chances…

Jeff soon found himself wandering round the exhibition space, looking with a critical eye at each and every piece of work he had on display, knowing that it was too late to change everything, but if something looked really wrong or out of place, he could always remove it. The food and drink that people expected at these things had been set up in the reception room, and he was tempted to invite the staff that would be handing it out to come in and give him their honest opinion - they were art students in the main after all - but he resisted. If the reaction was going to be bad, then he wanted Nick at his side; he could face anything then… He smiled a little then, and was so glad that he had chosen to give pride of place at the entrance to a framed copy of the little invitation card he had drawn for his own wedding; the one that was a reproduction of a sketch done after a childhood dream…

It was the first thing that everyone noticed that evening as they arrived and gathered in the reception room. Nick smiled broadly the moment that he saw it, and grinned all the more as his son said "That's Daddy and Papa!" to the world at large. As he said that, Nick's boss had just arrived and was standing next to them. She looked at him with curiosity, and Nick smiled back at her.

"It's true; our wedding invitation, which was a reproduction of a sketch that Jeff drew after a dream when he was five, just before that man altered the course of his life…"

Miss Worthington nodded, knowing the full story of how Jeff had been adopted, and who his real father was. She also knew that little Wes did not know, and would never be told the whole truth until he was old enough to understand the whole history of events. "He certainly did capture the pair of you, even then. I am looking forward to seeing what else he has created." At that moment, Nick spotted Elspeth walking in, and he beckoned her over, and made introductions, leaving the two women to talk as he headed off to mingle with the other guests. He spotted Trent and Rory deep in conversation with Sebastian and Dave, and he had to suppress his laughter when he realised that they were comparing sonogram pictures of their unborn children. On seeing him, Trent broke away and came to wish little Wes a happy birthday, and was rewarded with a hug for his troubles.

David appeared just moments later, and received every bit as enthusiastic a hug. "Sorry I am a little late. Mercedes asked me to say hello, and to say that she will be along shortly. She has a bit of an upset stomach, or something; she has actually been sick the last few mornings, but she is usually fine in the evening… Anyway, I left Thad sitting with her; he thought that I should be the one to come along as I haven't seen you guys for longer. So how is Jeff? Nervous and stressed, or strangely calm?"

Nick looked at David with a grin; he and Trent had looked at each other as he had talked about his wife, and both wondered how someone as smart as David could be so naïve about what was possibly causing her symptoms. "He has been the latter when I have been around, but knowing my husband, he will probably be panicking in private. He has been here a few hours now, and I have had visions of him taking everything in there down and starting over again…"

"He didn't actually, which surprised me too," came a familiar voice behind them, and they all smiled to see the elder Wes standing there. "I think, having seen it, that everyone is going to be impressed and shocked at the same time…"

At that point, Nick was approached by one of the waiting staff, and told that Jeff was ready for him to come and see what lay within; David was invited too, and they were joined at the door to the gallery space by Sebastian, Trent, Ethan, Flint and Beats. Thad came running up just as they were about to head in, greeted by a happy shout of "Uncle Thaddie!" from little Wes.

"Mercedes is feeling better; she is with Burt and Carole," he said directly to David, who glanced round to see his wife; that allowed Nick to mouth the word 'pregnant' to Thad, who nodded once to confirm that he shared that suspicion, then smiled broadly at the prospect.

Then they were inside, and face to face with a lifesize drawing of Nick and Jeff with little Wes in his father's arms, and Caleb curled round Jeff's legs. Nick gasped, as he had not even known that Jeff had been drawing it. "I know that it is a shock for you, Nicky, but it was such an easy thing to draw; I know every inch of you," came his husband's voice as he stepped into view, and Nick could only nod, before pulling him into a hug.

The others allowed them their moment and set off into the room to explore. Thad burst into laughter as he found a drawing of Nick, Jeff, Trent and Sebastian dressed in the full regalia of those fabled musketeers of Dumas' novel; he could only wonder if it came from Jeff's imagination, or they had actually posed. As he read the label, explaining what it meant, he heard a sigh of relief from four voices, and he correctly surmised that it came from his four year cohorts at Dalton as they found that the infamous drawing had been redone with the non Dalton students removed and the uniform put back on. Meanwhile, Sebastian and Trent were standing in front of the near full size drawing of themselves as Mormon Elders; just slightly in caricature, and as wonderful a picture as they had ever seen…

That impression was create over and over as the other guests were allowed in to see what Jeff had created. Mike smiled broadly at the picture of himself holding a contented Caleb in his arms, and could recall the day that he had posed for the sketch; he had never imagined that it would be drawn up so beautifully. He was therefore rather nonplussed to see that it bore a sticker that said 'Sold' on it; that was until Jeff came over and confided in him that like all the other items that bore that mark, it had never been intended to be on sale, and was in fact a wedding gift from himself to Mike. That earned Jeff another hug.

Most of the more intimate pictures of family and friends were not for sale; there were others that were though; landscapes in the main, along with a number of drawings of Caleb in various poses, and a series of fashion illustrations. Buyers were already forthcoming, anxious to be able to say that they owned a Sterling-Duval original, and had bought one whilst they were still affordable. Sebastian found himself torn between wishing he owned the drawing of himself and Trent, and another of him as Curly McLain. He was not that shocked when Jeff came over and informed him that he had one of him as Emcee in the works, as he was chronicling his friends career. He also admitted that he would like to do one of him with his Aunt Bette, if that lady could be persuaded to pose for him, naturally. Before Sebastian could answer, Jeff was swept off his feet by Santana; she had just found his drawing of her as Evita, and she now considered the blond Warbler as her new best friend…

The opening was an unqualified success; all those that were on display in his works were more than happy with the way they had been portrayed, and there was a great deal of laughter too. Cooper was glad to see that the drawing of himself in Charlie Price's boots from the finale of _Kinky Boots_ had been placed next to the drawings of Sebastian and Santana, and indeed those of Sam and Mason, both of whom had known nothing about them beforehand. At first, Rachel had looked a little hurt, until she turned the corner and found her portrait, much larger than the others and clad in her wedding dress; Kurt's designs had made it easy for Jeff to work from a still in Artie's wedding video to create a signature work. No-one minded that her portrait was largest; as Santana stated quietly, it matched her ego. Santana of course recognised where the Warbler group portrait had originated, and had winked at Jeff, making him blush fiercely for a few moments…

There was a moment of great excitement when a limo drew up outside, and someone special took up the invite that had been proffered to them. It also had all the press cameras going, as nobody had expected to see Lady Gaga; Jeff hurried straight over as she walked in, thanking her profusely for coming, and then gave her a guided tour. As they walked round, Bette walked in, as Sebastian had hinted that she might - and that seemed to open the floodgates to the celebrity world. Jeff was left stunned at the number of famous people that he found himself being introduced to. It felt almost surreal to some of his friends too, to be in such an environment. For Santana, she had a very hard time convincing Brittany that Harry Potter had not just strolled; in the end she gave up, and just let her run over to talk to Daniel Radcliffe. For his part, he just smiled and chatted back; he was quite used after all to be called Harry by fans…

In the end, a tired little Wes was taken home by the Sterlings, Nick staying on to be there at his husband's side, startled at just how many of the great and the good knew who he was and what he did too. He posed with Jeff for what seemed like a million press photographs, most of them next to the lifesize drawing of themselves. He also went and mingled with the others, taking time to chat to all those that had travelled cross country in some cases just to be there to support Jeff that night. Eventually things began to die down, and the guests drifted away, until only he and Jeff were left with the staff.

"I think that it went well," said Nick, looking at his one true love who seemed to be in a state of shock. "I never had any doubts that it would, of course, given how talented you are, my love."

"It did, almost too well," Jeff replied. "I was only going to ask Bette if I could draw her, given that I know her a little bit thanks to her friendship with Sebastian, but then it snowballed. Lady Gaga wants me to draw a portrait of her…"

"A commission of sorts, I suppose…"

"Yes. She insisted that she will pay me, and she wants me to produce something that can go in pride of place in her home."

"Well, I hope that you agreed," said Nick, giving his husband a wink.

"I did; how could I refuse? The thing is, once I agreed to her, suddenly everyone else was wanting to commission me too. They all want the same style; a coloured pencil piece like _The Judging Angel_. I am going to be busy with them for a while, and that was before Trent handed me the letter…" Nick looked at Jeff with curiosity, but his husband's next words left him speechless. "It was from the President. They usually get someone in to paint an official portrait of the President, but he is a fan of my work and he has decided that he would like me to do it instead; they want me to draw the first official portrait of President Kennedy…"

Nick could still barely believe that latter piece of news as he got ready for work the following day. Even having seen the letter, it was still such a surprise that his husband had been selected to draw something that would be hung in the White House for generations; in all likelihood, it would even be reproduced and hung in government offices across the nation, and even in the embassies abroad. Jeff would of course agree, and that would mean he would have to go to Washington to make his sketches, with at least one overnight stay being involved, and an official dinner at the White House as well. The invitation extended to Nick too, of course, and he had to admit that it would be quite an honour, one which he had never expected.

His husband was up later than usual that day, to find that Nick had already got little Wes ready for the day, had served him his breakfast, and was now preparing pancakes for his husband. "I still keep thinking that what happened last night was all a dream… Being asked to draw all those famous people, and then the President himself…it is a little scary if I am honest," admitted Jeff.

"True, but it should be simple for someone of your talents," said Nick in an encouraging tone. "As the art critic says this morning on the _New York Times_ website, 'Mr Sterling-Duval is quite possibly one of the greatest artists of the 21st Century, as is shown in his current exhibition, _Modern Families_. All his works shows that _The Judging Angel_ was no fluke, and he has a real talent for capturing the essence of whatever he draws.' All of the critics say the same, by the way. You are a hit…"

When Nick arrived at work that morning, it was to find a memo on his desk, asking him to come to Miss Worthington's office at 10am for a meeting to discuss his future. The wording gave him a bit of a jolt, and his mind was instantly thrown back to the last time he had been invited to a meeting for that purpose, on that occasion by Lionel Vallent. He knew in his head of course that this was nothing similar, but in his heart he felt an ache nonetheless at the prospect. He put it to one side for now, and completed his usual morning tasks, checking through his E-mail and then doing the first research of the day for the new paper he had been asked to prepare. He left off his work on time, and then strolled down the corridor to arrive at his immediate boss' door at 10am sharp. He knocked, and then entered when asked, taking a seat across from her.

"I see that all of the reviews for your husband's show last night have been very positive, and I agree with them all wholeheartedly. He is a very talented young man, and when we get a new Secretary General, I am intending to suggest that we consider asking him to prepare the official portrait - that is if you think that your husband would consider doing?" asked Miss Worthington.

"He probably would, yes. He has been asked to draw a few other people after last night, but by the time that we would need him to be here, he should have completed all of those other commissions," responded Nick with a smile.

"Good. Now, on to the reason that I asked you to come and see me. As you will recall from your induction process, one of the requirements that we have here in this department is that you work a year abroad. That moment has now been confirmed for you, as we were anxious you should have completed it prior to your son attending elementary school. We will be transferring you for a year to one of the branch offices to act as an advisor on rights issues in July of next year. I have arranged it so that your departure date will be a few days after your son's third birthday, and that you should return just before his fourth in 2023."

"Well, I knew that this was coming, and I would like to thank you for arranging the dates to fit in with that important date. Can I ask where I will be going?" said Nick, in a little bit of fear it might be somewhere awful.

"Given all of the issues that remain in the aftermath of the process of Brexit, it has been decided that London should be your destination. Given that, I assumed that you would wish to travel as a family and not alone," Miss Worthington replied with a smile.

That night Nick headed home in the knowledge that he would have to tell Jeff that the moment had come, and he was a little nervous about it. Yes, it was an English speaking country, they had been to London before, and from what he had been shown, they would be generously provided for in terms of a budget for accomodation; it would just be a question of finding one close to good transport links and amenities. However, it was still a year spent thousands of miles away from their family and friends, and there would be one member of their little family that could not practically be with them - Caleb.

He stopped at a drug store on his way home to pick up a few packs of red vines, which his husband preferred as a gesture gift over chocolates or flowers; it would also indicate to Jeff that there was something up the moment that he saw them. Nick knew what was for dinner that evening, as he had prepared the casserole in question on Sunday, leaving it ready to just be heated up, saving Jeff time in the process. Sure enough, he could smell it as soon as he walked through the front door, the aroma helping him to hurry down the stairs to the kitchen, where his son greeted him as warmly as ever. Jeff smiled at the scene as he sorted out the dinner plates, but it faded just a little as he saw the red vines. With dinner served, they ate as a family, letting Wes do most of the talking as he described all of his new toys in detail. That was followed by the now usual hour of playing with his dad before it was time for his bath and bed. As they did so, Jeff was unusually quiet, but that was partly due to the fact he was eating red vines…

Once Wes was tucked up in bed and asleep, Nick and Jeff headed into the drawing room. Jeff took a seat on the sofa, then looked at Nick in expectation. In silence, Nick handed the file that Miss Worthington had prepared for him over to his husband; he opened it, and began to skim through the contents, eventually setting it aside with a smile that was a little broader. "So, essentially, this time next year you will be heading to London…" Jeff began.

"No, we will be heading to London, as a family - unless of course you would rather stay here with Wes yourself; I would totally understand it if you did," teased Nick.

"Never! I did like London a lot when we went before, and it will be a good adventure for Wes. So how much do we know about where we will be living?"

"They are leaving it up to us to chose somewhere, but have allocated us a genrous budget. Housing in London can be expensive, particularly in the better areas, and we will need what everyone wants; a nice house, with plenty of space, in an area that has good amenities. They will make a few suggestions, but in the end the choice will be ours. They also have no problem with us adding to the budget ourselves if we see something we really like."

"That is good, given that I won't be allowed to have a job or anything. Essentially I will be a house husband for a year…."

"Not quite. You will still be allowed to do your current illustration work and your drawings; you just won't be allowed to take any form of paid work in a business. I'm afraid that you can't even give free lectures to anyone, so strict are the rules."

"Caleb is a problem, but I am guessing that maybe Mike and Tina could have him for a year; he has always loved Mike…."

"I know you will miss him, my love, and if there was any way we could take him with us, we would. But it wouldn't be fair on him, all the travel and then the quarantine rules on either side…"

"Well, apart from that, I am actually looking forward to this experience," said Jeff, taking his husband's hand. "We will need to let everyone know we are going in good time though. They will miss us just as much as we will miss all of them."

"I am looking forward to it too. I also have a funny feeling that we will need to have a spare bedroom or two, as we might get one or two visitors," replied Nick, hoping that everything in London would be as good as they anticipated.

The end of the month came with the announcement that both Nick and Thad had been anticipating; an excited David announced to them all in one of their regular group Skype chats that Mercedes was pregnant, and although it was not something they had planned, they were both highly delighted with the news. She had been intending to take a break from her touring schedule at the end of the year in any case, having promoted her new album across the globe at the start of the year, and the news would not upset her label too much. Had it done so, and had they threatened to drop her, it would not have mattered in any case; she was one of the nation's hottest recording stars, and another label would have taken her on without a moment's hesitation had she split from her current one.

As the news spread, their came another announcement, and this time heads turned towards a home in the West Village. Artie and Kitty had taken everyone by surprise when they announced that they too were expecting a child in the very near future. Some had suspected that Kitty would not be too amused at the prospect of having to take a career break, but as she pointed out, she would not actually have to do so anyway. She had the means through the computer system she had installed at home to carry on with her work right up until the last days; indeed, right up to the second that she felt the contractions. That had attracted a few raised eyebrows, but none of them had any doubt that she would be able to pull such a move off. In addition, the help buttons that had been installed around the house for the previous handicapable resident had never been disconnected, so they could be used by Artie's wife should she need assistance, regardless of where she was in the house. Nonetheless, the fact that she was intending to carry on working was noted by a group of angels, and they steeled themselves to the idea that they might have to intercede again…

Nick observed to Jeff that night that they seemed to be experiencing a mini baby boom; the number of children that were expected to arrive within their circle of friends was now six. "The term baby boom is quite the appropriate one," observed Jeff. "After all, the last time one happened was after a major global conflict; this time, we are emerging from another great tragedy, a time when no-one was willing to bring a child into the world apart from us. I guess we were just more optimistic than the others that the good times would return."

"And now that the crisis is over, everyone feels that it is safe to have a baby," said Nick with a laugh.

"Exactly! Of course, we were always the trendsetters…" added Jeff, which made Nick shake his head with a grin on his face.


	124. Fatherhood

**Fatherhood.**

Within a fortnight of the two pregnancy announcements, the baby boom began in earnest. As the cast of _Cabaret_ prepared for their Sunday show, a call came which meant that Santana was on stage with the understudy of Emcee for the first time. Such an event had been expected, and rehearsed for more than once. On hearing the news she had sent a quick message to Sebastian, saying that she was thinking of them both, not anticipating any sort of response. When the interval came, she returned to her dressing room, and switched her phone on, and was surprised to see a reply - 'Your thoughts were appreciated; did they happen to be hurry up? I have a daughter…'

It was indeed a swift birth; no sooner had the news began to spread than the announcement came that they had a daughter. Two new fathers were handed their little girl with broad smiles on their faces; a daughter that would be called Elise, after Sebastian's maman, a decision that they had both agreed on right from the start of talking about having children. All around them were the warm wishes of their friends, and the love and support of their families. However, from the moment that he saw her, Sebastian knew that he was not her biological father; that it had been Dave that had created the beautiful little girl in his arms. She had her father's nose, and hair…

It didn't really matter to him in the grand scheme of things, of course; she would still refer to him as her father as she grew older, but there was just the tiniest part of his heart that ached and was a little jealous of the man at his side. All kinds of irrational worries began to fill his head at that point too; what if, by some cruel biological joke, he was infertile? What if he could never produce a child of his own? Worse yet, how would Santana react if that was indeed the case? He let those thoughts die down as quickly as they had appeared. It was irrational to think like that in any case; they had both had tests done before they began the process, and if one of them had been shooting the proverbial blanks, surely someone would have mentioned it at the time…

At a distance, an angel watched him, knowing that his as yet unconfirmed suspicions as to his little girl's parentage were indeed true, but also knowing that their other notion certainly was not; that in due course, he would get news that would prove he was definitely not infertile. However, that angel also knew that there was someone in their loose circle of friends that was indeed infertile; someone that was aware of the devastating fact, and whose partner was also appraised of the situation. Those two people were resigned to their fate, but they did not have to be, or indeed would be left to that sorry fate, not if the angel in question had anything to do with it…

Santana was quite surprised to discover at the end of the show that Sebastian had not yet announced his news on Facebook to the world at large; she suspected that she was only aware of it because she had taken the time to send him that message, and she had only been able to do that because of his absence from the show. The first priority for both of the new fathers would be informing family that there was a new member in the world. The speed with which their daughter had arrived in the world was a shock too, she guessed, judging by what had been experienced by others in their circle; her first cries had been heard only a few minutes after their dash to the hospital ended. Santana resolved to say nothing to anyone, even her wife, until it was confirmed by the parents…

It was only at that moment, as the shows ended on Broadway, that Sebastian made his first phone call. It went to his brother, as Julian was the closest to him in distance. He was delighted for his brother, although in his head he could hear Peter muttering quietly about the fact that it was another little girl being brought into the world. At the same time, Dave was making a call to his father, who broke down in tears at the news, and that set Dave off himself in turn; both of them knew that had it not been for the swift actions of the older man all those years ago, this story would not be happening. The call ended with Paul stating that he would be heading to New Jersey first thing in the morning on an early flight; as he hung up on his son, he contemplated whether he should call his ex-wife to inform her that she was now a grandmother. He decided against it, knowing full well what her reaction would likely be; neither he nor Dave needed to hear the amount of vicious bile that would come out of her mouth, particularly as it would all be directed at an innocent little girl…

After Julian, Sebastian had called his maman, and her reaction had been the same as Paul Karofsky's. She had begun to cry, and her tears had multiplied when he told her that they were naming their little girl after her; like Dave's father, she told her son that she would be there the following day to meet her little namesake. He then called his father, something that he would not even have contemplated doing just a few months earlier, and he had to admit that he was a little surprised when the man in question started to cry too, telling him that this was the most wonderful news he had received in some time… Sebastian suddenly found himself telling his father his suspicions about the identity of the biological father, not sure how he would react. There was an initial silence, and then came a considered response.

"It doesn't make any difference in reality who the father is as long as you love that little girl with all your heart; she in return will love you unconditionally, and if there is one thing that I am absolutely certain of, it is that both you and Dave will make better fathers to her than I ever was to you and Julian. You have seen the mistakes that can be made in parenting, and you will not repeat them."

"I hope that you are right," replied Sebastian, unsure if that was true.

"I am certain of that, son. You have a heart that will not be defeated, and it has room for so many people within it. I am proud of you for being like that; you have turned out alright in the end, despite my best attempts to alter that…"

When their call ended, Sebastian found his eyes moist; somehow the knowledge that his father thought that of him was the best thing in the world… It was late by then; he considered calling Bette, but he decided that it would be best to leave all other calls until the morning. Instead he headed back into the room where his daughter was sleeping in a crib, with Dave looking at her with the biggest of grins on her face.

"She is so perfect, Sebby; I think that my heart is going to explode with all of the love that I feel right now," his husband said as Sebastian came to stand by him.

"I feel the same… She is yours, I think; little things make me suspect that you are the lucky one…"

"This time, but our second child will be yours. My dad sends his love, and he will be here tomorrow."

"My maman too; my dad didn't say anything, but I suspect he will be here sooner rather than later too."

"It is going to be a big learning curve over the next few months; we have read up on all of the theory, but now it is time for the practical. I admit that the prospect does scare me more than a little; being entirely responsible for another life…"

"We will be fine; sure, we will make mistakes, but there are people that we can ask for advice, and no shortage of folks that will help us out. So, I guess that now our family knows, we should put the news on Facebook; I was thinking just a snap of her on her own, so that she gets all of the limelight she deserves."

"That is more than okay with me; she is asleep right now, and I don't think that we would be too popular round here if we woke her up just to take a selfie," replied Dave.

It took Sebastian just a few minutes to post his message, anticipating that there would be little immediate response, given that it was almost midnight. True enough, by the time that they reached home about an hour later, only Trent, working late on a big speech in Washington, and David, away with work in Seattle, had responded with their congratulations. They had both seen what he had in her face, but they made no mention in their messages. They both knew that their friend would love her no less because he was not her biological father. After all, if there was one thing that Dalton had taught them all, it was the fact that love could conquer everything…

The reaction of everyone else came in the morning, and all of it was extremely positive. Nick was the first of all of them to actually speak to Sebastian, and the new father was glad for the words of someone who had been in that role for two years now…

"It seems like the worst decision that your ever made right now; you doubt that you will cope; your fear that you will hurt them; you will wonder why you gave up on a good night's sleep and a more carefree existence. But then she will look at you, and smile, and you will know that you would never consider giving her back, not for a single second. You will also wonder if you will be failing them when you are working or putting too much burden on your husband, but you aren't. You have to work to provide them with the things they need. In some ways, you and Dave will be luckier than me and Jeff; you will be at home most days, and Dave will be home most nights."

"I am beginning to think that I should take a sabbatical like Cooper though; give her my undivided attention for a few months."

"Things were different for him and Grace though; she could still work from home, something that neither you or Dave can do. I was in the same position with Jeff… What I am trying to say is that there is no harm in having some sort of help with childcare, just for a few hours a week. There are plenty of qualified people out of there after all; your sister-in-law could probably help you find someone."

"That's true, but…"

"But nothing. You are not a superhero Sebastian, and no-one would expect you to be. You will be more hands on than your own dad was, but with all the will in the world, neither you or Dave can afford to be there for her every minute of the day…"

Sebastian was still thinking over what Nick had said to him when Bette called him, having heard the news and wanting to offer her best. As he had done so many times before, he found himself pouring out all of his woes to her; in return, she listened quietly, then agreed with Nick.

"Having children and being a performer, as both of you boys are, is not easy by any means. You might well miss things you might want to see because you are on stage, or on the field. However, unless you want to give it all up and get an office job, or something equally tedious, that is something that you will just have to accept. In my honest opinion, you will probably be better off in our job than any other anyway; you work at night for less hours than a clerk of some sort, and if you give up your matinee shows, you will be able to work around your husband's schedule. You can learn lines with a baby in the house in any case. No, you need to get yourself a helper, but make sure that they are an experienced one. They can help you out with any issues that might arise with the bringing up of a little girl too…"

With two opinions for, he decided that he needed to talk about the issue with his husband. He found that he was now seriously considering the idea himself, and cursing under his breath that they had not considered thinking about this before. If they had, then they could have had someone in place to help them out right now. When he brought the issue up with his husband he agreed that maybe it was not a bad idea, and so they made a call to Isabelle. She laughed, and gave them the number of the woman that owned the agency that had helped her out in her first few months with Sienna. Her agency was one of the most highly regarded in New Jersey, and the short notice would not be an issue for her.

By the time that they were allowed to bring little Elise home that evening, three grandparents had arrived. Mr Smythe had actually arrived first, with an apologetic statement that he could not wait to meet her on his lips. All three of them had been there for the moment that the official confirmation was given that she was Dave's biological child. It didn't matter though; once she was in Sebastian's arms, she gurgled away in contentment as he whispered nonsense to her. Not long after they arrived home there was a knock on the door, and Dave answered it to a reveal a woman in her early fifties that had been sent there by the agency.

Mrs Carr, as it transpired, was a recently widowed mother of two and grandmother of three. Her children lived some distance away in Florida, both having found jobs and partners there. Her son was gay, and he had also made use of a surrogate to give her her first grandchild. She lived locally, which was a great advantage. She was shown in, and introduced herself, then carried on. "My husband passed away recently, and I have time on my hands. I am very comfortably off, and I am not looking for a full time job. I have brought you my resume, and if you think that I would be suitable, this could be convenient for all of us," she stated. It was an interesting proposition to all of them, and after the grandparents had helped them out by checking over the resume, they all agreed that she was highly suitable. She was hired on the spot. Sure, both of the new fathers felt a degree of guilt over doing so, but they had to work to support their daughter, and they would both be around as much as possible…

The fact that Sebastian and Dave had become fathers dominated the month of August for the most part, but the month did end on a different note in a street in the West Village. The day had finally arrived when Josh Gilbert would marry his long term boyfriend Scott, and that meant it was also the day they would move out of the place they shared with Elliott and Beats and into Isabelle's old home. The night before the big day, Beats had taken Scott out with him to the Spotlight Diner, both knowing that the Gilbert brothers needed a chance to say their farewells in private. Elliott knew that he was not losing his brother for good this time; that their parting was only to be a short term one, given that his new place was just a few blocks away. They would still see each other all the time, and the distance would make no difference to their relationship; their fraternal bond was strong thanks to what they had both suffered at the hands of their parents. The fact remained that they were the only family that they had; yes, Scott and Beats were family, but they did not share the same blood or have the same memories.

The plan had been to just sit and watch a movie or two together, but in the end the atmosphere of finality got to them, and the tears began. In the end, they abandoned the movie and just sat and talked to each other. Elliott was pleased to discover that his brother wanted a big family of his own, as that meant that he would have dozens of nieces and nephews to spoil; he also knew that his brother would make an excellent father. In turn, he told Josh all about the letter that had arrived that day from the Department of Children's Services, confirming that he and Beats were now approved foster parents, and that someone would be in touch in due course about their first placement.

"So you are replacing me already, and I haven't even gone out of the door," Josh joked.

"Never! No matter how many kids come through here as a result of this, I will only ever have one kid brother. I am just so grateful that we had the chance to share the last few years together; we can never make up for the time that we lost, but that is in our past. From now on, it's the Gilbert boys versus the world," replied Elliott.

"Always, big bro - and thanks for being there when I needed you the most. If you hadn't been back in my life at that point, well I don't know quite how things might have ended up…"

Elliott just nodded, and then pulled his brother into a tight hug. Just the idea of his brother being alone and homeless on that Christmas Day still made him feel physically sick.

The ceremony the next day was small; Scott's parents and sister; Ms Ramierez, their high school principal; and a handful of college friends joined them, alongside Dani, Jeff with little Wes, Mason, Cooper, Grace and the twins. The vows that the two boys made to each other were uttered with great conviction, and once the rings had been exchanged, the looks on their to faces could have melted the hardest of hearts. Elliott was glad that something that had been lurking in the back of his mind had not happened; an appearance by his sister or parents. There was no grand reception afterwards, just a gathering at the Spotlight, where the place had been decorated for them, and the menu tweaked a little so that their favourite foods were on it. Songs were sung and toasts made to a young couple who had made their relationship official. Thoughts for some of those there strayed to their own wedding days, or indeed to the ceremony that would take place next month when Mike and Tina finally married, in the last such ceremony of their own generation so to speak.

It was about two hours into the reception that Beats' phone began to buzz, with a number that he did not recognise at first; and then he realised that it was the cell number of their contact at Children's Services. He got up, and answered, walking over to a quieter spot as he did so. He listened intently to what was being said on the other end of the line; the word tonight did make him blanch a little, but he tentatively agreed, subject to speaking to Elliott…

Beats and Elliott ended up leaving the reception early, with the blessing of Josh and Scott, and were home by 7pm, awaiting the ringing of the doorbell. As before, it rang right on the appointed time, and they buzzed the lady in. This time however she was not alone; at her side was a teenage latino boy of about 14, who had that haunted look on his face that Elliott at once recognised. It was the one that he had seen on his brother's face that terrible Christmas day, and on his own in a restroom mirror a few years before that.

"So, introductions," began the lady from Children's Services. "Dante, this is Elliott Gilbert and his partner Beats Harper."

"Beats? That is a strange sort of name," Dante said.

"I was the beatboxer in my high school choir; the nickname they gave me stuck, as it is much better than my actual first name, Nathaniel," Beats replied.

"I can see why you would prefer that, dude," Dante replied. "So, you might be my foster parents… I warn you now, I am trouble. At least, that is what my mom used to say all the time before she threw me out; and the folks at the home seem to be of the same opinion. Oh, and I am gay, and no virgin."

"Well, that makes two of us then," Elliott replied. "Beats here is pansexual; I just got lucky…"

"Pansexual; I like that…it's cool," Dante answered with just a hint of a smile. He turned to the lady from Children's Services, and continued, "Maybe I could live with these dudes. They're cool, and let's face it, the West Village beats the Bronx hands down…"

They proceeded to give Dante a quick tour of the rest of the house, including the room that they intended to be his if he chose to stay; the one that had always been, unofficially, Scott's bedroom. His eyes opened wide as he saw the amount of space, making both potential foster fathers realise that it much be much larger than he was used to. When they revealed that he would also have his own bathroom, he stared into the room in disbelief. Then he saw the door on the other side of the room, and asked the obvious question. "Okay, so where does that go? Is there someone else that would be using this room?"

"It goes through to what used to be my kid brother's room; he has just moved out, as he and his boyfriend just got married; this afternoon in fact," responded Elliott.

"Your kid brother is gay too. Wow, I bet that went down well with your folks…"

Elliott noted the sarcasm in his voice, and replied, "Oh, you can certainly say that. They chucked me out when I was just starting out at college, but fortunately the financial aid system let me finish my course. My kid brother was kept away from me after that, and it ate away inside of me; then this wonderful man of mine managed to get in touch with my brother, and get us back together behind their backs. Just as well as it goes; he was thrown out too just a few weeks later, on Christmas Day to be precise…"

Beats continued, "Then, when their father found out that his two sons were back together, he decided he wasn't having it. Fortunately Josh, Elliott's brother was not living with him at that time; his old place was too small, so he was staying with good friends. His father didn't know that, and when he turned up and Elliott refused to tell him where he was, he tried to kill him, and me…"

"Geez…" exclaimed Dante. "My mom at least called someone up when she washed her hands of me… Did your folks chuck you out too?"

Beats smiled, then said, "No. I was lucky; my folks accept me for who I am, as did all of my friends. It is thanks to them that we live here; one of them owns this place, and he lives with his husband and son two doors down."

"This sure does sound like a good place. I would hate to come along and mess everything up for you, after all you've been through."

"Short of having a string of boyfriends calling round the place, day and night, that is not possible," replied Elliott. "We will of course expect you to behave in an appropriate manner when you are living here, and that will include attending school every day for a start."

"I could try, but so far, school and I ain't had the best kind of relationship," said Dante quietly. "I take it I would be going to school around here, not commuting up to the Bronx?"

"Yes; it will be a fresh start in a new neighbourhood, although I freely admit that I am a little hazy on where the nearest school actually is," said Beats.

At that point, the woman from Children's Services, who had been listening quietly, intervened, and told them that she knew where he would be attending if he lived with them, and pointed out that it was one of the best public schools in the city. "Dante is a smart kid, but like so many these days, he just fell in with the wrong crowd. The new school semester starts in a week or so…"

"In that case, we had better get a move on," said Beats, turning to Elliott, who gave him a nod, know exactly what he was implying. "We would both be more than happy to have Dante come here and live with us, subject to your approval, and more importantly, his."

"I'm in, ma'am," came Dante's immediate response. "Only, can we not tell anyone at the home where I am headed, so that none of them can follow me here. If it is going to be a fresh start, then it needs to be a clean sheet. My old friends are toxic, so it would be best to make some new ones."

"That is just what I wanted to hear from you," replied the lady from Children's Services. "I hoped that the three of you would hit it off, and so I took the chance of bringing all the paperwork with me. A few signatures, and we can get Dante moved in here as soon as you are able to have him."

"How does tomorrow suit?" said Elliott, pulling a pen out of his pocket, as Beats did the same. "That way he has a few days to settle in, and can pay a visit to his new school before the semester starts…."

When Beats announced to Jeff later that night that their first foster kid would be arriving the following day, the blond was surprised, but not in a bad way. He had known that it was coming, and how keen both of them had been to get the process started. "His name is Dante Salazar; he is 14 going on 20, and basically he got kicked out by his mother when he came out. Since then he has been in a home, and that is how he ended up going off the rails. He is a good kid at heart, he has been treated like dirt, and we are his second chance…"

"So, given the surname, I shouldn't be at all concerned if I see a Latino kid entering your place tomorrow," said Jeff with a grin, and Beats nodded.

"I am considering introducing him to Santana, just to put the fear of God into him," his friend replied.

"Maybe you would be better introducing him to Jake first. I would suspect that they are from a similar cultural heritage, and he is not a big Broadway star for one thing. He is in the city as well, not out in Jersey, and from what I recall from talking to Blaine, Jake had his fair share of troubles too…"

Beats smiled at his friend, and said, "You might actually have a point there. Maybe we could arrange for them to meet, 'by chance', at the Spotlight over the weekend."

Jeff nodded, then changed the topic of discussion. He knew that when the news got out, there would be much debate amongst their little circle of friends as to the pros and cons of the arrangement. Flint would be as surprised as he was about the speed with which it had happened no doubt, but he would be supportive of his friend. After all, one look at the smile on Beats' face was enough to tell Jeff that this was a dream come true for both him and Elliott…

Dante arrived in the street in the early afternoon with his entire life packed into a couple of holdalls; the very sight of that made Elliott recall that horrendous Christmas all over again. Beats had arrived home just 10 minutes earlier, having explained the situation to his boss. As he was owed time back for the extra hours unpaid he had worked during the heavy snows in February, his boss had no problem in him taking the afternoon off. He had then surprised Beats by telling him about a perk of the job he was unaware of; he was also entitled to two days off paid to deal with the arrival of a new foster child, in line with the paternity leave given to new fathers. This meant that he now had the rest of the week off, which would be useful in getting Dante settled in. Elliott and Beats knew that they could count on the support of their friends in that; Jeff had arrived at lunchtime with a box of homemade cookies, and a red velvet cake, which Nick had baked the night before, and had then frosted before he headed to work that morning.

"He wanted to give your foster child a warm welcome to the street, and one of his cakes seemed like the best thing. The cookies are just plain chocolate chip, made by little Wes and me this morning; like his dad, our son likes nothing more than helping me bake. Admittedly, when he comes home tonight, I will need to have a word or two with my husband over my new nickname…"

Elliott had looked at Jeff curiously then, until a little voice suddenly piped up, "Daddy says that Papa is the Cookie Monster." Elliott had been forced to stifle a laugh as Jeff shook his head in despair, made all the worst by the fact that little Wes was now doing an almost perfect impression of the Sesame Street character in question… The cake took pride of place on the table, along with the tin of cookies; the latter though would wait until Dante was properly settled in.

Elliott and Beats left their foster son to do his own unpacking, having ensured that the dresser and the wardrobe in the room were completely empty and clean, with the exception of a good number of hangers. After half an hour they heard tentative steps on the stairs, and Beats headed into the hall to invite him to join them in the kitchen. "I hope that everything was okay in your room?" he stated with a smile.

"Yeah… I wasn't sure if I am allowed to put up posters and stuff - I have a couple of small ones in my bag…" replied Dante.

"That is actually something that we didn't consider," admitted Elliott. "We can get a pinboard put up for you, or get the posters put in frames, or even both."

"I don't want to be too much bother to you…"

"It is no trouble at all," said Elliott, beating his boyfriend to it. "Making sure that the walls are protected helps to keep Jeff, our friend that owns this place, happy. Incidentally, he and his boy stopped by earlier to drop off a couple of welcome gifts for you earlier…." Elliott stood back from the table then to reveal the cake and the cookie tin. "Jeff's husband Nick is the best baker that we know, and he made a red velvet cake for you before he went to work today; the cookies were made by Jeff with the assistance of their little boy Wes…"

"Red Velvet is pretty much my favourite kind of cake! He couldn't have known, but the fact he made one for me makes me so happy… Could I have a slice now? I mean, if that is okay, because it is nearly meal time I would imagine…."

"Of course it is," replied Beats. "I am still young enough to recall what it was like when I was your age; you constantly crave food! A slice of cake and either a glass of milk or one of juice sound good?"

"A glass of apple juice, if you have some…"

Elliott nodded, glad that he had stocked up with a variety of juices from the supermarket in Brooklyn that morning, a honey crisp apple amongst them. A few minutes later and the new family were sitting around the table, eating Nick's cake, all of them in agreement that it was a triumph…

By the time that Sunday arrived, Dante had met all of the neighbours, and had even joined Nick and Jeff for Friday night dinner. He had no issue with any of them, although he did admit that he found Kitty a little frightening; Beats pointed out that she had the same effect on all of them. He had also admitted that he found the fact that he was living amongst such a creative group of people really cool. He was particularly in awe of the fact that Jeff had actually illustrated one of his favourite books; when the blond man had produced a copy for him and autographed it, he had nearly burst into tears on the spot, but he had managed to hold them back and protect his reputation…

Artie offered to show him how to use his cameras, if he was interested, and a date was quickly set for the two of them to spend a day doing just that. He was less certain about Mike being a dancer, until he saw him in action; then he was keen to learn a few basic steps himself, merely because you got more looks if you were a good mover… In the end, Mike handed that job over to Jake, and afterwards, the two of them had sat down and talked about their experiences in life. After they had talked for an hour, Jake had offered to return another day, and Dante had agreed readily; he was more than ready to spend time with a guy that got him and so many of his issues. His news school had been sorted out, and the teachers he had met seemed really cool; then he had been taken shopping, and his wardrobe was bolstered by a few items. It certainly looked as if Dante was in the West Village to stay, and both he and his foster fathers were only too happy with that…


	125. The Wedding of Mike and Tina

**The Wedding of Mike and Tina.**

The end of August came, and with it two new arrivals to the city. Sam had talked to Rachel at length about the possibility that his siblings could come to the city for college and stay with them in their new place in Bedford Stuyvesant, and although she had been reluctant at first, she saw the look in his eyes and realised that if she loved Sam, she had to accept that his family would always be of primary importance to him, particularly his brother and sister. Once she had agreed, he had spoken to his parents, who had no issue with the whole idea either; sure, they would miss their two younger children when they left home, but they also knew that they were both compromising by staying close to home for school, and in the long term, it would be best for them if they went away. If that was to the city where they would have the protection of a big brother in town, then so much the better.

When the idea was initially put to Stevie and Stacey, they had both been silent, and had not jumped at the idea; they asked for time to think about all of their potential options. Sam agreed that they should, and also that he would accept whatever decision they made. He knew that the idea of living with Rachel might be a factor, as she had her moments… In the end though they had both accepted the offer, and headed to the city to join their brother for their college years. They would both be studying at NYU, albeit in different disciplines, but the commute by subway was not a difficult one, and Sam had made arrangements to travel with them at least on the first day to ensure that they would not get lost. Both had also applied ahead for jobs, and had found employment to help bolster their income; Stacey would be working in a nearby Applebees, and Stevie had found a role in the supermarket on Atlantic Avenue that they all frequented. They found on their arrival that they had not just come to live with their brother but in an extended family of sorts, and the fact that everyone was looking out for them was very comforting indeed as they adapted to life in the big city…

The start of September saw the entire group of friend assembling in the city once again. It was the first time in a while that they had all managed to arrange it, as life meant it was no longer as easy to get away to see friends. They had all come to witness the last wedding for a generation. Mike had chosen to wait to get married until he had made a name for himself, and now he had; his success in _Swan Lake_ had seen him feted in the ballet world, and he had been offered the chance to perform in shows around the world. He had politely declined all of those offers, as he was very happy at the City Ballet, and he intended to repay the faith that they had had in his abilities by staying there for as long as they needed him there.

He had been cast as the lead male dancer in the summer performance of _Romeo and Juliet_ , and the critics had once again praised and admired the new vitality that he was capable of adding to what had become standard pieces on the repertoire of so many dance companies. His fresh interpretation had been easy to achieve; the music had suggested the steps that would fit from the start, and he was just pleased that those above him in the company had agreed to try out his plans.

Now however he was gearing up for the most important role of his life so far; that of husband and possibly father. What had been a surprise for him was that Tina had stayed so moderate in all of her wedding plans. He had always assumed that she would want a grand affair, but as she had told him quietly one evening, she was no Rachel Berry, and when it came down to it, all she really wanted was Mike's commitment to remain at her side for the rest of their lives. She was also more than happy to take his name, as it merely meant dropping the Cohen part of her own. She had also decided against an army of bridesmaids; in any case, she strictly only had Marley of all her friends left to ask, and no female cousins either. She had chosen to ask Artie to be her 'best man' so to speak, and had even been brave enough to ask Kitty to be her matron of honour. Some thought she was being foolhardy in even asking that, but Kitty accepted without too much of an explosion at the word matron…

As for Mike, well his choice of best man was a little bit more complicated, and could have caused him a major headache, had it not been for a sensible intervention from Artie, who had anticipated his dilemma. He pointed out to all the guys that had been in the New Directions with him that Mike was bound now to be closer to two other men; people he had lived with for a number of years, and was now living just three doors away from. It was therefore natural that his first choice for best man would not be one of them, but either Nick or Jeff; and there would of course be a role of some sort for little Wes.

Artie was correct in his assumptions, but Mike still had the problem of which one of them he should as, being just as close to them both. He need not have worried, as like Artie, they had sensed that he might have that sort of issue, and so they made the decision for him. Jeff told him in a quiet moment that he was no use whatsoever at writing speeches, and would not have been able to write the coherent vows that he had used at his own wedding without help from Trent; for that reason, Nick would be a better choice for best man. In any case, he continued, he would have little Wes to look after, and there was also Caleb to consider.

"In fact, Mike, given how close the two of you are," said Jeff, "you might wish to invite him to the wedding…"

It was quite a surreal moment for Mike after that statement, and he wondered not for the first time if there was some link between Jeff and Brittany in their family trees. Then he recovered, and with a smile, pulled Jeff into a hug, before whispering in his ear, "How about the two of you do a job share? You at my side at the ceremony, Nick at my side at the reception. You remember the rings, he makes the speeches. And yes, of course, Caleb is invited, if he wants to come. Bear in mind though that it will be very noisy, and there will be a lot of strangers around, and he has never been good with strangers…"

"That is true," Jeff replied. "Maybe he would prefer to just take on his usual role of guard cat. As for your other idea, it might just work. I will run it by Nicky…"

The wedding was to take place at the Lincoln Center, where Mike had a number of contacts that ensured that he and Tina had been given the best possible deal on the hire of the venue for both wedding and reception, and the cost of the catering for the latter. It was going to be a reasonably small affair; just close friends, immediate family and just a few other people that it was just good form to invite along. They had both decided to eschew the traditional stag and hen parties; instead there had been a rehearsal of sorts for all of the friends they had invited. Mike had given in to one of Tina's suggestions and had planned a big dance number instead of a more traditional first dance, of the sort seen in Bollywood films. The look on the faces of some of their friends as they explained the concept had been incredulous at first, but when Mike told them what the tune was that they would be dancing to, they had all started to smile and agreed to join in. He had even managed to find a clever way to deal with the number of same sex couples that they had in their circle…

In no time, the morning of the wedding came, with the sun shining brightly. Mike woke up that morning not in his own house but in his old bedroom along the street. Tina had insisted on keeping the tradition that the bride should not see the groom on her wedding day until she arrived at the ceremony. He made his way downstairs, to find that Nick was cooking breakfast for all of them, whilst Jeff was playing a game with little Wes, to stop him from getting too excited before the wedding itself. Mike was not entirely sure which one of them was supposed to be benefiting from it… He sat at his old spot at the table on Nick's prompting, and the minute he sat down, Caleb appeared from nowhere, and jumped up to sit on his lap, immediately purring with contentment. The cat knew that Mike was only there for that day, and given that he had missed this particular human, he intended to take advantage of every moment he was around.

As Mike ate breakfast as well as he could with a cat in his lap, Tina was trying to do the same whilst a hairdresser was styling her hair. She had to admit that she had missed Mike the night before, but she knew that she was going to have him back that night, and every night for the rest of her life thereafter, so it was not all bad. She was the very picture of calmness and serenity that morning, something which had some of her closer friends wondering if she was ill as it was so completely out of character; after all, the moment that she had dreamed of for so long was only hours away, but she was acting as if the biggest thing she was going to do that day was pop to the store to buy some milk. Her placid demeanour actually frustrated Kitty, who wanted to know how the hell she was managing it, given that she herself had been a wreck for days before her marriage to Artie….

The man in question was present of course, and said nothing as his wife ranted to all and sundry; he was right in his guess that as far as Tina was concerned, nothing else mattered that day other the words, 'I do'. She knew that was going to happen, so all the rest of it was mere window dressing. As long as she had Mike by her side, she had the greatest treasure that she could ever have wished for…

Across the city, the guests that would be attending were also getting ready, with varying degrees of success. Izzy had had one of her bad nights, and Flint had put off his own morning routines to keep her calm, and able to attend what she had brutally termed an 'enslavement ceremony' when he mentioned it at first. When she saw the look of horror on his face as he wondered whether that was how she saw their marriage, she had been filled with a huge amount of remorse, and had promptly burst into tears and begged for his forgiveness…

In the West Village, Beats and Elliott were spending their time getting Dante up to speed with all of the relationships he was going to encounter that day. He had been shocked to have even been invited to the ceremony after so little time, but he had liked both of the people getting married from the start, and if he was being honest, it was going to be a good opportunity for him to meet all of the borderline crazy people his foster parents seemed to know…

Downstairs, Thad and Ethan were trying their best to motivate each other for the day ahead; neither of them found weddings an easy thing, reminding Thad of what he had lost, and Ethan of the fate of his best friend… Neither would have considered for a moment making an excuse not to attend though, as both of them had a lot of respect for both Mike and Tina.

Next door, a group of young men were also preparing themselves. Two young married couples were filled with thoughts of their own special day, and hopeful that marriage would be to Mike and Tina what it was for them. Skylar had a different issue, and was full of nerves. Today he had invited as his plus one a young lady that he had met several months ago and had been secretly dating for a short while. Until now, Seth was the only person that knew of Julia's existence, but now, as he realised just how much she meant to him, he had decided it was time to introduce her to the brand of crazy that was the Warblers. He only hoped he would not regret it.

Seth meanwhile was going alone, something that he did not mind doing at all if he was honest. Since his diagnosis, he had given up completely on the idea of dating, not that he had ever been very successful in that area in any case. It seemed unfair to him to lead a young lady on, let her fall in love with him and then tell her that he had a condition that would in due course be fatal. No-one needed that brought into their life. That was why he had resolved not to tell anyone what was wrong with him; the only person that knew was Dr Ollie Harwood, and he could not say a word, even to his brother. As he tried to tie his tie, his hand began to spasm, and he gave up. He headed to the wardrobe and took out a tie that he kept ready tied; one that could be placed around his neck and then needed only to be tightened. It was not the tie that he had wished to wear, but it was better than letting himself get in a state when he could not get the knot right…

Over in New Jersey, Sebastian was fussing over his daughter; their new nanny was working out very well, but today would be the longest length of time she had been alone with her since she had been employed. He and Dave had considered taking her to the wedding, but the idea of carrying all the necessary bags, and then keeping themselves smart whilst they dealt with a child that was only a few weeks old did not appeal. Dave meanwhile was downstairs with the nanny and a list, busily reading out the points Sebastian had made, and adding in his own. The nanny indulged him with a smile; she had seen this often enough in her working life, and she found it quite adorable….

Not that far away, someone else was not having such a good morning. Brittany had woken up in an excited mood, but today that was not the cause of Santana's problems; no, it was the fact that this was the third morning in the row that she had been violently sick was the factor that was making the day awkward. As she sat in the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face as she listened to her wife singing happy songs downstairs, she knew what she had to do. Heading from the bathroom to the bedroom, she sought out her purse, then removed the little box that she had bought the night before at the drug store on the way home. She returned to the bathroom, rereading the instructions on the box on the way. Then it was done, and all that she could do now was wait and see what the result was…

The wedding was scheduled for noon; an unusual choice of time in some people's opinion, but a convenient one for those amongst the couple's friends who had their own Broadway shows to perform that evening. Mike's celebrity had grown enough that there were a bevy of photographers outside the Lincoln Center waiting to take photographs of the guests as they arrived, and this was partly due to the fact that so many of them were every bit as famous themselves, if not more so. Cooper and Grace were amongst the first to arrive, bringing with them the twins and all that they required; the early arrival meant that their parents could attend to any issues now, thus meaning there was less chance of them needing to be looked after during the ceremony. They stopped for the cameras together for a moment before Grace headed in on her own, leaving Cooper to pose for a few more pictures to satisfy the paparazzi.

Rachel and Sam arrived just as he thought that he was finished, and he found himself having to pose with them to keep the media happy. Then a call went up for a photo of Cooper and Sam alone from one voice in the throng. The former immediately wondered whether the person in question had insider info on the plans for his future on stage, things he knew that Sam was still oblivious to. He recognised the person in question as the lead photographer for _Vogue_ , and he resolved to find Isabelle later and ask her discretely what she knew…

Next to arrive was Santana with Brittany at her side; she smiled politely, but it was clear to anyone with even a basic understanding of body language that she was a little pre-occupied; that was not even a little surprising given what she had discovered just a few hours ago. As soon as she was able, she hastened to get Brittany inside. She was helped in that by the arrival of Bette Midler, now a familiar face at gatherings of the little group, and she took the focus of the press. That allowed several of the others to get in without the attention of the media; Isabelle and Julian sneaked by with Peter and Sienna; Nick and little Wes followed right behind; and finally Kitty and Artie, all of them grateful to have avoided the spotlight.

Sebastian and Dave were not so lucky; they arrived at the same time as Matt Rutherford and his wife, who laughed to herself as she realised that for once she was the person on whom their was least focus from the cameramen and women. The photos done they headed inside, where they came face to face almost at once with Santana; she smiled, nodded, and then grabbed Sebastian by the arm and dragged him away. "She is never going to change, is she," Matt whispered to Dave; the latter was more concerned about the expression on his husband's face as she whispered something in his ear. It moved from joy to worry and back again in a matter of seconds. Then Santana left Sebastian on his own, and came back over to greet Matt warmly.

Dave left them and headed over to where his husband was rooted to the spot in what appeared to be mild shock. "Well?" he asked.

"Err, yes, and no," replied Sebastian, "and not really. She just told me that she will no longer be needing my monthly sample. She did a test this morning, and… It appears that I have managed to knock up a cheerleader. I bet no-one in the world ever expected me to say that…."

As Dave processed what his husband had just said, outside other guests were arriving and the sound of shutters on professional cameras filled the air. The arrival of Mercedes had drawn much attention as was to be expected, and that allowed others to get in without too much attention, including the contingent from Washington, which left Burt very relieved. He had been getting much more attention than he liked since all of the rumours about his potential new post in the House had begun to spread. He had decided that he was going to take the job, albeit on the proviso that he only did so on a caretaker basis, until a more qualified person could be found. Rory had already met with the team of people with whom he would now need to liase on a daily basis over schedules, and he was pleased to find that his own role would remain more or less unaltered. He was glad of that given that he and Trent were expecting a call at any moment saying that they would be fathers imminently, and he wanted to be able to share the role of caregiver equally with his husband.

Thad too had strolled in behind Mercedes and David with Seth, Skylar and Julia for company; he had to say that he approved of the young lady at once as a match for the young former Head Warbler. She was from outside their inner circle and had had a very different life to them, but she understood how important all of the friendships were to Skylar; most importantly of all, she understood how close he was to Seth, and had no intention of coming between them. However, that was the area in which there might be an issue. She had never intended to stay in New York when she finished college, and intended to head back home to Ohio; that could of course all change with love in the air Thad thought to himself. After all, had Wes been alive and living in the city, he would have abandoned his plans to teach at Dalton without hesitation to be with the man he loved. Seth seemed to be just as happy for his friend, but there was something about him still that had Thad worried; after all, he had still to tell him what was wrong with his hands…

Outside it was now the turn of the groom to arrive, and Mike took all of the attention in his stride. Jeff was also used to it, but he chose to stay in the background as he could; after all, this was not his day to command the attention of the media. He checked his watch, and knew that it was past the time when he needed to have his friend inside, as the bride would be with them soon enough…

Sure enough, they had barely made it through the door when the bridal car pulled up. The first to step out was Tina's mother, followed by her father, Marley and finally the bride herself, in an understated dress that was a fusion of the traditions of east and west. It had taken Kurt weeks to get the design perfect, and he was glad when Tina had accepted the finished design without any complaint. The photographers loved her dress too, and she was more than happy to stand and let them take picture after picture, loving being the centre of attention for once. She smiled happily as she observed Kurt and Blaine standing nearby, clearly pleased for her. Then with her parents on either side, and Marley walking behind her, she headed inside to the moment that she had been awaiting for nearly a decade; the moment that she became Mike's wife. If that meant that her steps were a little swifter than they might otherwise have been, then nobody could blame her…

Mike meanwhile had hardly had the time to greet more than a handful of the people that had gathered inside when Jeff observed that the moment had arrived when he and the groom had to make there way to their spot, and fast. "Mike, you know how it is a bride's prerogative on her wedding day to be late? Well, Tina had not taken it. She is here now, and we need to get to our place, unless of course you have had second thoughts?"

"No chance; she is the one for me. This all just feels so right, and to be honest, a little overdue; however, that latter fact was of my own making… I am so ready for this. The curtain is about to go up on the main act of the greatest of all of the world's dances; the story of love and marriage," Mike replied, and then, with Jeff beside him, the groom headed to the front.

They made it just in time; as they stepped into place, Tina entered the room to a chorus of appreciative gasps. Isabelle immediately loved the dress and knew that it was a hit style wise, as all Kurt's creations were. In fact, she thought that this dress could even start a fashion trend. All around the room there were smiling faces, watching as one of the longest standing couples of the New Directions finally made it official. Vows were made, written from the heart and translated from historic originals; a mixture of the cultures that influenced their home lives. When the words were finally uttered by the celebrant, and they became an official couple, there was applause, and one of the most chaste wedding kisses they had ever witnessed.

"Tina has certainly matured," Quinn whispered to Puck. "There was a time that I expected that this moment would be marked by Mike being knocked to the floor as she pounced on him…"

"We are all older and wiser now; the days of our youth are ebbing away, and the long stretch that is mature adulthood is approaching fast. Just you wait, soon we will all be looking at younger people and remarking that we would never have behaved the way they are when we were their age," Puck replied.

"Speak for yourself," Quinn began, but then stopped abruptly as she recalled a conversation she had had with one of her fellow teachers only a week ago, when she had said words more or less to that effect…

The reception was being held in the same building as the ceremony, and so it was just a walk across the hallway from one room to another after the formalities were over to the larger room that was set up with tables and chairs for the reception meal. All of them noticed that the floor was sprung as soon as they stepped upon it, making it ideal for post meal dancing. The food was not due to be served until all the official wedding photos had been taken, this time by a photographer friend of Artie. As people waited their turn to be photographed, they split off into small groups and began to chat.

Sebastian found Santana on her own, and grabbed her at once, taking her to a quieter spot away from flapping ears. "So, just to make sure I am 100% correct about what you said earlier; you think you are pregnant?"

"The test says that I am, and I am inclined to believe that it is accurate; face it Meerkat, you and I are going to be proud parents, date as yet to be confirmed. I will make an appointment for an official test on Monday," Santana replied.

"How do you feel about all of this?"

"It's funny… I feel like some purpose has been obtained; like I have a new reason to live. Motherhood is a daunting prospect, but I will rise to the challenge as I always do. And how do you feel?"

"Elated. For a start, it means I am not firing blanks - a long story for another day - and well, I am going to be a father; not just a dad, but a bona fide father…"

"Now you do know…"

"That I will be Uncle Sebastian as far as they are concerned? I would not have presumed it to be any other way. Just don't go moving off to the other side of the world or anything, okay?"

"Never; you will be in their life, both you and Dave, and their sister of a kind… I owe you for this Meerkat. Anyway, now the fun really starts, especially when I have to go and tell Carmen that I am pregnant. She won't exactly be totally pleased about it…"

"Feel free to tell her I am the father; that will make her laugh," Sebastian replied, and Santana had to agree; there was no way that people would ever have expected this to happen in a million years given their past history.

The meal after the reception was a happy one; the cuisine was Asian fusion, the portions were generous, and the chatter of all of the children in the room ensured it was a jolly occasion. The time however came to speeches, and that was when, to the surprise of some, Nick stood up. "For those of you that don't know, I am the husband of the best man you saw at the ceremony; I am the best man here because although the love of my life has artistic talent in every bone in his body, he does not have the flair that I have with words, or public speaking…"

Nick began with those words, and then went on to make the most heartfelt of speeches, using things that he had been told about the bride and groom by amongst others, Kurt, Blaine and Wes. He finished his speech with a more or less direct quote of the words Finn had said to him. "Some couples, when you look at them, don't seem to fit perfectly. They are happy, but there are gaps, and that could lead to problems later on. Then we have Mike and Tina; proper soul mates, designed for each other, wanting only for the other to be happy all the time. I have no hesitation in predicting that their marriage will be a long and happy one. On that note, ladies and gentleman, please can you all raise your glasses to toast the bride and groom…"

With toasts done and all the speeches made, it was time for the first dance, which would leave those that were not involved with no words. Nick had stood up at the top table and informed the guests that it was time. Most people had imagined that the newlyweds would take each other in a warm embrace, and waltz around the floor to a classic tune from yesteryear. Instead, virtually every one of their closest friends got to their feet and headed to the dance floor, and formed two lines across the room. Mike and the majority of the men were on one side, and Tina and most of the women on the other. Amongst the exceptions were Santana, who stood on Mike's side of the room across from Brittany; and Jeff, Sebastian, Rory, Elliott, Colin and Luke, who joined the girls.

Those that were not involved look on quizzically until the moment that the music finally began - _Shut Up and Dance_ by Walk the Moon. The moment that the tune began the two lines began to move in complete co-ordination, aping the steps that Mike and Tina were making, partners dancing across from each other. Some people that were single had paired up in a desire to be part of this moment, such as Thad and Ethan; Seth was dancing across from Skylar, as Julia looked on with a smile on her face. At the midway point in the song, the same sex couples exchanged sides; Mike had been anxious not to insinuate that any of them were more masculine or feminine in characteristics.

The aim had been to produce a production number on a Bollywood scale, and to all intents and purposes, that was what they had achieved. At the end, when the music stopped, the rest of the room rose up onto their feet to applaud, including the Schuesters; Will could not help but think that what he had just seen would make a good number for the New Directions in a show choir competition in the near future. Across the room, Thad caught the look in his eyes, and instantly dismissed doing something similar with the Warblers. In any case, it was not really their signature style…

The reception carried on well into the night, although the number of people there began to dwindle as time went on. Some had to leave as they had shows to perform in that night; those with young children had to consider the issue of bedtime. Nick had volunteered to be the one to head home with little Wes, allowing Mike to have one of his best men at his side until the end, although his son had not wanted to leave at all. In the end, it was Uncle Mikey that convinced him that he should go home to bed, as he would be going to his own very soon, and that he needed the young boy to go first to make sure it was safe, as he was far braver. As little Wes was currently in a superhero phase, his Flash figure with him nearly all the time, he had nodded when he was given that mission, and hugged Mike and Tina, whose day he had already made when he asked her if she was a princess now. Nick had taken him out into a waiting taxi, and within a few seconds of moving off, Wes was asleep, resting his head on his father's lap. Nick smiled, only too happy to carry his boy up to bed when they reached home…

Sebastian and Santana had managed to keep their news quiet; Dave had found himself spending a lot of time with Brittany, who was still oblivious to the whole thing, and had no idea she would be a mom soon enough. However, when the two of them headed back to Maplewood together after Sebastian and Santana had headed off to the theatre, she managed to invite herself home with Dave, and then spent an hour with Elise in her arms, talking away to her in her usual way as the child in her arms just lay there, entranced. Dave watched, and could not help but think that Santana's child was going to be one of the most lucky and loved in the world; defended by two mothers that would see to it that nothing ever did them any harm. He also realised that given who its parents were, the child itself would be a force to be reckoned with…


	126. Two More Warbler Fathers

**Two More Warbler Fathers.**

With the wedding over, life quickly settled back into its usual routines. Adult life and parenting made for a mundane existence in the main, and as a result, anything that was out of the ordinary or that changed their circumstances was welcomed with a smile. At the end of the month, as President Kennedy arrived at the United Nations for his first summit of world leaders, the official announcement that Burt Hummel would be taking over as Democrat leader in Congress was greeted with delight by all that knew him, and by the nation in general. The media did of course go into overdrive, but through all of the reports and profiles that were forthcoming, not one commentator could find anything negative to say about him. Even Fox News had to admit that he was a good man, and that even though his political stance varied substantially from their own, he could nonetheless be trusted on all levels.

The conference brought Trent to New York, still anxiously checking his phone for missed messages every 5 minutes or so, as he and Rory were now in the 38th week of their surrogate's pregnancy. He had come to the United Nations to help oversee the words that President Kennedy would say, but also for another reason; he had a personal mission to undertake for the President too. He made his way to the Human Rights department, but rather than heading to see Nick first, he made his way to the office of Dr Schultz, where Dr Hansen and Miss Worthington were also waiting. That made his old friend extremely curious, but he carried on his work. Around half an hour later he was summoned to join them, which peeked Nick's curiosity. He took a seat when he was invited, then Dr Schultz spoke.

"Well, Nicholas, I will come straight to the point. Mr Nixon has been sent here to meet with us today to ask if we could possibly provide a liaison officer to meet with the President himself to discuss human rights problems on a semi-regular basis. Many countries have this arrangement, and we had one with the United States in the time of President Obama. To that end, I have agreed to his request. The person that has been suggested to undertake this irregular briefing by the White House is someone I would have suggested myself; you."

Nick sat with his eyes wide and his mouth open slightly for a few seconds after that, then said "Well, it is an honour to be asked, but surely there are better qualified and more experienced individuals than me to take on this task. After all, I am still relatively new, and I have so much to learn before I am entrusted with such an undertaking."

"Nicholas, your newness is exactly why you are the best person for this role. President Kennedy needs someone that is not - how shall I say this - used to the old ways both here and at the Oval Office. He credits a lot of his popularity to his young speechwriter here, and the fact that you and Mr Nixon are close friends did help to make you his number one choice. The job will entail you travelling down to DC about four times a year for the day, unless there is some major crisis; you will not need to stay overnight, as the President is aware you have family commitments. As for your secondment for a year to London, he is also fully aware of that, and would use a secure video link to talk to you. I also believe that he has been invited to London by her majesty next year for a visit." Dr Schultz paused then, and said, "I said all this to Mr Nixon when he arrived, and it was only after I mentioned that you would be in London next year that it occurred to me that you might not have broached that with your friends. I do apologise for my slip up, though to his credit, Mr Nixon did not seem all that disturbed by the news."

Nick now turned to Trent, who up until that point had sat silently in the corner. "I remembered Jeff mentioning something about the year abroad when you first took the position here, and it is still someway off. I know you would have mentioned it nearer the time. In my opinion you are lucky knowing so far in advance where you will be. There are rumours of state visits, and I will be invited to go on some of them if they know my services will be required. It is true that Queen Elizabeth would like to meet him, and given her advancing years, that state visit may well be one scheduled for sooner, rather than later. She did after all meet the President's great-grandfather as a young girl, and his great-uncle as Queen. He is just as keen to make the trip, along with a visit to Ireland."

Nick burst out laughing at the way Trent said the last destination, knowing full well that Rory and their child might well be travelling with him, and if that was the case, somehow Rory's nana and a certain nun might end up on a guest list for any reception…

"I know, and so does the President. He has already said that if the trip goes ahead, then they will be invited…personally, I don't think he has any idea whatsoever about what he would be letting himself in for…" Trent said with a grin. Then his face became more serious and he carried on, "Anyway, will you do this for your country, Nick? You are one of the most rights conscious people that I know, and if we are to repair all the damage that man did, we need someone with your knowledge to assist us."

"I will need to speak to Jeff, of course, but I don't foresee any major issues. Yes, count me in…"

The news of Nick's new role would come out the following day, with an official announcement on an Oval Office news feed; the young man in question had managed to put the news on his Facebook page an hour beforehand, which meant that his friends and family found out from him, and not the press. His mother was overjoyed for him, and Sue Sylvester also sent him congratulations via E-Mail; as always, getting a message from her freaked Nick out a little. An excited Grace spread the news to her partners at work, all of whom were pleased for him; Miss Pittman was ecstatic for him, and made sure that the news would reach the jail cell where their erstwhile employer, Lionel Vallent, spent his days. As for the Carmichaels, the news that a second of Wes' boys would be associated with the Oval Office was a cause for celebration, and Thad had to concur. As for a certain angel, he was seen smiling broadly as he waded through a huge pile of statistical papers that most other people would have looked upon with disgust…

The week after that meeting, Trent finally got the phone call he had been waiting for, just as he handed the text of a speech on healthcare reform to the President; with the best wishes of the man in question echoing in his ears, moments later Trent was running down the corridors of the White House, intending to hail a cab. He found instead one of the official limos waiting for him at the President's instruction, and thus with a security escort, Trent found himself being driven at speed to the hospital, arriving at the door just as Rory arrived in a cab. "How the other half live!" Rory quipped as he took his husband's hand and they headed for the delivery suites…

In due course, they met their child; he did not keep them waiting long, and soon enough an image appeared on the couple's Facebook page that made everyone smile; two proud fathers side by side with their son cradled in Rory's arms. Young Cormac George Nixon was the image of neither of his fathers, and they had both decided that they did not want the rigmarole of DNA testing to establish which one of them was the biological dad. They would do so only if some dire medical emergency in the future required it to be done. Until then, he would be their son, loved by them both equally, just as it should be…

Thad was the first person to send his congratulations, and could not help but think that the sooner they obtained a photograph of the four musketeers with their two husbands and three children, the better. He still loved the irony that it was four of the youngest of what had been Wes' boys that had been the first to have children, although admittedly David and Flint where both due to be fathers in the very near future, and Beats had a foster son. All of them had been introduced to Dante at Mike's wedding; the young man himself had been stunned at the way that the older men acted around each other. He had asked Elliott quietly if all of the Warblers were gay, or at least bi, his words echoing those of a spy at Dalton so long ago now. Elliott had laughed, and then summoned Thad; he had been the one that repeated the same words that Blaine had used, albeit saying wives rather than girlfriends when he had pointed to Flint and David. There had also been a very memorable moment when Dante had been introduced to the wife of the latter; his mouth had dropped open as he was face to face with one of the best known women in the US music scene…

Thad realised that by the time of the next graduation ceremony at Dalton, there would be at least five biological children of his Warbler brethren in the world; he had to allow for twins or other multiple births after all. The Schuesters had brought triplets into the world, three boys that had all grown up to be individuals, their characteristics echoing in some ways the boys for whom they had been named. His own heart still ached for the fact that he would never be a father himself, but if Ollie managed to get his finger out, he might still be an actual uncle to a nephew or niece one day…

The birth of Cormac was followed within 24 hours by the arrival of Rory's nana in the country. The cost of her last minute ticket had been high, but she had charmed the women at the Aer Lingus check in desk at Dublin Airport with the first pictures of her new great-grandson (she had even claimed that he was her first great-grandchild, sure that God and Séamus would forgive her), and then had spun a tale of woe about the pains of her advanced years, and the fact that she had used most of her savings to pay for a full fare in economy. She had been given a free upgrade to business as a result, just as she had intended… This came as no surprise to Carole, who had agreed to head to Dulles to pick her up, having heard the stories from Rory of what she was prepared to do to get what she wanted. She was no sooner in her grandson's home than she was sat in a chair, arms held out, and with a look of expectation on her face, her great-grandson was laid carefully in her arms. They would remain in that position for the next hour, Agnes babbling nonsense to him all the time…

A few days later in New York, the time had finally arrived for Cooper to prepare for the next step in his stage career. Thus it was necessary for him to invite Sam to a meeting at his home in Murray Hill. He had told Sam it was for a coffee and a brotherly catch up, and he had arrived expecting it to be just the two of them. When he walked into the kitchen to discover his agent, Cooper's agent and Mason were there too, he was shocked. "Okay, Coop, what is going on?" Sam asked, as Mason, in the meeting as an emergency fall back, handed him a cup of coffee. "I was under the impression this was a catch up…"

"It is, but there is a bit of business that we need to deal with first. When I accepted my role in _Twelve Angry Men_ , it was as part of a two show deal; one serious play followed by a musical. I agreed to that only on the proviso that I was allowed to choose my main co-star for the latter. Have you heard of a show called _The Producers?_ " Sam nodded, having watched it years ago with Blaine, and that let Cooper carry on. "They want me to play Max Bialystock, which will involve a lot of aging make-up, but I get to choose my Leo Bloom. I want you to be my Leo…"

Sam stared at Cooper for a second, then spoke. "Me? Is this the part that you mentioned to me?" he said, turning to look at his agent, who nodded. "Well, it is an honour to be asked, but surely there are better choices; Sebastian for example, or Mason…"

"Sebastian is keen to take a break from musicals after _Cabaret_ closes; he wants to take a more serious part like I did, and the rumour is that he might well be starring in a production of _Hamlet_ in the new year," said Cooper, knowing he could trust those in the room not to repeat what he had just said.

"And as for me, well I can't." interjected Mason. As everyone looked at him, he went on, "I wasn't going to say anything yet, and it is strictly entre-nous, but there is going to be a new Elder Price on Broadway, as they have asked me to reprise McKinley in the West End…"

Cooper burst into a wide smile, and said, "Wow! That is amazing Mason. I am so pleased for you. Where does that leave Jane though?"

"She is lucky enough to work for a multinational firm with offices in London, and she can get a transfer to a similar position there with no issue. We will be going early in the New Year, so we will not be in town for your opening night, I'm afraid."

Cooper nodded, then turned back to Sam. "So you see, Sam, as well as being my first choice, you are now my only choice at working with someone I know well. So I am asking, will you work with me? If you don't want to, then I will understand; after all, it is to be an open ended run. It could go on for years…"

Sam shivered at that, then said, "Years of having to sing and dance alongside the man I think of as my big brother, day in, day out… How could I possibly say no to that! In any case, Rachel will not be able to work soon, and the income would be good…"

"And I have already seen to it that you will be given plenty of time off around the birth," added Cooper.

"In that case, you had better sign me up," responded Sam. At those words, Cooper leapt up from his chair and pulled Sam into a tight hug which was quickly returned with equal enthusiasm. From the sidelines Mason watched with a smile too; yes, he would also have relished the opportunity to take his place on the Broadway stage alongside Cooper, the man that by giving him a room to live in back when he first came to the city had effectively given him his career. After all, had he not done so, then he would never have been able to attend NYADA when he did, which in turn would have meant he would not have been there to play McKinley the night that Sebastian saved the show; that would have given him next to no chance of being in the cast of the show now.

The idea of going over to England to reprise the part that had started his Broadway career was a strange one at first, but gradually he had come to realise that it would be a good move for him, and make him a bigger name than he was now. There would be nothing to stop him from going to other auditions once he was there, given that Jane would be on a working visa, and they intended to be husband and wife before they arrived in the United Kingdom; no big ceremony, just a quiet one in a few weeks. Her employer had also stated that she could remain in the London office for as long as she wanted, so it would be a long term move for them both… That was for the future though; right now he wanted to go over and hug both of his friends, to congratulate them on being in a show that would cement their spot on the street of dreams for a while. The only thing he wondered was who would be taking on the female lead; he hoped that whoever they were, they would be able to deal with the existence of a very pregnant and possibly jealous Rachel…

Mason was right in his prediction that Rachel would be jealous when she was told, but it was not for the reasons he thought. It was the fact that her husband was going to be starring in a new show that made her smile fade just a little as he told her, full of excitement, given that she would be taking time out for the best of reasons very soon. She was genuinely looking forward to motherhood, confident that her child would have the combined talents of its two parents, along with their looks. She just hoped that she would be able to pick her career up where she left off afterwards. Jesse had been okay when she told him the reason why she would need to leave the show soon and that was a comfort; some directors were not exactly best pleased when their star announced they were pregnant after all. In her case though there was already a good understudy in the wings, and although there was talk of a Broadway transfer, it would not be for a good year or so yet, which meant that she had the chance to step back up to the role that she enjoyed when the time came.

That fact was a comfort to her; performing was in her blood. That was the one downside to motherhood, and the knowledge she would have to give up for a while soon was weighing her down just a little. She already found doing the show more tiring, and had once fallen asleep in her dressing room during the interval, something that she found to be completely unprofessional. She was a little surprised at herself when she realised that she did not care who was going to be playing the glamorous female lead in _The Producers._ Sam might have been a little flighty in his younger high school days, moving from girl to girl, but he had matured a lot, and now his heart belonged solely to her. She trusted him implicitly, and was sure that if any overtures were made in his direction, he would reject them out of hand…

The official announcement of Sam's casting came out a few days later, and everyone was pleased for him. They all knew that this was his big break; he had excelled as a replacement for Cooper as Willy Wonka, but this was the first time he was going to originate a part on Broadway, and that was far more involving. It also made him eligible for a Tony, something that had not happened before. There was also delight at the prospect of seeing Cooper sing and dance again; they had all admired his abilities as a dramatic actor, but they loved him more as a song and dance man, something in which he had few competitors.

Then there was the fact that they were reviving an iconic piece of theatre; they had all heard of Mel Brooks, and had seen the film on which the show was based, along with the film of the musical. It did raise a few eyebrows that Cooper had been cast in a part traditionally played by a much older actor, but they had all been promised a nightly transformation from a thirty something to a fifty something, through the use of the best available prosthetics. The new, more preppy Sam that had begun to emerge over the last couple of years would however be a perfect fit for Leo. Under Mike's tutelage, his dancing skills had also come on leaps and bounds at the same time, which was just as well, as he had a big production number of his own to dance through early on in the show. The opening night of the show had been scheduled for a date that nobody could forget; the 22nd of February, or 2/22/22; it gave them a lot of time to prepare and perfect the show. Hopefully their efforts would meet with the approval of Mr Brooks himself, as he would be involved in the production of the show from start to finish…

The winter period was one which was to be dominated by one thing for the close circle of friends; babies. The first of them to arrive came in the middle of November, as over breakfast one morning, waters broke. For Izzy, this was nothing major, used as she was to the medical world and all of its moments, and she just got up calmly from her side of the kitchen table, whilst Flint continued to check out an article in the _New York Times_. It was only as she returned with a mop and bucket that he realised that something was going on. "Did you spill your juice?" he asked with a smile. "You should have said and I would have cleaned it up for you!"

"Actually, my dear, my waters have just broken, so you will need to call work and tell them that you won't be coming in today, whilst I call the hospital and let them know that I am on my way in…" Izzy tailed off as she noticed the look of horror on her husband's face, frozen in time. Then she saw him unfreeze…

"I'm sorry, did you just say that your waters have broken, as in you are about to have our baby, as in now… as in we're in labour? Oh my God! You're in labour!" Flint replied as his initial calm moved swiftly towards panic. "Okay, so we need to get you to the hospital; get your case, no I'll get your case. And I'll call people… I have to call my mother… and work, and the hospital, and…"

"Flint! Calm down! Call your work now, or I will slap you. Hard." Izzy laughed at the sound of the third voice in the room, and more so at the sight of Kurt standing there with his arms folded tightly across his chest. "Women have been having babies for ever, so less panic and more action!"

"I know, I know, it's just - I have to call my mother and tell her…"

"Start with work, and leave her to last," Kurt replied. "After all, the sooner that you call her, the sooner she will get here…"

"True. Okay, calling work…" Flint grabbed his phone as Izzy carried on with her mopping. She felt a slight twinge of pain as she finished up, but she did not let it show, positive Flint would go into total meltdown if she did. She put away the mop and bucket, having sent a message to say she was coming in to the hospital, and calling a cab. She had a feeling that the child she was carrying inside her was not willing to wait too much longer to make its appearance into the world…

She was correct in her diagnosis and by the time that they reached the hospital, her contractions were coming at an alarming rate. Flint had called Izzy's parents and Beats whilst he was in the cab, the latter because he craved the sense of his best friend at this most life altering of moments. He knew that there was no way he could come to the hospital, but he had always been such a reassuring presence when everything around him was going to heck… The moment that Izzy walked in the staff at the maternity unit had her onto a gurney before wheeling her at speed in the direction of a delivery suite, Flint running alongside, still holding her hand. Unlike all of the other ex-Warblers who had had a child, he had made the decision right at the start that he was going to be there for the birth, and had attended all of the pre-natal classes with his wife.

He was given a set of scrubs to wear and having changed into them, he returned to his wife's side, holding her hand and mopping her brow. He had chosen to hold her hand in his rather than the other way round; he had heard all about the vice like grip that she would potentially force upon him the other way round… He breathed with her, saying nothing, ensuring as a result that he did not offend or anger her. Unlike some fathers, he did not feel the urge to use the gas and air mixture himself, nor did he drop in a dead faint as the baby that he had helped to create was finally born. So swift was the process that it was not even lunchtime when Flint found himself in floods of tears as he cradled his child in his arms, looking down with joy and wonder at his son…

It was only then that he realised what he had omitted to do in all of the rush; call his mother. At that moment he looked around, and noted with disappointment that the gas and air mixture was now gone. "What are you looking for?" asked an exhausted Izzy as she saw his eyes move around the room.

"I'm about to call mom, so I was kind of hoping that they had left the gas and air in the room," Flint replied with a look of fear on his face.

Izzy laughed, shaking her head. "It's like a band-aid; the sooner you do it, the quicker it is over. Go on, get it over with; if you don't do it now she will never forgive the omission…"

He nodded, and having handed his son back to his beautiful wife, he found his phone and pressed the button on speed dial…. When his call was answered, he tried to tell his mom the news right away, but as was so often the case, he could not get a word in, as his mother began to tell him about all the latest goings on with her friends and their children. He listened for a few moments, then when she paused for breath, he took his chance. "Mom, to be honest I don't give two hoots for Mrs Lippmann and her daughter's wedding. I called to tell you about your grandson…"

"Now Flint, it is unkind of you to be so unfeeling about Elsa Lippmann's wedd… Wait, did you just say my grandson! Isadora has had the baby! Is he okay? Is she? Have you made the necessary arrangements for his circum…"

"It is all in hand, mom," Flint interrupted. "Just now, little Aaron is sleeping soundly in his mother's arms, and everything else can wait a little while."

"Aaron. Yes, I do approve of that. It is a good, old-fashioned, Jewish name…"

Flint sighed with relief inwardly at those words; he had been worried about how she would react to their choice of name. It had come to him suddenly just a couple of weeks before when a parcel had arrived in their mail, freshly marked with a Westerville mark. It had contained a complete collection of perfectly hand knitted baby clothes, in neutral shades of white, yellow and green, along with a note from Mrs Carmichael, stating that new parents could never have enough little cardigans and jumpers, not to mention bootees. He had taken them to show to Izzy, and she had agreed they were adorable. "It was very good of her to make such an effort," she said with a smile. "The little stitches and details had to have taken up so much of her time."

"She would regard it as a pleasure and a duty; she and the Principal always saw themselves as surrogate parents to all of us, and vice versa. For many of the boys at Dalton, the best father figure that they had was Aaron… That is it! The perfect name for our baby if it happens to be a boy!"

"Aaron… Yes, I like it; and best of all, it is one that your mother should find acceptable" Izzy had replied….

Flint realised that he had zoned out when he heard his mother impatiently saying "Flint! Are you paying any attention to me? Has the necessary ceremonial been carried out on his you know what?"

"It is all in hand, mother. Trust me…"

"Excellent. Right, I will let you speak to your father now whilst I go to book our flights…"

There was silence on the line for a moment and then Flint heard the voice of his father. "So, I have a grandson, named after the former Principal of Dalton Academy… don't worry, I will not tell her." Flint laughed and agreed that it would probably be for the best. "So I can assume that you will see us some time tomorrow. There might well be a flight later on today, but as your mother has forgotten about booking them, and is currently on her cellphone to the head of the Ladies Circle, I won't be able to get a seat until tomorrow at the earliest. That will give her time to call half the town…"

"Thanks dad. To be honest, I need time to get used to the idea of being a father before I have to cope with mom as well."

"Yes… It took me a while to get used to coping with the two things when you were born too," his father agreed…

With his own parents called, he phoned the Bernsteins to give them the good news; they were en-route to the city, and he smiled as they both offered him their heartiest congratulations. That done, he made a call to Beats, who answered at once, and nearly burst into tears when he was told that he had a nephew. "A boy, you must be so pleased, both of you. And more importantly, your mom will be pleased. Has she bought a hat for his baptism yet?"

Flint laughed, then shuddered as he realised that he would potentially have to handle another massive hat at the synagogue. "I don't know, but if you so much as snigger at it, then I will kick you like I did on my wedding day, godfather or not."

"That hurt you know… wait, godfather? You want me to be…"

"Who else would I ask? Izzy and I both agree that you need an official role in our son's life. So yes, you and Leo as godfathers; Becca and one of Izzy's friends from college as godmothers."

"I am honoured to be asked, but what will your mom say?"

"Nothing if she knows what is good for her," replied Flint, which made Beats laugh. He was invited to pop in to the hospital to visit later, and he promised that he would. After he hung up, Beats had to excuse himself from his desk so that he could go and wipe away the tears of joy from his face.

Flint made one more call then, to Thad, to ask him to spread the news. Discovering that by chance his friend was currently having a late lunch with the Carmichaels, Flint asked him to put him on speakerphone. That done, he announced the news, and heard the congratulations of all three in the room. Then he continued "We were struggling to find the perfect name for our son, but then one that fitted the bill suddenly came to me. Anyway, as soon as I can I will send you a picture of the two of us with Aaron…"

He smiled as he heard a gasp of delight at the other end, then even more as Thad said, "I agree, that is a perfect name for a young man…"

As it happened, the first photo that went public was one that was taken by Mrs Bernstein just after four, and showed mom, dad, baby and godfather to be; Beats had worked right through his lunch break so he could leave early, and had taken a cab to the hospital rather than awaiting the subway. The picture made all of their friends laugh as they could see the other half of Fleats with the couple; then again, some could imagine the image without Izzy if the two young men had been wired differently. The choice of name met with universal approval, although everyone was careful not to mention in their comments where they knew that name had come from, just in case it got back to Mrs Wilson.

It was in the midst of all of that that Brittany posted a message on her and Santana's Facebook page, which read _"He'll have four new little playmates soon."_ It was not long before Nick, having done the math, asked the question, _"Who is the fourth? We only know about three, and no-one is reported as expecting twins…"_ Santana had not been warned by her wife what she was about to say, and knew she had no option now as speculation built. She went to Sebastian in his dressing room, showed him the growing thread, and he agreed they had no choice. Santana posted the sentence _"Mine. MC did it for me and Britt."_ Congratulations quickly replaced speculation, although there was some confusion as to who MC was at first; then it dawned on them. Sebastian did find the fact that he was being congratulated a little strange, but to be honest, he was secretly rather proud of himself…


	127. Baby Boom and a Secret Revealed

**Baby Boom and a Secret Revealed.**

Ten days or so after the birth of Aaron Wilson, a phone call was made to the rehearsal rooms of _The Producers_ , and this time it was the turn of Sam Evans to be running across town to the hospital. Unlike Izzy, Rachel's labour was not without its complications, and Sam was at the hospital for much longer. He remained at her side throughout the whole process, and stayed calm, even when she was turning the air blue, using words that made Sam blush with embarrassment, but had no such effect on the staff; they had all heard labour induced tourette's a million times before. In the end the process would take 30 hours from start to finish, and only then was a tired Sam able to tell the world, with a huge grin on his face, that he had a daughter. The minute that they heard it, everyone in their circle of friends immediately knew what she was called, all saying "Barbra" in unison. The longevity of the labour meant that Leroy and Hiram Berry managed to make it from Ohio to the hospital in time for the birth of their grandchild too; Stevie Evans was at the airport waiting for his mother to arrive when he received the call, his father not being able to get away from work.

The first photograph that anyone saw of the new arrival was one of her with her father, Rachel being sound asleep. They all noted that she had Sam's blonde hair, but Rachel's nose - and from what Sam was saying, she had her mother's lungs too… The birth had been hard on Rachel, and she was kept in hospital for a day or two after the birth; Sam was told that he could take his daughter home, but he knew that Rachel would want to be the one to carry her in, and so with all of the politeness he could muster, he thanked them, but declined. That night he did not return home, but crashed in Mike and Tina's spare room, where he knew that he would get silence, and would be of the least inconvenience to anyone.

When he woke the next day, he saw it was later than he had planned, and he threw on his clothes to run downstairs, intending to grab a bottle of water and a cereal bar; he found Mike waiting in the kitchen for him, however, and he made him sit down and have a proper breakfast. "You are going to need all of your strength and energy to deal with a new baby - and Rachel…" Mike said, and Sam could only nod in agreement.

"I know. This is all so wonderful, and my daughter is so beautiful, but it is still so, so scary Mike. Having someone so small and helpless being entirely dependant on you for everything is just…"

"I still have all of that to come, in due course, but the important thing to know is that you aren't alone in feeling that, and you have help. The rewards are always going to outweigh the stress in the end. You will always be her father, Sam. I am sure that it will all come naturally to you anyway, and if you are ever stuck on what you should do…"

"I call Carole," replied Sam, and Mike nodded, whilst laughing out loud…

There was of course a good deal of publicity around the birth of a child to two figures from the Broadway stage; that there was a photographer waiting for them as they left the hospital, and another waiting for them as they arrive home was no shock. Mrs Evans had been busy, and had the house spotless and the nursery fully prepared, which made Rachel very happy. As she set her daughter down in her crib in her room for the first time, Rachel realised that for a while nothing else was going to matter to her; her career could be put on hold. Sam had talked about pulling out of _The Producers_ , but now that Barbra was here, she was determined that would be the last thing he would do. This was his chance to cement his name on Broadway, just as _Funny Girl_ and _Hello Dolly!_ had made hers. It was not as if she was retiring altogether; she would go back when the Brontë musical got the go-ahead for a Broadway run. Until then, she would be quite content to devote all of her energy to the care of the little girl she had just brought into the world, and to her husband. She still had plenty of time after all to win her first Tony. Even if she never did, then it would not matter a lot in the grand scheme of things….

There would be no further arrivals in November; Thanksgiving came and went. Black Friday saw Kitty out with a determined Tina at the sales in the baby department of Macy's; Kitty made quite the spectacle with her bump, and as usual, Tina was taking no prisoners as she pushed people out of their path. They managed as a result to obtain all of the bargains that Kitty wanted, not that doing so raised any sort of broody feelings in Tina; she did not intend to even consider having children until she turned thirty, and that was a few years away yet. She had a career to build, and unlike a go getter like Kitty, she had to establish herself in the cut throat world of veterinary practice in New York city before she could consider taking time out. Kitty's financial skills meant that she could work less hard for a short while; however, as all of her work was web based, she could carry on working from home throughout her pregnancy; indeed, she had every intention of taking her I-pad into the labour suite with her…

In Boston, David and Mercedes had welcomed Mrs Thompson into their home for the Thanksgiving holiday, but she had a surprise for them; she announced that she would be staying until after her grandchild was born. "I know that I should have told you of my intentions beforehand, but I didn't imagine that you would be too put out by it. I recall all too well what it was like when I was expecting for the first time. I had so much that I needed to do, but finding the energy to do it grew harder and harder as my time drew near. My mother came to stay and help me through my final weeks, and that is what I intend to do."

Mercedes turned to look at David, then replied, "Well, in all honesty, I am grateful; I have noticed how tiring certain things are now, and a helping hand would be good. However, I have no intention of sitting idle either."

"That is okay by me; you can do the lighter jobs and I will take over the heavier stuff. Tomorrow we can all work together to prepare Thanksgiving dinner, and that includes you, David."

"I was intending to help anyway," David responded with a note of indignation in his voice. "And if anyone is going to do the heavy stuff, it will be me; we will get everything done as a team." On that, Mrs Thompson could not find any reason to object…

Kitty went into labour with exactly a week to go before Christmas, and she found that it was nowhere near as easy as she had surmised. Artie had stayed very calm when she had awoken him in a state of panic in the early hours, calling an ambulance, dressing and ensuring that everything required was ready without a problem, whereas Kitty could barely even manage to get dressed. In the end, Artie found himself helping his wife in that task, to ensure that when the ambulance arrived, they were ready. Like Flint, Artie was in the midst of it all, sans camera; Kitty had informed him that if he filmed her giving birth then (a) he would never hold a camera again as she would cut both of his hands off; and (b) he would never father a second child, as she would also cut off his…

Kitty ended up using her tablet to play soothing music rather than work; she could not concentrate for long enough between the contractions, her mind working overtime as she anticipated the next one. Her labour was blessedly a short one, and in no time at all, Artie was proudly announcing the birth of his daughter, Meghan Catherine Abrams. Kitty shamelessly admitted that she had chosen to name her child after two duchesses, and Meghan had come first as the former Ms Markle was a woman that her she admired; she was strong and inspirational, all things that her child would do well to emulate. As for Artie, his little girl was just perfection, and from the way that he doted on her, they all could see that she would definitely end up as a daddy's girl…

Christmas came and went, and soon it was the last day of the year. It arrived to find an increasingly grumpy Mercedes in Boston, waiting for her waters to break; she was now a few days overdue. She was jealous of the three new sets of parents that had already had their child; then again, they had seen the inevitable descent of doting grandparents a week before, except of course on the Upper East Side. There had nevertheless been a pile of gifts for Aaron Wilson from the Bernsteins and his parents, not that Flint would ever let his mother know about it, as it would have horrified all of her religious sensibilities.

As Mercedes waited, there were those for whom the last day of the year meant work. One of those was young Colin, who had worked his way up through the structure in Duane Reed as he continued his pharmacy studies, and was now working as an assistant dispenser; it was good training for the day that he would be an officially qualified pharmacist. He had been rostered to work in his usual branch near home, but when he got there he was asked if he would go to a more out of the way store a little further downtown, as the pharmacist there had both of their assistants off sick. He agreed, and when he arrived at the other branch, he was welcomed, and quickly built up a rapport with the pharmacist. She was delighted to discover that he was training for the job, as it meant that she had no qualms about asking him to make up the repeat prescriptions on his own.

He was doing this quite happily until he came to the final one in the pile, and he stopped short as he read the name and address. If that was a shock, worse was to come when he saw what drugs were on the order, as he knew what they were used to treat. At first it was all that he could do not to just burst into tears, but then he pulled himself together, took a deep breath, and detached himself like a good pharmacist should. That said, making up Seth's repeat prescription was still one of the hardest things he had ever done…

Colin was on his break thankfully when Seth arrived to pick up his medication; the door was open though and he heard his friend's familiar tones as he asked for them, and then repeating the address of the house that they both called home. A lump formed in his throat then, leaving him unable to finish the sandwich he had been eating. He was very glad that he had not been on the counter as his friend had come in; it would have been mortifying to have had to hand the bag over. That was of course if his friend had even stayed to take them from him, and had not bolted straight out the door the moment that he saw him, realising that his cover had been blown and that his secret was out. Colin felt tears forming in his eyes, as he realised that he was now the unwilling keeper of a deadly secret; he let them roll, thinking that he was unobserved….

"You knew one of those people, didn't you? One of the regulars that had a repeat prescription to collect?" came a sympathetic voice, and he looked up to see the pharmacist at the door. He nodded sadly, and she sighed. "They obviously chose to collect their pills here because they never expected you to be here. But you were here, and now you know something that you wish you didn't. I've been where you are now, but that was 40 years ago, when I was fresh out of school. I was, like you, sent to a different branch than usual to cover, and I found myself making up prescriptions for two of my male college classmates, for the early drugs they used to try and fight HIV… Two guys that I knew well, and would never have imagined being in that situation. The worst thing is the knowing, and knowing that you can't tell anyone that you know, particularly them…"

"It was for one of my housemates," said Colin quietly. "I might be wrong, I hope I am, but I think I just made up a prescription for the 'cocktail' of drugs that they use to counter the early effects of MND. He is only a year older than me… What is worst is that now that I think about it, there are actually indications…"

The pharmacist walked over, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "He will tell you in good time, when he is ready. If it is any sort of consolation, I have known people that have lived with the condition, and managed it, for decades…"

Colin nodded, and then the counter bell rang, and the pharmacist was gone to serve the next customer. The afternoon went quickly, but he was still glad when it was finally time for him to head home to his husband. He sent him a text to say that he was on his way, and gave an approximate time, calculated on where he had been working, something he revealed to his husband then. Edward responded at once, and told him that he would have dinner ready; that made Colin smile, not that he actually had much of an appetite though, if he was being honest. A large part of him hoped that Seth was out, or in his room; anywhere but in front of him at the dinner table…

His discovery had changed everything and until Seth was able to confess the truth, their relationship would be awkward. Part of him wanted to take Edward aside that night and suggest that it was time for them to strike out on their own, even if it meant living in a much smaller place in a less desirable neighbourhood. But that would only lead to other problems, not least the reason for their decision to go, which would have to be given to the other four in the house - and Edward would want to know why too…

He entered the house to find Edward on his own in the kitchen, and to his relief he saw the table was only set for two. "Luke and Duncan are at Niff's," said Edward as he walked over to give him a kiss. "Skylar is at the Spotlight working a last minute shift, but he will be home for midnight. Now sit down, and I'll get dinner."

Colin gratefully took a seat, breathing in the smell of the chicken stew that his husband had made; he smiled widely as he saw that his husband had also made dumplings, one of his guilty pleasures. The plate was set in front of him, and he waited out of manners for his husband to join him, his appetite restored. Edward took his usual seat next to him, and kissed his cheek again. They began to eat then in companionable silence, no words needed between them.

Then Seth walked in to get himself a glass of juice. As he poured it, he remarked, "You two are very quiet tonight. Then again, Colin, you look exhausted; busy shift?"

Before Colin could speak, Edward said "He had a long shift in the first place, and on top of that, they moved him from his usual store due to a staff shortage; they moved him to the branch on…"

Everything slowed down for Colin after that. He could not stop Edward saying the street name; it was too late, and the conversation with his husband afterwards would have been a nightmare. He saw the sudden look of horror on Seth's face immediately afterward, the glass falling from his hand as it twitched involuntarily at Edward's words, to shatter on the tiled floor. The noise that it made was deafening for Colin; it was the sound of a secret being revealed, a trust broken. Then Edward was on his feet, asking Seth if he was okay, fetching a dustpan, brush and mop. Colin felt Seth's eyes on him, and he had to look back at him, showing him all the pain that he felt.

Seth's face though was a perfect mask, and he swiftly returned to normality. He was quick to apologise, and when Edward made to clean up, he insisted that he should do it and let him return to his food. Seth then headed back to his room, and Edward made no connection between his words and Seth's accident. Once they had finished their dinner, the young couple snuggled together on the sofa, watching trash television.

Skylar arrived home just before midnight, and made his way upstairs, dragging a reluctant Seth into the lounge so that they could welcome in 2022 together. Colin alone seemed to notice his red rimmed eyes. Then the ball dropped in Times Square on the television screen, and it was time for hugs and handshakes. As Skylar pulled Edward into a hug, Colin found himself being pulled into Seth's.

"I'm not ready," Seth whispered in his ear.

"I'm so sorry…"

"I'm sorry too. And I will tell them soon, I promise…"

Then Edward was pulling Colin from Seth's arms, jokingly asking for his husband back. Seth laughed at that, and then had a fit of giggles as Skylar grabbed him in both arms, and went so far as to peck him on the cheek. Seth knew now however that this was the year he had to come clean. It would be hard for him. He could see how devastated Colin was, and it would be so much harder for the young man that had his arms wrapped around him right now…

As the year began in an awkward fashion for some in New York, in the Thompson household in Boston the actual moment passed by unnoticed. With only half an hour of 2021 left, Mercedes had finally realised that things were at last happening. She smiled a little at the thought that her child had just really wanted to be born in 2022. She had also not needed to say anything to her mother-in-law; her little gasp as her waters had broken had been all that Mrs Thompson had needed to hear to get up from her chair and tell her son that it was time. For his part, David had felt a little stunned at first, but then all of the stuff that he had been mentally preparing for since the day he had found out that his wife was pregnant had come to the fore. The bag that she would be taking with her to the hospital was already packed, and one quick phone call was all that was required to ensure that the nursing staff would be ready for their arrival at the facility.

As the rest of the world was celebrating the arrival of a New Year, David was sat in the back of the car that was taking them discretely to the back entrance of the hospital, where the staff had been told to expect a Mrs Harwood. Thad had been only to happy to allow them to use his name in an attempt to stymie the paparazzi, and ensure that they would not be swamped by them the moment they left the car. His mother had also helped by calling the offices of Mercedes' record company to tell them she was in labour, then giving them the name of a hospital miles out of town, just in case there was a leak there. It meant that they could enter the hospital without any additional stress, although both of them knew that when they left, it would be under the full glare of publicity…

At six in the morning, David still found himself slumped in a chair by his wife's bedside as he awaited developments; her contractions had not speeded up any in the last few hours, and she was actually now starting to doze off. The nurses had informed them that there were a handful of media people outside, but as yet no sign of the television crews. David had only told Thad what was going on, and that was only because the Head Warbler had called his best friend to wish him a Happy New Year just after midnight; on hearing were they where, he had wished them all the best and had then rung off. David now couldn't help but wonder if his best friend had been awake all night like him, awaiting news, or whether he had managed to get himself some sleep… Suddenly Mercedes sat bolt upright and let out a whine, before gasping "They're much faster now; something is definitely happening…"

David pushed the call button then, and crossed his fingers; he would alter swear that the next hour was the longest of his life, longer even than the time in L.A. after the earthquake. The fact that he escaped only with bruised fingers was also nothing short of a miracle. He stayed at his wife's side throughout the process, watching as she brought a new life into the world with awe and pride. The moment that he heard the first cries of his child as they came into the world made his heart swell with paternal pride and happiness. He was a father, and nothing could ever take that away from him now. As he watched the nurses getting their child ready for them to hold, he had bent down to kiss a tired Mercedes, and to thank her for giving him the most precious gift in the world.

Then the nurses were back, and placing a bundle in her arms, and David looked on, smiling at the most perfect little boy that was staring back at him. "Hello there," he whispered. "I'm your dad, and the woman holding you is your mom, the most beautiful woman in the world. We promise you here and now that we will do our best to raise you well, to be firm, but fair, and to always love you, whatever happens, Simon…"

Thad had indeed stayed awake for a while after he had spoken to David, in case the process was swift, but in the end exhaustion had claimed him and he had stumbled into his bed, to fall asleep the moment that his head hit the pillow. He awoke the first day of the year to find a message on his phone, and a picture of mother, father and son. He knew exactly why they had chosen their son's name, and he knew that it would be casing pleasure in the angelic realm too. To call his son after his late brother was just such a David thing to do…

Thad could also picture the reaction of Mrs Thompson, and the smile he anticipated was very much in evidence when the lady met her grandson for the first time later that day. The joy was shared all through the Warbler world, with messages of love and congratulations flooding the phones of David and Mercedes. It was not a complete surprise to David when Mitch and Gabriel arrived that afternoon, the latter stating that he had come in the stead of Thad, who would have come himself that day had he been nearer, but would arrive in just a few days.

Later that afternoon, as a quiet spell hit the hospital, five angels arrived in the room where the young couple and their son were; Kurt, Finn and Blaine headed straight for Mercedes, whilst Wes headed straight over to his best friend, sat by the crib in which his son lay. He said nothing, leaving the words to the angel at his side, David's older brother and the namesake of the new born. "He is just perfect, like his parents; my nephew, the boy I will be guardian angel to…" Simon stopped then, a broad smile on his face; a grin that was matched by the one on the face of the new father…

The new year was going to be one of change for all of them. Most immediately, Santana was leaving _Cabaret_ , as it was impossible to play the role of Sally Bowles when she was pregnant. As her pregnancy progressed her moods softened, a complete reversal of what had happened with Izzy. Her departure meant that the show closed, as Sebastian too was about to embark on a very different role. His drama breakthrough was coming, and he found himself scheduled to play the Prince of Denmark; in some was the part of Hamlet was made for him, the young man tormented by the pain and stress of family life. He was nervous about it though, and he jokingly told Cooper that he might well have been better off if he had chosen to appear in the flop referred to at the start of _The Producers_ , Funny Boy….

The show in question was scheduled for a February opening, which meant that as the year began Cooper and Sam were in nearly constant rehearsal, given the huge amount of choreography for one thing, especially for Sam. He had coped with it though, with a little behind the scenes coaching from Mike; he had managed to shrug off all the comments made by Puck and others about how he had better watch out that he didn't make Rachel too jealous when he was dancing with all those ladies in his big number, _I Wanna be a Producer_ , although he had to admit to himself that she had asked a lot of questions about the women in question. He had replied diplomatically that none of them were as beautiful in his eyes as she was…

Then there was the fact that all of them were aware that in the middle of the year, Nick and Jeff would be leaving, tearing a hole in the heart of the little community in the West Village. It was true that they were only going to London for a year, but with them away, there would be quite the void to fill…

By the time that February rolled in, the changes were beginning to make themselves all too obvious. With so many new parents, the group gatherings that had once seemed so simple were now a massive logistical challenge, given that they needed to arrange sitters, or if they came with the children, then there was the sheer amount of stuff they had to carry for even a short trip. Flint regarded himself as the luckiest of them all, as the nanny that the Bernsteins had insisted upon was a Mary Poppins like presence in his home, albeit without sliding up banisters. He was enjoying his life more than he expected to as a father; if it carried on in the same vein, he imagined himself running to Central Park one day, overwhelmed by the urge to fly a kite… Izzy was happy too, and had returned to work, and her shift pattern. That did mean that Flint had a few sleepless nights to contend with, but any time he had to sit by his son's bedside in the small hours of the morning, he felt no stress, just an enormous sense of wellbeing and calm.

Sebastian and Dave had external childcare too, but they both still felt guilty when they left their daughter with the sitter. She however rationalised the whole thing for them simply. They had to provide for their daughter, and that meant that they had to work. As she said, the love that they had for her was obvious to everyone, and every spare moment that both of them had was spent with her. She could not have hoped to be working for two better parents…

Sam was also spending more time away from his daughter than he would have liked thanks to his show rehearsals, but that was not forever, and once the show had opened he would have much more free time to spend with his family. Rachel had surprised everyone by being quite content to stay at home and be a mom; some had even asked if she was quite well. As the lady in question said, it was all about the priorities, and right now her daughter was the only thing that mattered.

As for David and Mercedes, the former's mother had shown no great hurry to return to Ohio, although she had made a point of assuring the couple that she had no intentions of moving in forever; she would go home once she felt that they had everything set up satisfactorily for her grandson.

Beats observed all of this, and smiled to himself as he observed the tiredness, the stress, the chaos; this was why he had chosen to foster older kids. So far Dante had been no trouble at all, doing well at school, and behaving with the most impeccable of manners. It just went to show what could be achieved when a kid was shown a little love and attention, and more importantly, were taken away from the bad influences around them.

And then there was Ethan, quietly content and occupied with other things. At the start of the month Leo had announced that he was intending to get his own place, as he had decided he would propose to his long term girlfriend on Valentine's Day, and he wanted to have a suitable home in the making. Ethan was not at all surprised, and had been anticipating such a move; he had decided that he was in no hurry to get a new roommate though. It might have bothered him once, but now being alone was actually no problem at all…

As well as that, he had a trip to undertake; his mom had decided that he should be the one to go to Great Ormond Street to hand over the 'cheque' from the Mackenzie Foundation, although they both knew that the money had already been handed over, and this was all about publicity. He had agreed, but only if his face was not splashed all over the media. It would be strange for him to return to England, and harder still when he knew that Drew was in the same country, and not all that far away, but out of contact, and likely to stay that way. When he mentioned the trip, Sebastian suggested that he took advantage of it and head on to Paris for a few days; he was sure that François could be persuaded to meet him and show him the sights. It was too tempting an offer for Ethan to refuse. He was going on a voyage of discovery after a return to places that he knew, and that was as it should be. His one hope was that he might meet Drew by chance, but he knew that the chances of that were very slim indeed…


	128. A trip to the past, and future plans

**A trip to the past, and future plans**

Before he embarked on his trip to London, Ethan had the great pleasure of attending the official naming ceremony of young Aaron Wilson at the same synagogue that his parents had married in. As was only to be expected, there was an almost full compliment of Warblers present; even Jasper and Brad had made an appearance, a rare event these days given the busy lives that they had in Chicago. The two best friends had both graduated from their respective colleges with full honours, and still lived together; they had made a canny buy in their first year at school of two neighbouring houses in a nice suburban area. By chance they were only a few blocks from the coffee shop owned by Jeff's uncle, where the now long time married couple had first lived and worked together in harmony.

Jasper and Brad came to the ceremony with big news of their own; their brethren had all known that they had started to date fraternal twins a few years ago, a brother and sister every bit as devoted to each other as the McCarthy twins from McKinley. The two former Warblers had proposed on the same day, and had both received an answer of yes. They would be getting married at some point in the future in a joint ceremony. As to where the two newly married couples would live, well they had that sorted out already…

Flint had glanced over at Beats as they heard the news and had detected the same look of jealousy in his eyes; in an ideal world, they too would have lived side by side in the same street, but it wasn't as if they were in different states. Nick meanwhile made a mental note to check if he and Jeff could fly back to anywhere in the United States whilst he was on secondment in London, or whether it had to be to New York; he was determined that they would not miss the wedding, even if everyone would understand why he and Jeff would be unable to attend. He was as curious as the others to meet the twins that would make the two best friends brothers-in-law, in a round about kind of way….

That was for another day though; now they all waited at the synagogue for the arrival of Flint's mother with her daughter-in-law and grandson. Flint had been sent ahead to ensure that everything was perfect at the synagogue, that the godparents were there and that there was no external noise that would spoil the ceremonial… Flint was relieved to discover that there were no street repairs or anything of a similar nature nearby as he did not exactly like the idea of having to go up to a workman in a hi-viz vest to ask him if he would mind turning his drill down… Beats had laughed at the notion, but he knew in his heart that all Flint would have needed to do was mention his mother and what she was like, and every workman in the city would have downed tools in complete and total understanding of the situation…

At the appointed time, the final people arrived along with Mrs Wilson; she was wearing a hat, but it was a much more restrained one, much to the disappointment of some, the surprise of others, and the relief of her son. Artie was in place to film the ceremony, but without Kitty at his side, as she had elected to stay at home with her baby. Mercedes had done the same, and David had only come at her insistence; had his mother not still been in Boston, he would probably have ignored his wife and stayed away as well.

The whole event was beautiful, the old prayers that had been used for generations being said, and the pledges being made by the godparents being the universal ones. The celebration afterwards was held in the meeting room of the synagogue itself, with catering from a suitably grand firm chosen by the Bernsteins and approved of by Mrs Wilson; after all, the firm they had chosen had a name, a pedigree and a reputation that was known even far away in Kansas… Little Wes was on his best behaviour that day, and the same could also be said of Elise, Cormac, Devon and Lily, brought along by their proud parents, and much admired by all the invited guests. There was much discussion of how attentive the parents were to their children by the older guests, all of them noting how the three male couples seemed to dote on their offspring…

Little Barbra was present with her parents too, although she had cried just a little during the ceremony, earning her parents a look from Mrs Wilson, although it was of concern and sympathy, not anger. Rachel had proceeded to corner Rabbi Hirsch after the ceremony to ask if she could officiate at a similar sort of ceremony for her child. Sam had agreed that a religious ceremony would be nice for his daughter ; after all, he and his siblings had all been baptised. He had of course not even dared to suggest that it be a church event, his reckoning being that they did all believe in the same God after all when you thought about it; also, he liked to have a quiet life. If Rachel had been hoping that the answer would be an immediate yes, then she was to be disappointed; it was not an outright no either though. There would have to be a few talks one on one and attendance at services too before the good rabbi would consider the task. She was used to mixed marriages in New York, and from what she could see from first impressions, it was Sam that would be the easy parent to deal with…

At the party, there was also a first chance for Beats to confront Flint over the little surprise that he had received at the naming itself. "Okay, so why did you not think to warn me that it was going to happen? I'm sure that my eyes bulged out of my head and my eye brows shot up when you came out with it!"

"I did consider telling you about it, but then I decided that it was best that I didn't. In any case, all I saw on your face at that moment was pride and a fair amount of happiness. Of course, as far as my mom is concerned, it was done after Izzy's great-grandfather; Ezra was my mom's paternal grandfather," replied Flint.

"Even so, it was just…" Beats stopped, and swiped at his eyes that had become a little moist. Then he cleared his throat, and said, "I want you to know that I will always do my best for Aaron Nathaniel Ezra Wilson…"

"I know, which is why I chose you for this role in his life; now take a seat and I will go and try to steal my son away from Principal Carmichael. I think that it is time that the godfather he has a middle name in honour of had an opportunity to hold him…"

Just a few days after the naming ceremony, Ethan headed to the airport to board his flight to London. His business being for Mackenzie Inc, he was flying to Europe at the expense of the company account, and had been upgraded by the airline to the highest class available on the flight. That meant that he was picked up by a chauffeur driven car in the West Village, fast tracked through the security lines at JFK, then was able to take the option of having his inflight meal in the well appointed lounge at the airport rather than on the plane. At one time he would have felt guilty about taking advantage of such things, but age had begun to mellow him to the fact that one day he would be one of the wealthiest men in the nation, responsible for managing the family business and ensuring the livelihood of thousands of employees. At least for now he was only engaged on the philanthropic aspect of having all of that wealth.

He was given priority boarding at the gate and ushered into what resembled a mini suite on the plane, though he declined the glass of champagne he was offered. Once airborne, he dimmed his lights, and reclined his seat right back into the bed position, and with his belt fastened securely over the top of his blanket, he settled down to try and get some sleep. He surprised himself at just how quickly he was able to nod off, and only woke as the cabin crew started to serve breakfast. The stewardess apologised for waking him, but they were only an hour from London. He had slept for nearly six hours, and soon he was sitting upright again, and enjoying the light meal.

On arrival at Heathrow, he was again speeded through all of the immigration checks, and found his way to the lounge again, where he found his bags waiting for him. He took advantage of the generous washroom facilities and changed into smarter clothes, before making arrangements for his bags to be sent on to his hotel. He was offered a car again, but he eschewed it, knowing how congested the city could be at what was still peak time, and instead boarded the train on the Elizabeth Line of the tube, which sped him straight to Tottenham Court Road station, which was only a short walk from Great Ormond Street Hospital.

He arrived there well before the appointed time, and stood for a moment to appraise the amalgam of buildings that made up the hospital, all of different generations and styles, tucked together in the streets of Bloomsbury. It was no problem for the office staff at all though, who quickly showed him into a comfortable waiting room, and took care of him whilst he was awaiting the appointed time for his meeting with the trustees and senior staff. He had not said anything, but one of the staff arrived with a bread roll filled with crispy bacon, and he immediately felt a hunger that he might otherwise have ignored; he ate gratefully. This was followed by coffee and biscuits; he was conceding that Sebastian might have a point about Custard Creams when the door opened and the chief executive of the hospital arrived accompanied by the head of the charitable trust and the clinical director. They apologised the moment the arrived for the absence of the fourth member of the reception party.

"I'm am afraid that the senior paediatric surgeon that was due to join us has been called in to perform an emergency operation, but she sends her apologies," said the chief executive. Ethan had to stifle a laugh as he saw the way that the clinical director rolled his eyes at the last part of the statement; it suggested to him that the person in question would not have sent apologies, but probably saw him being here as a nuisance, and wished him just to hand over the cash and go. "If she is able to join us later then she will," continued the chief executive, before offering to take Ethan on a tour of the facility.

Ethan spent the next hour or so walking from ward to ward, listening to all that was going on, and smiling broadly at the attitude of the staff to the in some cases very young children under their care. The tour ended in the current oncology unit, and he could see immediately why they had been so desperate to build a completely new centre; the current one was very cramped, the rooms awkward, and it was bursting at the seams with patients. The sight of so many sick children and young adults tugged at all of Ethan's heartstrings, but what he saw most was that in spite of all that they were going through, they all seemed to be happy, dealing with the illness that they had with dignity and courage, helped through it by a team of knowledgeable staff that seemed to know exactly how to treat each child; as an individual.

They then walked outside to view the site of the new unit; work had already begun, and the foundations were laid, and a steel skeleton was starting to climb up. He could see that it was easily at least three times the size of the current facility, and he was heartened to hear that the existing space would be merged seamlessly into the new, after it too had been renovated and remodelled to the necessary standard modern medicine required.

Then came the photos Ethan had been dreading, with the large cardboard cheque in full sight, although they had agreed to keep his face out of the images, as he had asked. There was a surprise for him when they informed him that the new building would be known as Mackenzie House, an honour which he accepted for himself and his parents with modesty. This was followed by a brief lunch reception, where he was introduced to many of the staff that would work in the new unit in quieter and less hectic surroundings. For that he was given a name badge; he proceeded to shake so many hands that his arm ached afterwards.

Then it was time for him to take his leave, still with no sign of the surgeon that had supposed to have been introduced to him. The chief executive apologised again for that, but Ethan had no issue, accepting that it was necessary to put the needs of the patients first; he again had to stifle a laugh as he heard the clinical director remark to one of the senior nurses that it was no great loss. On leaving, he placed his name tag on the table where one badge remained unclaimed, but he did not chance to look at it properly; had he done so, he might have paled, then decided to wait all day if he had to to meet the lady in question. After all, how many doctors called Lucy George could there be in England…

Watching the scene at that moment, keeping out of sight of Ethan was an angel who was fully aware of just how close his friend had come to the woman that had come between him and his best friend. A part of Wes had wanted to knock the name badge off the table as Ethan placed his own on, so that he would pick it up and see it, and make the connection. He was not allowed to though; he could not disrupt the grand scheme that ran everything in the world. He followed Ethan as he walked from the building, and gasped as at a crossroads between two corridors, the woman in question passed just behind Ethan, neither noticing the other… It just seemed so unfair to him, knowing just how much Drew was suffering that the resolution could not have come that day. He just had to trust that it would all be alright in the end…

After leaving the hospital, Ethan spent the remainder of his afternoon visiting old haunts in the city, the places that he and Drew had used to meet up at back in the day when they were carefree students, not burdened with the worry of work, and not kept apart by one woman's nature. As he went from place to place, the pain began to build up in Ethan's heart, and he decided to stop before he burst into tears. He headed instead to his hotel, pleased to discover that his luggage was waiting for him in his room, as were the train tickets that he would use the following day for another trip into his past; a visit to his old college at Cambridge.

The moment he had known he would be coming to England, and when, he had contacted his old professors to see if any of them would be available to meet him for old times sake, knowing that they monitored the progress of all of their former students. He did regret that decision just a little when they replied as one, and asked if he could possibly come and speak to the senior students of this year about his experiences. He could not really decline, but he was not looking forward to it at all. He was okay when he was in small business meetings, but the idea of effectively lecturing to a group of 50 young people was another matter. All he could do was try and channel his inner Thad….

To help him relax that evening, he had booked himself a show ticket, and had used it as a chance to say hello to two old friends. He had arranged to meet Jane outside the theatre, and then they would head in and watch Mason in the London version of _Book of Mormon_ ; after the show, they would head out for drinks. He remembered to take with him two parcels that Roderick had entrusted to his care the previous day, which contained a selection of items of food that were particular favourites of the couple, but which were either difficult or expensive to obtain in the UK. They were both aware that the parcels would be coming, and so if he had forgotten them, there was every chance that he would be shot…

The post show drinks were of course the first time he had ever really spent time alone with the two of them. He had noticed the engagement ring that now shone on Jane's hand the moment that they had met; he had congratulated her, but she had asked him not to say anything to anyone else, at least until they could announce it to everyone themselves. It had been only 48 hours since Mason had got down on one knee and asked the question, and not even their immediate family had been informed as of yet. He had promised to say nothing, then had handed over the shopping bag that contained the two precious parcels; she smiled broadly, then as they walked in, she was recognised by the staff in the box office. It meant that she could hand the bag over to them, and arrange for it to be sent to Mason's dressing room. The young man himself had only been in the role of Elder Price officially for a week so far, but he performed with vigour as he had always done, and he had an obvious bond with the rest of the cast already. After the show, in a quiet bar, he admitted to Ethan that creating that had not been an easy task….

"The previous Price was from England, and when he decided to quit - he was offered a big part in a new period drama on the BBC - there was an expectation that one of those guys would take over the role. What they did not know at the time was that the understudy had been offered the role and had declined it, revealing that he was also about to quit; at that point, the director sought help from the States. Trust me therefore when I say that the first day I was introduced to the guys, the atmosphere was glacial. That was until I told them all about my first performance in the show, the one with you guys when Sebastian had to pull off a miracle. I even still had the clip that Roderick filmed against the rules of me as Elder McKinley. Now they had all heard the legend, but until that moment, none of them knew that I had been one of that cast. Once they did…"

"That explains why when Jane took me backstage at the end of the show, they all wanted to shake my hand," mused Ethan, and Mason laughed.

"Yeah, I told them that you were coming, and that you had been one of that cast, and they all got a little excited. They are a good bunch of guys, and I've even begun to work with one of them to create a new understudy; the current one leaves at the end of the month. One day of course, they will have to take over from me…"

Ethan looked at Mason curiously after he had said those words; there was something in the way that he had phrased it that made him wonder if there was a deeper meaning there…

"What Mason means," said Jane, "is that he has no set finish date, and now that we are actually here… My firm has given me a promotion at their offices here, and there is much less of a chance of getting a similar role back in New York. When we realised that, we started to think seriously about what we should do long term. There is also the fact that back on Broadway, Mason is always going to have to compete with Sebastian, and for that matter Sam, for the best parts. If he wants to make a name for himself, wants to originate roles even just in revivals, there will be much more opportunity here. The visas that we are on can be extended, so it wouldn't be an issue for either of us to stay longer than planned."

"Just don't tell anyone that either," added Mason. "Jane's folks might not be too pleased, and as for Roderick and Madison… They all need to be told first; warned of our plans so that they can start dealing with the idea we might be thousands of miles away for a long time."

Ethan smiled, and responded, "My lips are sealed. You will be sorely missed, but I can see your point. There are better chances for both of you here."

Ethan's talk at Cambridge the next day was not as bad as he had anticipated. Once he was at the front of the room, the words just seemed to come naturally to him and he soon had the full attention of his audience. It was good to return to the place where he had spent three years studying, to let people see how he had done since then. However, he could also see the signs of the changes that had come along in England since then, some not so good. He felt a sense of loss when he walked along a street expecting to see a bakery that he had frequented daily and finding it gone. He was relieved to discover though that it had only moved around the corner into the next street, and he purchased two of the Chelsea Buns he had been so fond off to eat before he went to his bed that night.

His resolution was weak though, and he ended up eating one as he waited for his train at the station; he noted the information boards that detailed the progress on the link to Oxford, a line that had closed nearly six decades before in very different times, but now slated for a return. Of course, seeing that word made him think of Drew again, and he was tempted for a moment to leave the station and head for the cross country bus that would take him to that city of dreaming spires, a journey he had made so many times before, but he knew it would not be a good idea, and resisted the temptation. If he went, then regardless of whether he saw Drew or not, he would only end up hurt… Back in London, he had a late dinner after spending time in Foyles bookshop, once a favoured haunt but again not quite the same as it used to be, given that it had merged with a larger chain, and was no longer quite as quirky as it had once been. That was the way of the world though; nothing remained the same forever, and that was on the large a good thing. Progress had to happen, or everything would go stale. Still, he was glad that he would be heading to Paris the following day…

It would be his first time in France; he and Drew had considered making the trip together one summer whilst they were in college, but the time had never been right, and money had been tight. Now as he stepped off the Eurostar at the Gare du Nord he knew that he was in a very different country to the one that he had just left. He was glad to spot François waiting for him, and to have him there to shepherd him through the metro to his place. The apartment had once belonged to his parents, but they had now more or less retired to their small villa in the south of the country, and François shared it with his boyfriend Matthieu and a cat.

His next few days were spent in a whirlwind of sightseeing, visiting all the key things that tourists had to see in the city; a round of landmarks, monuments and museums, historic palaces and legendary art. He ate in little neighbourhood bistros that seemed to have been left untouched by the troubles of the 21st century, serving the same simple dishes that they had done for generations. He could see where the outside world had managed to creep in, and the influence of his own nation in terms of food and clothing, but the bulk of the culture that had made France the nation that it was had been preserved. Ethan also had to admit that he enjoyed the company of the two young Frenchmen, who seemed as well suited as a couple should be. Both had excellent English, and he in return attempted to speak French as well as he could, delving into the dusty corners of his mind to dredge up the phrases that he had learnt at Dalton, but never used since. The whole pace of life seemed less hectic there, and he boarded his flight back to JFK feeling refreshed, and planning to return to Europe the following year; to follow in the others' footsteps and see a few of the other capital cities…

He would arrive back in New York just in time for the final birth that anyone was aware of in the group. After a month in which Auntie Snix had made a return visit to the world each and every morning, Santana had finally gone into labour and had made her way to the hospital with Brittany at her side. The experience that followed had left her almost completely shattered. The birth would not be the easiest, and it was not as quick as she would have liked it to be. Her wife was making all of the correct noises, doing all of the right things, but the pain kept growing, and she had to constantly bite her tongue to prevent herself saying something that would see her end up in the divorce courts. As for the father to be, he had been informed, but had stayed away; a wise move in her opinion. She would probably have killed Sebastian if he had walked in, or worse yet, sent flowers or fruit. Just now the only thing that she would want fruit for was to throw it at people…

That was not to say that Sebastian was not being kept constantly in the loop; he was in continual touch from the rehearsal room where he was perfecting his portrayal of the Prince of Denmark. The child would not be the first he felt he was a parent to, but it would be the first that he was the father to…

In the end it took the threat of a caesarean and the arrival of her mother to get the ball rolling, so to speak. With a lot of assistance from the gas and air, she summoned up everything that she had, and brought the newest member of the 'family' into the world. She had chosen not to know what sex her child was, so the birth of a daughter was a surprise. She and Brittany had chosen two names, and the one that they had for their little girl was perfect, and Mrs Lopez had to agree. As for her Abuela, she would be absolutely delighted the moment that she met her namesake, at least in Santana's opinion…

Santana would be proven correct in her assumption, but the birth of Alma Pierce-Lopez was also greeted with delight by her biological father. Sebastian did not rush to the hospital the moment that he heard that he had a child of his own; the fact was that he would not be bringing her up, and would only be a sort of uncle figure, in the background in so many ways. He did not want to go to the hospital, be handed his little girl to hold and fall in love… Instead he sent a message of congratulations to the two new mothers, and then went home to his husband and their daughter Eloise; he took the latter into his arms and sung her to sleep that night. Dave said nothing, as he was also fully aware that Santana had given birth, and that the whole thing had to be tough on his husband; he could not even begin to contemplate how he would feel if he had been the one in the situation….

He did not broach the issue after dinner either, their little girl tucked up in bed, but afterwards as they sat together on the couch, he noticed that his husband was in a very affectionate mood, leaning into him and pulling him close… Not long after that they retired to bed early, and it was only then that Sebastian finally spoke. "I will go and see her tomorrow; I can't not go, although that would be by far the easiest of options for me. I am not going to snatch her away and demand custody or rights; that is not because I am afraid of Santana, but because it would hurt Brittany so much, and I could not ever see myself hurting that gentle soul. These feelings must be a lot like the ones that our surrogate went through, although it has to be worse for a mother, as she carried the child for nine months. We should have her over more often, if she would like… let her see her daughter…."

"I will ask and see what she says… You do know that Santana would never stop you from seeing your daughter…"

"I know, but if I let her in too much… She will always be my child, but Elise is our daughter, our only child - at least until we try again."

"We can deal with that whenever you feel ready. An age gap doesn't really matter after all; I mean, you and Julian are nearly a decade apart, but you are still so close."

"That's true now, but as you know, there was a long time that we weren't. After all, if the age gap is too big, one of them will head off to college, and the younger one doesn't understand why, just sees it as a desertion. I don't want a child of mine to feel like I did back then…" Dave nodded and made a mental note to speak to their surrogate in the next few days; not just to ask if she wanted to visit more often, but to see if she would be prepared to be their surrogate all over again…


	129. Sad news from a Warbler

**Sad news from a Warbler**

The next few weeks saw a lot of people making the trip out to Maplewood to greet the new arrival. Sebastian did fall in love with his daughter at first sight, much to his chagrin, but her mother had been expecting as much, knowing that he had a big heart under all of his armour, and asked him to be her godfather; that way he had an official role in her life, and a reason to come and visit. He could not refuse, knowing why she was offering him the role, and not someone else who had more in the way of faith and belief. He was still there when Santana's Abuela arrived, and his heart jumped as he saw the way that the old lady melted the minute she saw her great-grandchild for the first time. She could not help but love the little girl in front of her, and any doubts she had had concerning the way that she had been conceived promptly evaporated. Sebastian made his excuses and tried to leave, but before he could he was pulled into a hug by Alma, and thanked loudly for what he had done for her granddaughter, much to the surprise of everyone in the room. He returned to his rehearsals, where he tried to channel all of the madness he could find into his performance; to give an accurate portrayal of a young man destroyed by the revelations that had come after the death of his father….

His opening night as _Hamlet_ would come in late April, and was expected, lead to an influx of Warblers to the city to support their friend. Many had already been in the city the previous month to see the moment that Cooper and Sam took to the stage together as Messers Bialystock and Bloom, although not all of them had been there for opening night. With an au pair now in place at the house in Murray Hill - a young man from Sweden by the name Nils; a decision that had raised a few eyebrows, and had some pondering whether Grace did not trust her husband around pretty girls - there were no issues with child care. He had no issue with looking after little Wes for the evening as well as the twins; the little boy in question had promptly asked Nils on arrival if he could show him how to make Swedish cookies or cakes, which made everyone laugh…

Thus Nick and Jeff were sat alongside Grace and Pam in the best seats in the house on the big night, with Burt and Carole in the row behind. Close by was Rachel with all of Sam's family, her daughter left in the care of Kitty, an arrangement that had raised more eyebrows than the appearance of Nils… To everyone's surprise however, there was no sign of Sebastian as the lights dimmed, although he had a seat reserved alongside Roderick, and had sent a message to say he would see them all at the show only an hour before… What they did not know was that the show had decided to spice things up by bringing in a well known person from the world of film or theatre once a week to sing the role of the lead Nazi in _Springtime for Hitler_ ; on the opening night, that role had fallen to Sebastian. There were more than a few gasps as the young man known to so many as Elder Price, Curly McLain and Emcee appeared in full uniform and belted out the number, but in the end, his performance was spectacular, and impressed both his friends and the critics…

Of course, Sebastian's one night only performance was one of the moments that made the show a triumph in the eyes of the critics, but earned him only a footnote in the reviews; it was the leading characters that got the star billing in one of the most favourably reviewed revivals of the year. The unanimous feeling was that both Cooper and Sam, along with the actress playing Ula, should not only be nominated for Tony Awards, but should they fail to win them, the whole system should be judged as failing and the result nothing other than a travesty. Whilst that was important to all of those involved, it was the praise that they received from the show's creator, Mel Brooks, that really made their nights complete. He had been in place for every single rehearsal, and had taken the time to get to know all of them. He had been instrumental in persuading Sebastian to make his cameo appearance too, but had an ulterior motive for that. Following a very successful run in London's West End, he was considering bringing his show _Young Frankenstein_ back to Broadway, and he felt that young Mr Smythe would excel as the titular character…

By the end of the first full week of performances, the run of the show had already been extended, as it was already more or less sold out for months ahead. There would be moments when Sam felt exhausted, dividing his time between the demands of eight shows a week and those of a wife and child. Rachel herself was coping well with the situation, and was proud of her husbands success; those amongst her friends that had feared that jealousy would get the better of her had so far been proved wrong. As for Cooper, he found himself in his element once more, relishing all of the song and dance routines, particularly as he was less involved in many of them; his role was a lot less physical because of his character's age…

When in April Tony season did finally arrive, no-one was in the least surprised to hear the three names from the show called out as the category winners. Cooper would place his newest Tony for best actor next to the others, flanked as he did so by two very proud angels. Sam's best supporting actor award would take pride of place in his home at Rachel's insistence, but what people would recall most from that night was the heartfelt and moving acceptance speech that he gave; it would be remembered as one of the most natural of a generation…

After the Tonys had come and gone, it was time for Sebastian to open in a new role that was very different to those that people had come to expect him in. As with Cooper before him, opinion amongst the critics had been divided as to how well he would inhabit his new role; his friends however had no doubt at all, believing in his versatility. Some actually felt that the role might as well have been created especially for him… Most of them made their way to the theatre to support him in that first week, to watch as he took on one of the most famous roles in Shakespeare. All of the young men that had been at Dalton could actually recite that most well known of soliloquies word for word; _to be, or not to be_ was one of the texts that the English department favoured, and as such it usually formed the basis of one of the questions in the end of year exams. That was one reason why the English department had made a block booking for the show in the week after opening night; it allowed the current Dalton students to see one of the best known school alumni bringing those words to life….

As with _The Producers_ , _Hamlet_ was rated a success by the critics. One commentator went so far as to say that the part proved that Sebastian was much more than just a song and dance man; he was an actor of renown, a future colossus that would be ranked amongst the greatest of all time… Sales had been doing well before then, but as with _The Producers_ , the positive reviews saw demand grow and an extension was made to the advertised run. It would also lead to something that left Sebastian speechless, unable to think how he would respond. The producers were approached by the National Theatre in London, and asked if they would consider taking the show to London for a short run, with the current cast. The news left Sebastian flattered, but conflicted; it would be a great boost to his career, but there was no way Dave could make the trip with him, and he would also be away from his daughter for a few months. The offer was something that they would need to discuss….

Those discussions were still going on when it came to the time for Dalton's annual graduation ceremony, and with it the return of the Warbler alumni to the nest, so to speak. Sebastian considered not going, but he had already booked the day off, and Dave had not only encouraged him to go, but insisted that he had to. Sebastian had shaken his head at his husband's vehemence at first, but then realised that if he was so keen, then he wouldn't mind bolstering the much smaller band that now managed to make the big day…

He would discover that this year was an exception to the rule; everyone that he knew well from the Warblers had made it for once, and they all greeted him warmly as he walked in, dressed once more in that familiar blazer and tie. He and his fellow ex-Warblers sat in their usual spot for the ceremony, but this year there was a seating plan, and he and Trent found themselves side by side in the front row. The reason for that would become clear at the end of the event, when Principal Lefevre stood up, and after her usual speech congratulating the graduating class, she continued with something new.

"We at Dalton are not just proud of our graduating Seniors on this day; we are also proud of their predecessors, our alumni who have gone out into the world and made a difference, earning their place in society. As most of you will be aware, we have a corridor within the school that is lined with portraits and photographs, which date back to the first days of Dalton's Academy for Young Gentlemen. From time to time, we make additions, and we do so today. We will make two additions this year, two young men in very different fields that we all agree should be there. Ladies and Gentlemen, those two men are here with us today, but do not know what we are about to do. Please give your congratulations to Mr Trent Nixon, the youngest senior speechwriter in White House history; and Mr Sebastian Smythe, already being described by some as one of the greatest actors of the 21st Century…"

Sebastian turned to look at Trent, and he was gratified to see that he looked every bit as shocked by what was happening as he was; then he looked across at Thad, who was just smiling away whilst avoiding making eye contact with him. He was suddenly conscious of the fact that people were applauding and he knew that he had to rise to his feet and accept the gesture; Trent got up beside him, his cheeks bright red at the embarrassment of the situation. There was no need for a speech, thankfully, just a motion of the head from Thad to follow him down to that long corridor, where they stopped by the two framed photos that now occupied the requisite spot.

"At least they are good photos," mused Trent, "but I really do not deserve this accolade, unlike Sebastian."

"I am not deserving of it either, at least, not yet. I mean, why is there no place here for Jeff, an award winning artist? He should be here, not me."

"That is because the rules state that only two people can be placed here each year, and this time Jeff was a close third," said Thad, staring with a smile at the two pictures. "As a result, he will be one of the people that has his picture here as of next year; just don't tell him. Of course, he and Nick will be in London, so I will need to employ some ruse to get them back home in time; maybe get Nick involved in the process. Anyway, you do both deserve your place here; you Sebastian are Dalton's first ever Tony award winning actor after all, and as for you Trent, well it isn't all about the West Wing stuff everyone knows about…" Thad stopped, and saw the light come on in Trent's head. He continued, "You saved the Warblers after all, and protected Dalton's reputation to the best of your ability. Then there is all that you have done for Burt, and hence, the nation…"

"Well, we are both honoured," said Sebastian, "but maybe a friendly heads up the next time would be nice." Trent could only nod in agreement to that sentiment.

By the time the two new inductees to the hall of fame arrived at the Senior Commons with Thad, the usual celebrations were in full swing; indeed, the graduating class were about to begin their final song for their brethren. The three late arrivals settled in as the music began, and those boys began to sing. It brought back so many memories for all of those in the room; for many of them, it was now a decade or more since they had been in the same place those young men now were. Then they had been looking forward to heading to college. Now those that had been there a decade earlier were nearing 30, two of them had sons of their own and one had a foster son. One of that senior class was alone by choice, one as a result of losing the love of their life to tragedy, and of course, one of them was absent. If Ethan or Thad realised that they said nothing, just enjoyed the senior boys skit, although it wasn't a patch on their own rendition of _Oops, I did it again_ …

Then came the usual hour of socialising, of Thad making the introductions to the graduating boys of the alumni; they had heard the names, but did not recognise the faces. Gradually as time went on the younger boys began to take their leave, to head to other events that marked the graduation day, until eventually only those that were still collectively known as Wes' boys and the younger men that had been in the group in the year that Hunter made their lives a living hell were left. For one of those boys, this was now the perfect time to make a clean breast of a secret…

He had been thinking about it for a while. Seth knew he would have to admit that he was seriously ill to his bird brothers. Colin knew already what was wrong with him, thanks to his medication, and he was sure that Skylar had an idea that something was wrong with him too. He was also certain that Thad would take him to one side at some point that day and ask him about his state of health. If he was being honest, that was not great at the moment; the pains were growing in intensity, and the drugs seemed to be less and less effective. Worst of all, he had begun to have similar pains in one of his legs and his other hand, all signs that the condition was progressing. He had to tell them all now before he was robbed of his chance to do so on his own terms. With everyone here, he had the perfect chance.

He left the chair he had been sitting in, and headed over to the council table, the seats behind it empty as around him the sound of chatter grew. He felt an eye upon him, and guessed immediately that it was Thad; he had been looking at him on and off all day, and would no doubt speak out if he attempted to leave… Instead he stood behind that table and looked at his fellows. They all seemed so happy at that moment, so full of joy and laughter, at least on the surface. He was about to destroy all of that with one statement, but he had no other option; he had to tell them, and this was his chance…

"Guys," he began in a faltering voice, but the hubbub of conversation and the weakness of it meant that no-one even noticed. That was when he saw movement, and Thad was suddenly beside him. Without a word, he took Mr Bangy from his pocket, and rapped him hard on the table. At once, there was a complete silence in the room, and everyone was looking at him…

"Thank you, Head Warbler, for your assistance," began Seth, his eyes briefly meeting Thad's, but then just as quickly returning to the floor. "I am sorry to interrupt our gathering, but I need to make an announcement which concerns myself, but will have an impact on all of us."

He stopped, and looked up again, thus catching the expression on Colin's face, the young man being of course fully aware of what they would all be hearing in the next few minutes, and certain of the devastation that Seth's words would cause. He tried to force a smile, to show Seth that he was right behind him, but his own feelings made it impossible.

"I would ask all of you to cast your minds back to the day when our much loved Edwin became an official couple, and how at the crucial moment I dropped the ring entrusted to me as my hand shook. You probably all put it down to nerves, or my clumsiness; in any case it was laughed off and forgotten. The fact is however that such events were not a one off for me; it had happened before, and it still happens now. Thad of course noticed it and the look on my face when it occurred, and resolved to check up on me; our Head Warbler is truly following in the footsteps of Wes… He finally confronted me about it last summer, and forced me to go and see a doctor when he heard it was not a random event; his brother as it happened. What Thad does not know is that one visit that he is aware of was the first of many. Dr Harwood had thoughts as to what the worst case scenario would be from my symptoms, and decided to eliminate that idea first. Unfortunately, what he feared the most turned out to be the cause of my problems. Through him, I was given access to a program whereby I do not have to pay for the cocktail of medications I now have to take, for his time or for the treatments. However, there is only so much that all of that can do…"

He stopped to take a breath, painfully aware that the room had fallen deathly silent. Not one word was being uttered by his fellows as they focused their attention on what he was saying. He raised his eyes to be met with looks of concern and of thinly veiled horror. He saw that Colin was now staring at a spot on the floor, and that at his side his husband was looking at him, and then at Seth, with curiosity…

"At this point I have to admit that by a stroke of fate, one of you already knows what is coming next. A high level of staff absence just before this year began meant that Colin was sent to the obscure pharmacy that I had chosen to obtain my medications from, in the hope that no-one would discover that I had so many pills to pick up. My repeat prescription was always made up on the last day of the month, and that was the day he was sent, and one of his jobs was to make those up… Having to make it up must have been hard after he read the name, in the knowledge of what those drugs were for; he was a complete professional and said nothing, giving me the same confidence that Ollie Harwood has. For him, today marks the end of having to bare the burden of what has been until now my biggest secret himself. My only wish is that I could have saved him from being in that unenviable position in the first place. Right. There is no way to sugar coat this, nothing that will soften the blow. I have Motor Neuron Disease. Basically, my muscles are being affected by rogue signals from my brain. It started in that one hand, but now it effects both, and my left leg. The pills are still working, but only just, and the dosage is now at the maximum level. There is no known cure for this; no way of reversing the deterioration. In short, I have what can only be described as a terminal illness…"

He stopped again, and this time the silence was even more deafening; he did not dare to look up now, fearing seeing tear stained faces. After all, several rogue tears were already coursing down his own cheeks…

"How long?" It was Beats that broke the silence, someone that was all too aware of having a body that was not as it should be thanks to a condition that would eventually rob him of his sight. As such, there was no censure at his words, and in any case, it was something that they all wanted to know…

"If I am lucky, I could have another fifty, sixty, even seventy years; if not, then as little as five or six…" Those words finally brought another sound; a strangled sob from someone; without even looking, Seth knew where it had come from…

It had come of course from Skylar. He was after all Seth's best friend and had until then had no reason not to imagine Seth being there as they grew older. He had imagined them side by side at his wedding, and then one day, at Seth's. He had been expecting that Uncle Seth would be around as his unborn children grew up. Now all of that was in doubt, up in the air. To him, his entire future had just been shattered as well… Skylar suddenly felt an arm around his shoulders, and he looked up to see Ethan was the person responsible. His face was pale and drawn, because he got what Skylar felt. After all, the friend that he too had always pictured being there was no longer in the equation, and his heart was every bit as sore as Skylar's had to be at that moment.

Skylar saw that Thad had moved up now to stand with Seth, his face etched with the pain that he felt, the same heartache that was now on every visage in the room. This was worse somehow than losing Kurt, Blaine and Wes. Their deaths had been sudden, unexpected and heartbreaking. Knowing what was coming this time, and aware of how the young man in front of them would deteriorate over time was going to make this loss all the more painful.

"I think that I can speak for everyone here when I say that you will be constantly in our thoughts from now on, and that if there is anything that we can do to help, then we will do it," said Thad quietly, and there were nods of assent at once from every corner of the room…

Thad knew that the party atmosphere was gone now, and with all the will in the world, it would not be possible to restore it. He wanted the chance to take Seth to one side and talk to him in private, and he knew that someone had to give the news to the Carmichaels, even though it would break the hearts of a couple for whom the Dalton boys were the most important thing in their lives. However, he also knew that all of that could wait until someone more important had been given a chance for a one on one with Seth; a young man that looked so shell-shocked and distraught. So he discretely urged the other Warblers to start making their way from the room, save for that one person. He himself left last, with an arm wrapped around Colin's shoulders, as the man in question found himself caught up in a maelstrom of guilt over being pleased that the secret was out, and pain that he knew he was going to be losing a friend.

That left only two people in the Senior Commons. Seth quietly walked over to the couch to sit next to his best friend who was silent, staring fixedly at the carpet as he had done earlier. The moment that he sat down next to him, Skylar spoke. "I knew that something was wrong the moment that you stopped making your models. I knew that there had to be something, but I got so caught up in other things, and in any case, I never contemplated that it would be something like this…"

"Even if you had, there wouldn't have been anything that you could have done. It has always been there you know, under the surface; a flaw in my DNA that cannot be removed or fixed. This condition has always been a part of Seth Kennedy…"

"I could have gone to the hospital with you, though; helped you through those hard moments when you lost your cool, calm exterior…"

"Honestly, Skylar, there haven't been too many of those since I realised my limitations. It was a relief in a way you know to find out what was taking control of my hand, even if it was something so terrible. You see, before I was taken to see Ollie, I had been consulting Dr Google, and it was there on their list, so I had mentally prepared myself for the very worst; when it turned out that was indeed what it was, well I just resigned myself to my fate. I am going to die, Skylar, and although I mentioned the optimistic longevity, well, it is more likely it will be the other… It has been progressing too fast, and it will eventually spread beyond my limbs…"

Seth stopped then as Skylar gave a loud sob. He had been talking away without a thought, trying to be strong, but had thus failed to notice the impact those words had been having on his friend. In fact, he suspected that part of him had not even wanted to know. But now he saw that Skylar was crying, tears dripping from his downturned face onto his well polished shoes. He moved closer to him, and put an arm around his shoulders; Skylar's response was to fling himself into Seth's chest and weep with abandon. That was when Seth felt his own tears start to form; the ones that he had been fighting back since the diagnosis of MND had been confirmed. He decided that now was a good time to finally give in to them; it would not help the situation, but it might release some of the pain he felt inside…

At least five minutes passed before Skylar pulled himself up into an upright position again and faced his friend. He stretched out a finger to wipe the last tear from his friend's eye, then spoke quietly. "So, what can I do now? I guess that as this thing progresses you will need more help with everyday tasks, so I am up for that. After all, I can freelance as an architect and work from home… We can get a place together, the two of us, somewhere with good accessibility, as I assume that eventually you will be confined to a chair like Artie…"

"Skylar, stop…"

"I'm sorry, that was a bit insensitive of me…"

"No, I don't mean about the chair," said Seth in a measured tone. "That will happen. No, I need you to stop planning on giving up your future for my benefit. I will not let you do that. For a start, everyone can see just how much you and Julia love each other. I know that her long term plan is to go back to Ohio, and if she does, then you should go with her. I can picture the two of you, happily married with kids, living in a house that you designed. I will not be the one that stops that happening. There are plenty of other people that can care for me; I do not need it to be you, potentially miserable as sin because of all you have had to give up…"

"None of that matters…"

"Yes it does. I need you to be happy, because then I can be happy."

"I've dealt with this kind of thing before you know," Skylar said, and Seth looked at him with curiosity. "I had a cousin; he would have been your age by now. He and I were so close growing up, like brothers our mother's said, but then, when I was about 11, he got sick. Leukaemia. I still went and saw him every chance I got, and whenever I walked into the room, he smiled… He used to call me his 'Sunny Sky', as I always brightened his day. The day they told me he had died, I was shattered; I cried for hours, and for weeks after I would just burst into tears…"

"You know, that is what I need you to be for me. I need you to be my 'Sunny Sky'. Not someone that is there to witness all of the awkwardness, the pain, the eventual rage; no, I need you to be the person that comes to visit and makes me smile. I don't want to see that smile of yours diminished by losing all the happy things in your life, just to watch me deteriorate. If you care for me as much as I think you do, then be with Julia, and be happy; that will make me happy."

Skylar sighed, and replied, "If that is truly what you want, then okay, I'll try, but I'm not making any promises…"

"That is all I can ask… You are my best friend, Sky. I do need you, but I will not destroy you. So, let's try and get through the rest of today with a smile, and forget all about it, just for a little while…"

Skylar nodded at Seth's request, but in his heart, he knew that would be an uphill struggle…

It was not going to be easy for any of the assembled Warblers to forget that day. Thad had found all of them gathered in the refectory, some in tears that they had not wished to shed in front of Seth. Colin left Thad's side and dry-eyed, he comforted his husband instead; after all, Edward had known him for longer. Thad was not in the least shocked to see Trent and Jeff in tears, but Sebastian was a shock, sobbing away in David's arms, not making any attempt to hide the devastation that he felt. A few of the others had begun to read up on MND online, to see what if anything could be done to extend their friend's life, all of them of the opinion that money would be no object if there was something that would prolong the time he was with them.

Confident that David, with assistance from the Gabriel, was in charge of the situation, Thad left again and headed to the Principal's office, knowing that he would find the Carmichaels there along with Principal Lefevre. He was certain that Seth would not mind him sharing the news with the three people in that room; in fact, he would want them to know, and telling them himself would be difficult. In some ways, it was a pity that there had been no warning of what Seth had been about to disclose, as then they could have been in the Senior Commons too… Thad knew what their reactions would be, and as he had expected, the look of desolation and despair on the faces of Aaron and Edith Carmichael was heartbreaking. All three insisted on coming back to the Senior Commons with Thad; he intended to check up on the two young men that he had left talking there.

They arrived at the door just as they were walking out. Seth knew at once what Thad had done, and as the Head Warbler had surmised, he smiled at him and gave him a nod of gratitude. He was however a little surprised when the former Principal pulled him into a hug, and then asked him to step back inside, motioning for Thad to join them. Mrs Carmichael had in the meantime taken Skylar into her arms, and then suggested that he should take her back to her house, and then stay for tea. He was about to decline, anxious to stay with his best friend, when she added, "Aaron will be bringing Seth to join us too after they have had a chat. He will need his best friend, and you also need a chance to talk about your feelings with someone that knows how this feels…"

As Skylar wondered what she meant, Aaron Carmichael had taken a seat at the council table, and had motioned Thad and Seth to sit too. "I won't bother with the well worn platitudes; you will be aware of how upset I am to hear that you are unwell, Seth. It pains me to think that another of the bright lights of my time here is to be extinguished far too early, and my only wish is that you outlive me. What you don't know is that I actually have some personal experience of the condition, and the terrible impact it can have on a young life. As you will be aware, Edith and I met at NYU more years ago now than I care to remember; we married in the tumultuous summer of 1968, at a time when many of our contemporaries saw marriage as an outdated concept they would never enter in to. It was at our wedding reception that the first indications became apparent. My wife is the oldest of her parents' three children; she had a younger brother, Thomas, who had just turned 18 a few days before our ceremony. He would drop his plate at the buffet, his glass during the toast; most people dismissed it as clumsiness, but his mother was convinced that it wasn't, and sent him for tests. The confirmation came on his 19th birthday…"

"He had MND too…" said Seth quietly. "Is he…?"

"He passed just a few weeks after our son Jamie did, which left an already broken family shattered. Edith's mother had a stroke a few days later, and after that… Of course, they know so much more now, and the treatments are better, and with all of the research…"

"Yes, they can do so much more," replied Seth, doing the mental calculation in his head, and realising that the Principal's brother-in-law had reached the age of 40...

Tea with the Carmichaels that afternoon was a more muted affair than normal. Edith had told Skylar all about her little brother before her husband and Skylar arrived, and both of them had shared fresh tears over the turn of events. "The worst thing of all," Mrs Carmichael had said, "is the knowledge that he will, in all likelihood, die before you, unless an accident comes your way. That, and the slow change in the person that you care about so much is heart rending…"

"It must have been worse in your situation though," replied Skylar. "He was your family, someone that you had seen grow up alongside you…"

"It was, although given the times, there were a lot of other people that were losing younger brothers. The Vietnam War was still a factor then; my other brother was one of many people of his age group that fled to Canada to avoid the draft; had it not been for his condition, then there is no doubt in my mind that Thomas would have been drafted in his stead. Seth is lucky in that he has so many of his friends around that will care for him; Thomas had his friends, but some of them went to war and never returned…"

"He will always have me, and the others. There is one thing that does concern me though; I don't think that he has told his family yet, and he has to…"

"He doesn't have to, and I don't imagine that he will, if I have read the situation correctly. There have been a lot of parents visiting over the years, and as wife of the Principal I met most of them. There were some that I liked immensely, and others that I hated more or less of sight - Nick's father for a start. However, I have no opinion on Seth's parents as I have never met them; in fact, I don't think any member of staff has ever met Mr and Mrs Kennedy. Seth arrived here on the first day of term alone, and to my knowledge, he hasn't seen his parents since that day. It is a horrible state of affairs, but he has not let it destroy him; it has made him self reliant and confident. My hope is that if such a desertion has not destroyed his spirits, then neither will his condition."


	130. Niff Head to London

**Niff Head to London.**

That night, as the group of former Warblers headed back home, Skylar took the seat next to Seth on the late flight to New York, with his arm wrapped around his best friend's shoulder in a protective way. The events of the day had left Seth tired and a little drained, but he also felt as if a weight had been lifted off him. He was no longer dealing with his condition alone; instead he had the full support of the people that he regarded as his true family. He knew that that family would increase in size over the next few days as word spread to the rest of their circle in the city. Edward he knew had already made a call to Luke and Duncan, so that the entire household would be aware of what was going on. He was also sure that when Jeff had called Mike to see how little Wes was behaving for him and Tina, the subject of his health would have come into their conversation. Thad had also made a call to his brother, catching him in a quiet moment, and had told him that he now knew the truth; that had to be a weight off the good doctor's mind too, to know that he could talk to his brother and if something slipped out, it would not be a betrayal of a scared trust…

Once the flight was in the air, Skylar decided that he should broach the tricky subject eluded to by Mrs Carmichael. "So, Seth, have you talked to your parents about what is going on?"

"Them?" replied Seth, then gave a deep sigh. "I doubt that they would even remember who I am if I called. I am reliably informed in any case that they moved state a couple of years back by one of my ex neighbours…"

"And they didn't tell you, their son, where they were going?" said Skylar, incredulous that any parent would consider such a move.

"I was always lead to believe that I was an unfortunate accident, the product of an ill advised one night stand before marriage, and for my deeply religious, highly conservative parents and their families, that was an issue. Don't get me wrong, they did marry, but not until after I was born. They had two more children, but me, I was never a part of that family. In fact, until I was thirteen, I thought they were my aunt and uncle. I had been raised by my grandmother, the neighbours told I was the son of a distant relative… Then she died, and all of it came out at last. My grandmother was from Westerville originally, and in her will, she stated that to avoid scandal, I should be sent to Dalton, the fees coming from her estate. Then there was a college fund, and a little extra. That of course made my parents angry with me, as they had been counting on inheriting when she died. So I was despatched to Dalton, and there has been no contact since. So, you see, I don't need them, and I don't want them to know."

Skylar nodded sadly, his heart aching, not just because of what he had just been told, but because the whole sorry tale had been delivered in a matter of fact tone, devoid of any kind of emotion. "You have all of us anyway," was all he could think of saying.

"You guys are all the family I could ever want or need anyway," Seth replied with a smile, and then settled back in his seat…

If Seth found himself on the receiving end of more hugs and warm words than normal over the next week it was just as he had expected anyway. He returned to the life that he knew, still managing to work at the career he loved as he strove to finish his degree qualification. Having told his friends, he had made an appointment to see his course advisor on Monday morning, and had come clean about his condition. He had been expecting that he would be asked to leave, but instead he found only sympathy and understanding from those at the college; to his surprise, one of his tutors invited him to a meeting and offered him a post as his lab assistant after he graduated. As the man said, the role involved the less complex tasks, things that he could still manage easily if he was having a bad day with his condition. He accepted the offer without any hesitation, as he was a realist; in the cold world outside the confines of the college, he would probably struggle to find an employer that would take him on given his diagnosis, and the job at the college gave him an income and a good benefits package…

The whole situation around his healthcare needs had had a profound affect on Trent, and he was determined that people in his situation should not have to rely on charity and good fortune in the future. On his return to Washington, he had scheduled a meeting with Burt, and told him the full story; he had then found himself repeating it in the Oval Office. There were situations like it across the country after all, and it needed someone to step up and deal with it. This time, there was a chance that something might actually be done about it…

The weekend after the Dalton graduation saw an even larger gathering take place; this time it was in Boston, for the baptism of David and Mercedes' son. Their son was only the second child in the group to have had an official ceremony, and this one was being held very much on the quiet, at a small church that his parents both attended from time to time. David freely admitted that the ceremony was as much about placating two sets of parents as anything else, but it did give Simon Wesley Thompson the best possible start. The ceremony passed off without a hitch, with Thad as one of the godfathers, and Quinn as one of the godmothers.

Some of those there looked at Quinn and wondered if she was quite well, her face seeming to be much paler than usual; however, it was the only the two other members of the Unholy Trinity that guessed exactly what was going on, and they were both pleased for her. They knew that she had always been afraid that Beth might turn out to be her only child, but that now seemed to be unfounded. What they did not know was that she and Puck had been in contact with Beth only recently; their daughter was now nearly a teenager. She had begun to ask questions and Shelby had always agreed that if and when she did, she would tell her the truth. The fact that their first daughter was doing well at school, and had a perfect set of manners made her biological parents very proud. Giving her up had been the best thing for her back then, but now, as she was about to get a brother or sister, things might well alter…

Quinn and Puck would finally announce their news to the group the week before the 3rd birthday of the oldest of the children born to the members of the circle of friends. Little Wes was not so little any more, and had become a content and articulate young boy. He was not at all spoilt, and as his birthday approached, he did not start to make demands for expensive and outlandish gifts; indeed, his only request was that he might get some new Lego, and that his father might bake him his favourite cake for his birthday party. He was only too happy to assist in the preparation of that sweet treat too, as he had an interest in baking that had grown since Jeff had started to make cookies with him. His teachers at kindergarten had also remarked to his parents that he spent a lot of his time in the play kitchen. He had also shown a remarkable amount of talent with his crayons, and his best drawings were proudly displayed on the door of the refrigerator, held there with magnets.

As his birthday approached, he was also aware that there was a big change coming to his way of life. He had seen his dad placing paperwork in labelled files, and one day placing tickets in the safest place in the house. He had sat still and solemn one day for his papa whilst a passport photograph was taken, and later that week he had been presented with two colouring books; one on plane trips, and one filled with pictures of a place called London. It did look an interesting place, albeit one where the buildings were less tall, and the buses had an upstairs. He had also had a talk with his papa about something called The Royal Family; it had seemed strange to him at first that someone could be so powerful because of who their parents had been, but then his papa had pointed out that Presidents seemed to come from families too, and that unlike the President, the King or Queen had no real power to make important decisions. They did however get their picture on banknotes, coins and postage stamps… Wes decided that if he ever went to London, then he would like to meet the Queen, or a Prince; maybe that was something his dad could arrange for him…

By the time that his birthday came, little Wes knew that they were going to London, and he had watched as the majority of the packing was done by his dad and papa. Indeed, some of their things were already en route to England and what would be their temporary home. The house that they had initially been offered through the UN was in an area called Belsize Park, and although it was very nice, it was smaller than their current home. Although it had good amenities close by, Nick and Jeff both decided they needed somewhere larger, as they anticipated getting visitors during their year away; it would mean spending a little of their own money above the UN allowance, but that was not a problem.

It was Jeff that came across the house in Thurloe Square, South Kensington. It was just a few minutes walk from the main London museums, and had easy access to Nick's new office; it was also on a direct tube route to Heathrow airport, which made it ideal for visitors. Nick had to agree that it was as close to perfect as they would ever get, and it was just the size they were used to. The clincher however was the discovery that the area had many highly rated kindergartens as well; indeed, one was the school that had been attended by the young royal princes and princess. The school was still attended by the first child of Harry and Meaghan, but that fact did not make it more appealing to them, as it would have done to some.

Now that the cases were being packed, those that were bringing Wes gifts for his birthday had been asked to bring small things that could be packed for a transatlantic trip. All of his grandparents would be in attendance, as indeed where his great grandparents on Nick's mother's side of the family. All of them were fully aware that it could be a year before they saw him again, and in childhood, a year was a long time. True, all four grandparents had been hinting that they were considering flying to London for Christmas, something that did not exactly fill Nick with joy, knowing that it would fall to him to prepare the meal on the big day in a strange kitchen…

There were no shortage of friends that day in the house; the Carmichaels had arrived with Thad unexpectedly, stating that they were heading to Princeton, and New York was on the way, and it allowed them to explore the old haunts of their college days. Nick knew that they actually just wanted to see them before they headed abroad, and then of course it gave them an opportunity to check in with Seth. Wes was of course the picture of politeness with all of the adult visitors, much as everyone imagined that the other Wes would have been at the same age. The angel in question, standing by the mini muffins and cheesecakes on the buffet table did not comment on that suggestion, being too busy fending other angels off those sweet treats…

Wes enjoyed his lunch with the adults, then was escorted to his proper birthday party with children of his own age afterwards, a raucous affair that this year involved trampolines, ball pits and climbing frames. The noise at the second party was much greater than that at the first obviously, and for the birthday boy's namesake, it was a reminder of a Warbler party in full swing back in his day. He laughed just a little though at how both Nick and Jeff looked frazzled with everything that was going on, a sign that they were getting older… With the parties over, they headed back home, and leaving Wes to be fussed over by his grandparents, they packed the last things in their cases, ready for their scheduled departure the following night.

That also meant that it was time for one member of the household to move to his temporary home. Caleb made his way into the pet carrier when Jeff suggested it easily enough - it was far too dark after all for it to be time for a trip to the V.E.T. - but then, as he saw that as Jeff carried him out, his other older human was right behind him, carrying his bed and favourite toys, he felt a sudden sense of shock and betrayal. Was he being rejected now, when he had done nothing wrong? Even the words of the blond human, telling him he was heading to stay with his Uncle Mike did nothing to stop the feeling of rejection…

Jeff had been dreading this moment for a while. Ever since that day when he had found a tiny kitten in a dumpster during a snow storm, he had been there for him constantly; Caleb might now be a fully grown cat, but he was more Jeff's pet than he was Nick's. Someone had once remarked quietly that Caleb was Jeff's child, and that statement was not entirely untrue. He knew that taking him to London would have been more cruel; there would have been the lengthy flight, the quarantine and the kennels, the isolation and the pain. He knew that he would also have a safe and loving home for the next year with Mike, but he still felt so much guilt about leaving him. It had been Nick's suggestion that they take Caleb to Mike the night before they left to give him a chance to get used to his new environment. There was a big part of Jeff that would have preferred to ask Mike and Tina to move into their house rather than move Caleb and disrupt his little life, but he knew that was too much to ask anyone.

Now that the moment was here, and they had Caleb in Mike and Tina's living room, Jeff felt tears quickly beginning to form in his eyes, and his state was not helped by the look of reproach he was getting from his pet. On opening the carrier, Caleb shot out and stalked across the room; Jeff followed him, and went to take him into his arms. For a moment he thought that he would be rebuffed, but he was allowed to take a sullen cat into his arms. "I know that you don't like this, and neither do I," Jeff began, tears now falling down his face. "However, I have to go away; not forever, though it might well seem like that to both of us. I wish you could come, but you can't; they would take you away from me and have you in a horrible kennel for weeks and that would be torture for both of us. Mike and Tina will treat you well, and I am sure that they will spoil you with all the things that you love, especially Mike. I will be back to visit at some point, I hope, and this time next year I will be back for good, I promise. After this, I will never leave you again…" Caleb suddenly let out a miaow, one so piteous that Jeff started to sob. "Okay, so I am going to go now. Be good for your uncle Mike; he loves you almost as much as me…"

As if on cue, Mike was at his side, and Jeff handed Caleb over to him, although he attempted to stay in Jeff's arms, miaowing loudly. Then the transfer was done, and Jeff turned and left, ignoring the miaows of pain and misery that filled the air. Outside the room, Nick was waiting with his arms wide open, having anticipated how things would go, and soon he had his husband sobbing into his chest. As for Caleb, he quickly realised that his miaows would not get the blond to return, and as Mike stroked him gently, he went quiet. At least he was safe and warm; bereft, but not cast into a dumpster this time. Plus the blond human, his human, had said he would come back, and all his instincts told him that he meant every word…

The next morning saw a subdued Jeff at the breakfast table, trying his best to ignore the empty space by the radiator where his little friend's bed had been the previous morning. Nick had made him his favourite breakfast, but that did little to lighten his mood or brighten his spirits. Nick knew that it would pass, and that by tonight his husband would be okay again, buoyed up by the excitement of heading to London. However, he had learned from the experience, and he now knew what he could expect when, in several years time he hoped, Caleb left them for good… After breakfast, Nick headed into work to get his final briefing about his trip, and to say temporary farewell to his colleagues. Then there were the few final things to do at home before leaving; keys to hand over to Mike and Elliott, who had agreed between them to keep an eye on the place whilst it was empty.

The fact was though that the house would not be empty all then time that they were away. David and Mercedes would be coming to stay in the city for a few months; the former had been seconded to the UN from Google to undertake some IT work for them, and the latter had tracks to lay down for her next album, and that was much easier to do in New York where she knew the producers and the studio. It had made no sense to Nick and Jeff that they rent somewhere when their own place was empty. As for their own place in Boston, well it would not be empty either. After many years, Gabriel's long term girlfriend was finally heading back home; he had proposed to her via Skype, she had accepted and the wedding had been scheduled for October. That would mean that Mitch would have to move out of Gabriel's place, and it was agreed that he would housesit for David and Mercedes whilst he looked for somewhere of his own…

The grandparents and great-grandparents were still in town, and all of them returned to the West Village for the time that the car that was taking the little Sterling-Duval family to the airport was scheduled to arrive. Grace appeared with Cooper and the twins, starting a round of hugs that seemed to last forever. Friends too had come to say farewell. Trent had not been able to, but had called them to wish them all the best. Sebastian had made it though, and found himself tearing up, and only a swift bear hug from his two friends had spared him his blushes. The general opinion was that things were just not going to be the same for any of them whilst they were gone. Mike appeared at the last moment, having left Caleb in the care of Tina, who was keeping him away from the windows. He pulled them both into a hug, and wiped away a few tears of his own as he did so. Then they were in the car, and away. Those that were assembled on the pavement lingered for a moment; if there was surprise at the fact that it was Kitty that pulled Sebastian into a comforting hug then no-one showed it; both of them had just mellowed with age….

It was all a big adventure of course to young Wes, and he was bright eyed and full of wonder as they made their way to the airport. Just as Nick had anticipated, that rubbed off on Jeff, and he watched quietly as his husband and son talked away with the same big grin on their faces. It stayed that way as he checked them in, and did not fade even as they passed through the security line. When they turned left as they boarded the plane a few hours later, the excitement grew even more; they had been upgraded by the airline, something that they always did for UN staff. Wes was more than happy when he realised that his seat would become a bed, and when the time came, he fell asleep in minutes, as did his papa. Nick smiled at them both, then gave in to his own need to sleep, as the plane carried them off to a new chapter in their lives…

The first few days in London for Nick and Jeff were all about settling into a new house and a new pace of life. They had decided to take a cab from the airport to their new address and little Wes was immediately fascinated by the black London taxi, so different to those yellow ones back in New York. When they pulled away, he looked worried, and leant over to Nick, to whisper urgently in his ear, "Daddy, the man is driving on the wrong side of the road!"

Jeff couldn't help himself and had to struggle to suppress the chuckle that he wanted to make as his husband tried to find the words to explain it. "He isn't here, son; in Britain, people drive on the left hand side of the road, and if a British boy or girl was in New York, they would say that we were driving on the wrong side of the road. Every country in the world is different, just like all people," said Nick.

"Well, I suppose… Just as long as everyone else knows to drive on the wrong side of the road too, then it is okay," mused Wes. He forgot all about it then on seeing a double decker bus on the other side of the road. That eventually prompted more questions, and they continued as the taxi headed into the centre of the city, keeping both his fathers and the cabbie amused. Before they had left the airport, Nick had asked the driver for an approximate time of arrival, so that they could make arrangements with the letting agent; his estimate had proved accurate, and they pulled up to see the letting agent waiting with the keys. The house was every bit as nice as it had appeared on line, and after the agent had shown them all the essentials on a quick tour, they were left alone to settle in. The items that they had sent ahead had arrived, and the two husbands began the unpacking process whilst they left their son in front of the television; the CBBC channel promised no nasty surprises.

They had sandwiches for lunch, made with the few basics that they had requested be in the house, but then it was time to head to the supermarket. Nick had done his research of course, and they walked a short way to board a bus to Earl's Court, where there was a large Tesco store; the journey was all the better as the seat at the front upstairs was empty, and Wes was able to enjoy the journey as much as his papa did in the seat next to him. Once in the supermarket, Nick did the calculations in his head as they picked up their needs, noticing how some items seemed much cheaper here than they were back home, particularly bread; most loaves sold for under $1.50, in sharp contrast to back home. The remainder of their first day was spent with finishing the unpacking, and cooking; after all, Nick had dinner to prepare and cookie tins to fill….

The next day saw Nick up early, as he had to travel to his new office to meet his colleagues, although after that he had the remainder of the week off. He left the house at just after 8am, and headed to South Kensington station, to squeeze onboard the busy Piccadilly line train, which took him straight to Holborn, the closest stop to his new office. The train was busy, but it was also sleek, modern and air-conditioned, in a total contrast to the aging system back home.

Jeff had an appointment too, as he and Wes were heading to meet the head teacher of Wes' new kindergarten. As he was escorting Wes there, Jeff was glad that he had read a little of A.A. Milne's classic tale to his son, as when he saw the sign outside of the school, Pooh Corner, he instantly made the connection. Jeff was immediately pleased with all that he saw inside the old church hall; it had every modern convenience, but was housed in a charming old building. The classes were small, and the curriculum looked excellent. Formal classes were currently not taking place, it being the summer break, but they had a holiday play scheme running daily. With Nick's backing, Jeff would happily bring him to that a couple of days a week, as that would let him meet some of his future classmates in advance. What also impressed him was the complete lack of reaction to the news that little Wes had two fathers; the head teacher told Jeff all about the informal parent's group too, as it would be a good way for them to meet the other parents. Jeff was not sure if Nick would wish to join, but as they met during the school day for coffee, it might be an idea for him…

Then it was Saturday, and the little family made a trip into central London, taking the tube to Green Park station, before strolling through the park of the same name, to eventually come to a place that the two former Warblers had seen before, albeit from a distance; the front of Buckingham Palace. The solemn statue like guardsmen in their bearskins left Wes staring in wonder, amazed that they could stand so still and unflinching in the face of all that was going on around them. Although all of the official events were past, they still saw the banners fluttering on the mall, proclaiming the celebrations for the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II ascension to the throne

"It is hard to imagine someone being in the same job for so long. She has seen so much change in the world in that time; so many other figures on the world stage rise and fall. Trent tells me that she still writes to Michelle Obama, the bond that they formed the day they first met still so strong and stable. When she eventually dies, the United Kingdom will mourn her, but all of the world will grieve a symbol of continuity and decency," remarked Nick. Jeff nodded, but his own thoughts were rather distracted; he could not help wondering if the print of _The Judging Angel_ her majesty owned was housed somewhere in the palace before them, or in another of her homes elsewhere…

After a visit to the Natural History Museum on Sunday, the new day to day routine began in earnest on Monday. Jeff was up in good time to see his husband off on his way to the tube for his first official day at the office, and then he and Wes stood and waved him goodbye from the front door. With Nick gone, Jeff now had the problem of finding things to fill the day with their son. He was not able to take any sort of job except on a voluntary basis; his visa stated that he was only permitted to be in the country as Nick's husband. He would still be allowed to do his usual illustration work and draw naturally, but that would only take up so much of the day. His own lack of things to do was of small concern to him now though; he had four weeks to fill until the kindergarten started officially, and he had to find things to occupy an enquiring three year old boy.

Not all of the museums would be of interest to Wes, nor would the art galleries; in any case, they would fill his father's time once school term began. Jeff therefore found himself resorting to searching the internet, and to his delight he found a solution not all that far away. Soon he and Wes were sat upstairs on a number 49 bus, taking the front seat for a journey to White City, and the large shopping mall there; they were not heading to the shops, but an attraction called Kidzania, which marketed itself as a city designed for children. Wes would be a little too young for some of the attractions, but there was more than enough there to keep him amused, as long as Jeff went with him. Given that the blond man was still a big kid at heart, he enjoyed himself as much as his son, and soon lost track of time. Had Wes not piped up that he was starving then they might well have remained there until the attraction closed. They had a late lunch at the huge food court in the centre, then took full advantage of the supermarket there to buy some essentials. This done, they headed home again on the bus, enjoying the view from the upper deck.

There was of course the summer play session at the kindergarten, and Nick had agreed to Jeff's suggestion that they send Wes there twice a week in the afternoon. On the first of those, Jeff arrived back in good time to collect his boy; as he waited, he was aware of the eyes of a group of woman focused upon him as they waited for their own children. No-one made conversation, but when Wes ran up to him and hugged him, he felt the scrutiny increase. Jeff said nothing about it to Nick that night when he arrived home, and Wes was of course oblivious to it, and spent the whole of dinner that evening telling his dad all about the activities that they had done, and the new children that he had met and made tentative friends with.

Once Wes was in bed, Nick and Jeff sat for a while and talked about their day. Nick was finding his new role just as challenging as his job in New York; indeed, it was possibly more challenging. Even though the worst of Brexit was long past, the shockwaves were still reverberating around the country. People still found themselves with problems to deal with as a consequence, and as was always the case, the usual norms of a civilised nation were not being adhered to 100%…

Two days later, Jeff arrived with Wes at the kindergarten to find that three of the woman that had been staring at him the other day where also in the process of dropping off their children; this time however, one of them approached him, and introduced herself. Jeff could tell from the off that she had been chosen to find out more information about him by the others, and so after introducing himself, he gave her a potted biography. The moment that he mentioned _The Judging Angel_ , her face lit up, and she began to talk about how she had been in New York the previous year and saw it at the Met, and how moved she had been by it. The other mothers began to drift across, seeing how animated she was, and ten minutes later, Jeff found himself sat in a café, being interrogated by a bunch of mothers. He was just glad that he had made no plans for the afternoon….

The ice was well and truly broken that afternoon, and within a fortnight Jeff knew the names of several dozen mothers and their children. He had hosted a lot of them for coffee and cake one afternoon, the latter prepared by Nick the night before, who had managed to stifle his laughter at the idea of Jeff being the sole man in a group of Kensington mothers. The fact that Jeff had a husband made no difference to the ladies, and when he told them all why he and Nick had chosen Michelle to be mother to little Wes, there had been tears; they had been replaced by gasps when he told them who _The Judging Angel_ was…

This then became the rhythm of their lives in the new city; during the week, Jeff was around the ladies, being invited on play dates with Wes to parties where he sketched with parental permission the children, much to the delight of their mothers; after all, they ended up with a genuine Sterling-Duval sketch in the house. At the weekend, they went out as a family, to places in the city and indeed further afield, making a daytrip to the seaside, and to Legoland in Windsor, a place that little Wes never wanted to leave. They kept in touch with those in New York and elsewhere by Skype. This included calls specifically to Caleb, although those broke Jeff's heart as his little friend miaowed at the screen, and even put a paw up in an attempt to touch him. As Jeff cried, Mike came on screen, and confirmed that Caleb was eating a hearty amount of food, taking the usual amount of sleep, and in general, barely seemed to be missing them at all…

Mike had then told them all about the wedding that had taken place that weekend, when Flint's cousin Leo had married his long term girlfriend. Both Nick and Jeff had been sorry to miss it, but according to Mike, everything had gone entirely to plan; even Mrs Wilson had kept her peace for once, and had not worn a hat which dominated proceedings on this occasion. It also meant that Ethan now had the apartment to himself once more. That did worry the two young men in London, as however much Ethan said he was looking forward to it, they still had their doubts about the situation…

Everything in London had been going well; too well perhaps. Then, on the day of the last play session before the new term began, Jeff was held up on his way to the kindergarten to collect Wes. He hurried in, making apologies, although none were necessary, then hurried back out again, with Wes' hand clutched in his own. In his haste, he did not look where he was going, and as a result, bumped straight into someone walking along the pavement, sending them both flying.

"Oh my, I am so sorry, I wasn't…" Jeff began, but his voice faltered and fell away as he got a proper look at them. His eyes widened, and his breath hitched, and then he blinked, just to make sure he wasn't imagining it. Then he uttered one word in an almost reverential tone….

"Drew!?"


	131. The Return of the Prodigal: Part I

**The Return of the Prodigal: Part I**

" _Oh my, I am so sorry, I wasn_ _'_ _t_ _…"_ _Jeff began, but his voice faltered and fell away as he got a proper look at them. His eyes widened, and his breath hitched, and then he blinked, just to make sure he wasn_ _'_ _t imagining it. Then he uttered one word in an almost reverential tone_ _…_ _._

" _Drew!?_ _"_

There was silence then, as two pairs of eyes observed each other again for the first time in over six years. It had been five years since anyone had even heard from the man that now stood in front of Jeff - and the blond man could see that those years had not been kind to his friend. Drew was much thinner than he recalled, his shoulders hunched and his posture less straight. His eyes had lost their sparkle, and looked tired, and if Jeff was not mistaken…

"Jeff!? Oh my, what on earth are you doing here in Kensington?" Drew said quietly. "This is the last place I would have expected…"

"…to meet me?" Jeff finished for his friend. "Nick is in London for a year with his work; he is with the human rights division of the UN, and there was no way I was letting my husband come here for a year on his own. How are you?"

Drew hesitated to reply to that very pointed question, as Jeff had guessed he would, but he was saved from answering by a small voice. "Do you know this man, papa?"

"Papa?" exclaimed Drew, a hint of a smile attempting to lighten his face.

"Yes, this is our son, Wes. Wes, this is an old school friend of mine, your dad, and Uncle Ethan; this is your Uncle Drew." Jeff at once felt guilty for the mention of Ethan's name, particularly when he saw the brief flash of pain on Drew's face, but before he could speak again, his friend replied.

"Wes, it is so nice to meet you! No prizes of course for guessing who you are named after; you even look a little like him… I take it that Nick is his biological father, as you planned?"

Jeff nodded, but mentioned nothing about who his mother was as little ears were present. "He is the eldest of a whole crop of unofficial nieces and nephews; Trent had a son, as do David and Flint. Cooper has twins, and Sebastian has two daughters, one with Dave, and one that he donated the necessary to create; her mother is Santana…"

"You mean that our Sebastian has had a child with an ex-cheerleader…" said Drew, and then he laughed; it was cut short as he winced as a pain shot through him from his ribs. Jeff immediately looked concerned, and Drew noticed. "I tripped on a kerb, fell badly and cracked a rib; it is painful, but it is healing… Anyway, I need to be somewhere, but it was nice seeing you Jeff…"

"It was…" said Jeff, suddenly realising that if Drew left now, he would never see him again. He couldn't risk that; he would never forgive himself… "Look, Drew, if I tell Nicky that I saw you, and he didn't get the chance to see you too, he would be really upset. Could we all meet again sometime? Nick is off work tomorrow, it being Saturday, and we have no plans. You could come to us, and have lunch, or…"

Drew interrupted him. "I'm sorry, but I don't think that is a good idea Jeff…"

"You know how Nicky can get when he feels that he has missed out… Please, Drew, just a cup of coffee even…"

"I really can't come to yours, I can't…"

"What if just you and Nick meet up somewhere - a coffee shop, or a pub? You would make him so happy, and make things easier for me too… Please, for me and little Wes here…"

"It's not that simple, Jeff," said Drew, but then he saw the look on his old friend's face. "Okay, okay, he could come to my place, but it has to be at a set time for my sake. Number 10, Launceston Place, tomorrow at 11am. No earlier. He can't be early, and if he can see a blue vase in the ground floor window when he arrives, then something has happened and I can't see him. Please make sure that he knows that…"

Jeff saw the terror in his friend's eyes as he said those last words, and replied, "Okay, I understand… Right, I will let you go. Please take care of yourself, Drew…"

The other man nodded, then hurried away. Jeff did not look to see where he went, as all of a sudden he felt so sad… He knew that there had been no kerb to trip over, unless there had also been a hand at his back at the time. He knew that she was obviously scheduled to be out of the house for 11am the next day, but that there had to be a signal in case her plans altered… Blinking back tears, he forced a smile for Wes, and decided that a diversion via the French patisserie in the Old Brompton Road was necessary that night. He needed something to cheer himself up, and the cramique and marveilleux that they sold there would be just the thing…

The moment that Nick stepped into the house that night, he sensed that something was wrong. Jeff seemed cheerful enough, but he could tell from little things he was doing that someone or something had upset him that day. He had said that morning that he would make a quiche lorraine for dinner that evening, but Jeff had instead taken a chicken chasseur that Nick had made out of the freezer and reheated it. Then he saw the pile of bags and boxes from the bakery, and he knew that he would have to ask some questions later…

It was his turn to supervise little Wes as he prepared for his bath that night, and having ensured that was done, he then got him into bed, and ready for sleep. He decided that he would ask his son if he knew what was going on. "Wes, did someone make papa sad today? Someone at the kindergarten, or in the street?"

"It was the man that papa bumped into outside the kindergarten that made papa sad," Wes said quietly in reply, before he yawned.

"The man?" said Nick with concern.

"Yes, it was Uncle Drew that made papa sad…"

Nick's eyes widened, and he stuttered out "Uncle…"

"Drew, daddy. Uncle Drew made papa sad. He seemed to be sad too, daddy…" Wes yawned again, then closed his eyes, and fell almost instantly to sleep. Crouched at his bedside, Nick was frozen with shock. After all of this time, it had been Jeff that finally saw their long lost friend. He had so many questions that he wanted to ask his husband, but he knew he would need to wait until Jeff volunteered the information. All he could hope was that Jeff would want to tell him the moment he got back downstairs; that he had only been waiting until Wes was in bed to tell him. The biggest question in his mind right now was why Drew had been in London on a Friday afternoon, when he should have been at his job in Oxford…

As soon as Nick came downstairs, Jeff knew from the expression on his face that he had been beaten to the sharing of the news by the little boy upstairs. "He told you, didn't he?" he said quietly. "Who I quite literally bumped into today…"

"He did, yes," said Nick in an equally quiet tone. "I know that you would have told me eventually, but this is big, Jeffie. Everyone will want to know about this, particularly…"

"Nicky, you didn't see him; it was Drew, but not, if you know what I mean. He looked so awful, as if all of the goodness and vitality had been drained out of him, which might well be true to an extent. Whatever has happened to him since we last saw him cannot have been good. I know what we all suspected she was doing to him, but I never imagined that I would see the results first hand. He has a cracked rib, and he said that he had tripped over a kerb, but I do not buy that for a minute. The 'kerb' punched him in the chest, or struck him with something…" Jeff's voice faltered, and there was a sniff then; Nick came over to sit at his husband's side, placing an arm around him in comfort.

"He could have tripped," said Nick calmly, "and most people would just accept that. People do not ever imagine an abusive wife, and they should; it isn't always the man that is violent… Anyway, did he say why he was in London? Was he in town for a meeting of some sort?"

"No, he actually lives here, which surprised me. It must be such a long journey for him to work every day in Oxford. Tube first, and then a train, then possibly a bus. The only good thing is that it will keep him away from her for longer."

"How do you know that he lives here?" asked Nick, trying to imagine the kind of questions that his husband must have asked to get as much information as he could.

"I told him when he wanted to leave that you would be upset not to have seen him yourself, and I might have suggested that we would have an argument about it, which was a blatant lie of course, and so I asked him if he would be able to come here tomorrow for lunch, or even just coffee. He didn't want to, but I was persistent, and so in the end he agreed to see you at his place tomorrow morning at 11am sharp. I have the address here and some important further instructions…."

Nick however had already stopped listening to Jeff by those final words, and was oblivious to his husband delving through his pockets to try and find the paper he had written the address on. He was too busy doing calculations in his head; he glanced at the clock, which showed him that it was just before 7.30pm, which meant that there would be time, but only if he acted right away. He got up, and headed for the table, where his cellphone lay. He had a moment of doubt, but then it went. It had to be done. He input the correct code, and then typed in the number he needed.

By the time Jeff found the paper, and looked up to see what his husband was doing, the phone on the other end of the call was ringing. Nick avoided his eyes as the call was picked up, and he replied to the greeting with the words "Hey Ethan, it's Nick…"

Jeff's eyes instantly went wide; he knew exactly what his husband was about to do, and he instantly felt conflicted. He had badgered Drew into meeting Nick; he had done so under duress. He had not agreed to what Nick was doing now…

"I need you to sit down for me; Jeff met someone today… He met Drew…"

Jeff hung his head, the conflict inside him now raging. He knew that telling Ethan wasn't a bad thing to do, but it still felt like a betrayal of trust to him…

"Honestly, I don't know, but not to sugar coat it in any way, Jeff told me that he was a mess. The thing is, he is living in London now, and my husband managed to get him to agree to me meeting him tomorrow at 11am. If you leave now, you could get a flight which would get you here in time…"

Jeff gasped at that; it had been bad enough when he thought that Nick was just going to tell Ethan, but no, he was now telling him to fly across tonight so that he could go with his husband in the morning. Drew would not want that, of that he was certain, at least not without warning. He wanted to get up, to protest and stop it before it was too late, but his voice wouldn't come, and he was rooted to the spot. And now Nick was telling Ethan to let him know which flight he was going to be on, and it was too late to prevent it. If he told his husband that he had lost the address, and could not recall it, then he and Ethan would never forgive him; if he let them go, then Drew would do so instead. It was a Catch 22 situation…

Then Nick was off the phone, and walking back over. Jeff fixed him with a glare, and Nick spoke quietly. "I deserve that look, but we both know that Drew is suffering at her hands. We both know that there is no way that I could ever persuade him to leave her though; Ethan is the only one that could ever possibly achieve that. Yes, Drew might hate us both for this, and never speak to us again, but he is here. Could you really have returned to the West Village, having said nothing, and lived virtually next door to Ethan again, knowing what we did?"

"No, I probably couldn't have, but it doesn't stop me feeling like I have betrayed Drew's trust…"

"Actually, if anyone did that, then it was me, not you. I will tell him that. Hopefully though it will not be necessary; hopefully he will come to his senses and escape whilst he can…"

Miles away in Manhattan, Ethan was sat at his desk in shock. This was the moment that he had been waiting for; this was that call to action. He might have been shocked, but even as he had still been talking to Nick, he had pulled the airline website up on his computer, and had been searching for a flight that night, regardless of cost; one that got him there in good time, and with an open return date. He managed to get a seat on the 19.25 BA flight, which would have him in Kensington in plenty of time.

The moment it was booked, he gathered up his things, and left the office, telling them he had a family emergency. He ran down to the street, hailed a cab and was soon heading home. The driver was only too happy to wait for him in the West Village whilst he packed an overnight bag. His passport safely in his pocket, he was soon off again, grateful again for the fact that he had expedited clearance at security through the special program. He had so little time, and the roads were busy as always en route to JFK. He made a quick call to Beats, telling him he had been called away, and asking him to keep an eye on his house. He did not tell him where he was going and his friend did not ask. That at least saved him from having to lie…

By the time that Ethan confirmed the flight that he would be travelling on and its arrival time to Nick, it was after 11pm in London; he sent the message just after he had passed through security. Nick was alone in the kitchen when the message came, baking; Jeff had retired to bed early, claiming that he had a headache. For the first time in his marriage, Nick knew that Jeff was telling him a lie, and was just not able to face him as he dealt with all that had transpired that day. Nonetheless, he had no second thoughts about what he had done; it was what needed to be done after all. This might be the only chance that they would ever have after all to get Drew to see sense and leave the abusive woman that had tricked him into marriage. Yes, he could have tried to persuade him of that himself, that much was true, but Ethan would be a much better choice for the task. The arrival of the message confirmed that it was now too late anyway to change things. Ethan was on his way, and his flight would touch down at Terminal 5 at Heathrow the following morning around 7.30am…

It was then that Nick felt that familiar draught, and he waited for the voice to come; when it did not, he sighed, and said, "Okay Wes, tell me off. Tell me how I have just ruined everything, and the consequences of my actions will be the end of civilisation as we know it."

"That is a little extreme, and in any case, I did not come to tell you off; I cam to congratulate you on doing the right thing in the circumstances."

"Jeff doesn't think it was," said Nick with a sigh. "He can't even look at me just now, Wes, and that darn well breaks my heart." He sniffed, and felt tears starting to form.

On seeing that, Wes came over and wrapped an arm around him. "He is upset, but he will forgive you for it when it all ends well, and it will. You have to trust me on this one. The simple fact is that, sometimes, you have to break a promise if it will make tings better for everyone concerned. Ethan coming here will do that…"

Upstairs Jeff had been lying awake, allowing his tears to fall. He hated falling out with Nick over anything, but he had made him into a liar, a betrayer of trusts. He would never be able to look Drew in the face again after this…

"And why ever not?" came a voice, which made Jeff jump. He looked up to see Kurt standing at the end of the bed, his arms folded across his chest, and his stern face in evidence. "Do you think that Drew should stay with that woman? That he should continue in his quest to heal her, when after all of these years his ribs are obvious proof that she had not changed one iota?"

"No, of course I don't," said Jeff. "That does not alter the fact that I told Drew that Nick would want to see him; I didn't say that I would go home, call New York, and get Ethan to fly over!"

Kurt shook his head, then sat on the bed next to Jeff. "I think that given the choice between seeing Nick and Ethan, Drew would choose the latter. Do you remember how you felt when you thought that Nick was going off to Harvard, and you would never see him again? Just the idea of that destroyed you. Drew hasn't seen his best friend for years. Imagine that you had been separated from Nick for all that time, and suddenly, there he was at your door…"

"This isn't as simple as that. Ethan knows what has been going on; what Drew has allowed her to do to him. He will be embarrassed for a start…"

"Oh, at first he will be, but then he will find such hope in the fact that Ethan was prepared to drop everything and fly here to see him. It will prove to him that he still has friends, and that he has somewhere safe to run to."

"I guess," said Jeff quietly. "It doesn't stop me feeling guilty though."

"But you don't hate Nick for doing what he did?"

"Never; I love Nicky with all of my heart. I will forgive him, as long as everything goes alright…"

Ethan had made it to the airport with very little time, and ended up being the last person to board the plane in business class. He had with him just a small carry on bag, but he had requested checked bags on his return journey; if Drew agreed to come back with him, then it would give his friend extra room to bring his belongings with him. He still wasn't sure though that he would be returning with company. Drew could be so stubborn sometimes, and he had chosen to remain with that woman, his wife, for so long now. He had no idea what he could possibly say to definitely change his mind, if he was being honest…

He sat in silence as the flight took off, then picked at the in-flight meal, his appetite suppressed by stress. That fact was noticed by one of the crew, a motherly lady, who came over and asked him if he was feeling alright. He told her that he was, and faked a smile, but he knew it wasn't true, and deep down, so did she… Maybe all of this was a massive mistake…

"It's not." Ethan nearly leapt out of his skin at the sound of Blaine's voice. He looked around, unable to see him, until he turned his head up to the roof of the cabin, and he saw him floating there. "This is not the easiest of places to get to, you know, and this is quite hard to achieve. Okay, so this is not a mistake. It is all meant to happen. You just need to be prepared for a long and trying day tomorrow. It will be difficult to get through, but worth it in the end."

Ethan nodded, and then Blaine was gone. His words had helped, but they had not answered the ultimate question; what on earth did he say?

The following morning saw Nick out of bed earlier than he would have been on a normal Saturday. Ethan had told him that he would make his own way from the airport to South Kensington via the tube, and had asked that either Nick or Jeff met him at the station. Nick had been late to his bed the night before, having spent some time in the kitchen, using his normal mechanism for coping with stress. Normally the smell of the baking cakes and cookies from the kitchen would have brought his husband to the room, but last night there had been no sign of Jeff; by the time that Nick himself had headed up to bed, Jeff had been sound asleep. It had broken Nick's heart to see that he had his back turned to Nick's side of the bed, and that his faced was marked with tear tracks. That sight had been enough to set Nick crying too, as they had never gone to bed without having resolved any disagreement or squabble first…

Now in the pale light of dawn, Nick noticed that his husband was absent, and that his side of the bed felt cool; he sighed, but blinked back the tears that were threatening to form. He and Jeff would make up, and everything would be fine… He got up, and headed downstairs to the kitchen, looking in on his sleeping son on the way; Wes was the reason that he and Jeff had to be okay. Walking into the kitchen, he saw Jeff sitting there, waiting for him. "I'm sorry…" they both said at the same time, which made Nick giggle, and that set his husband laughing too. He sat down at the blond's side, and spoke once his laughter had finally died down. "I'm the one that should be saying sorry here," he began, holding up his hand to stop Jeff breaking in. "I should have told you what I was about to do beforehand, so that we could discuss the pros and cons like we always do. It was just that time was short if Ethan was to catch a flight…"

"I know that is true, and I am sorry too. Kurt came to see me, and like always, he talked a lot of sense. Drew would always rather have Ethan than either of us, and if we are going to get him safe, he is the one that needed to be here to do it," Jeff replied.

"Kurt, eh? I had Wes. He told me that I had done the right thing, but to be honest, I am still not sure if it is."

"It is done now, all of it, and we just have to hope that our angels have called it right. I am also sorry that I acted like a complete crosspatch last night, and that I was so unkind to you, Nicky. I love you so much, and I hate it when we argue…"

"Me too," said Nick, as he took Jeff's hand with a smile. "As you say though, that is all in the past now. We need to move on past it, and a good place to start would be with breakfast."

"Yeah - French Toast with some of those nice peppery sausages," said Jeff, with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Okay, I will make a start on that if you want to go and wake Wes up. It's early, but he does love his French Toast, and he will want to see his Uncle Ethan too." Jeff nodded, then kissed his husband with a degree of passion that they usually kept for the bedroom. With a wink, he left, and a happier Nick headed to fetch the eggs, bread and Cumberland sausages.

Ethan's flight arrived in London early, which was no bad thing. He had forced himself to eat his breakfast on the plane, conscious that the same member of cabin crew that had asked him if he was alright the night before was watching him, and the fact that he ate seemed to mollify her. As was usual, he was given priority at security, but unlike back in February, he did not head to the lounge to freshen up; instead he collected himself, and using the Oyster card he had picked up then, and kept in his wallet since, he headed into the tube station below the terminal to make his onward trip to South Kensington, pausing only to text Nick to say that he had arrived, so that he could work out when he would need to arrive at the station to meet him at the barriers. Unlike the fast train he had taken the last time, the Piccadilly line was fairly slow, giving Ethan time to think as it headed through the sprawl of suburbia towards the centre of the metropolis. Despite his visit from Blaine, he still had his doubts, and much as he tried to dismiss them, they kept returning to haunt him.

In the end he tried a spot of people watching instead, trying to find something in the people around him that would cheer his heart. He saw people in love, people with a friend or engaged in a messaging marathon. There were people of all ages, creeds and colours, all moving in the same direction, impacting on others whether they liked it or not; all connected by this one trip, just as he would always be bonded to Drew by the bonds of school…

He was so deep in thought that he almost missed his stop, and barely made it through the doors, before heading off to join the other people heading up to the street. He was glad to see Nick at the barriers, and the hug that he received from him there on the busy concourse was most welcome. Nick insisted on taking his bag, and they walked along the streets from the station side by side. They were lined with grand Victorian houses, now more or less all divided into flats, and soon they reached Thurloe Square. Ethan had to admit that it was the most wonderful setting, and that the house they had rented was a good substitute for the one in the West Village. The moment that they stepped through the door there was the sound of small feet running on the woodblock floor, and then little Wes was throwing himself at his Uncle Ethan. Nick smiled as he set down his friend's bag, taking off his coat as his husband appeared, a small smile on his face. All was happiness right now, but soon they would need to discuss the reason why their visitor was there; and then the time for the pivotal meeting would be upon them…

With little Wes chattering away, anxious to tell his Uncle Ethan about all the strange things he had seen in London, and the fact that they drove on the wrong side of the road, and how exciting double decker buses were, there was very little time for the three men to dwell on matters. The young boy's incessant chatter helped to lighten the mood; to make what might have been a very tense and difficult situation into a tolerable one. However, Ethan could see that Jeff was not 100% happy, and eventually he asked if his friend could show him up to his room, so that he could sort out a few things in his bag. Once upstairs, he closed the door behind them, and spoke. "Okay, so you aren't so sure that I should be here, are you? I got that impression from Nick, although he said nothing; he just seemed a little subdued as we came here. If I am being honest, I am not entirely convinced I should be here either…"

"I just feel like I have betrayed Drew," said Jeff quietly. "I asked him to make time to see Nicky, and this… well, he might not be ready or able to see you. He isn't the Drew that we all knew in all honesty; he is drawn, in pain, and miserable. I don't want him getting even more hurt, physically or emotionally, and both of those are things that will potentially happen now. Then there is the simple fact that he might still feel determined to fix her. I mean, what happens if he refuses to accept your help? You end up as shattered as he is, and that will be my fault…"

"For a start, if he does still insist on staying with her, then so be it. It will hurt, but no more than it has hurt me every day since she took him away from us. At least I will know that he is alive; I have had nightmares in which he has died, and we never find out until years later. Even knowing you saw him made me feel so happy… Whatever happens today, I am glad that you met him; that you found him for me. At least now, if he does tell me to go, and still feels the same, I can say goodbye…"

"I hope that it doesn't turn out like that," replied Jeff, stepping forward to hug his friend, a gesture that was gratefully returned.

Jeff headed away after that, leaving Ethan alone to get ready. He washed up, shaved quickly and combed his hair; he could do little else as time was marching on. He changed into fresh clothes, smart but casual, making sure to transfer the contents of his pockets into the new garments, and to have all his documents to hand. He also added a last minute item to the lapel of his jacket; his Warbler pin. After a glance in the mirror he headed downstairs, to find Nick waiting for him, dressed in a similar fashion. Without a word, the two of them set out, to head across town to the street of neat villas that Drew had ended up in, by accident or design. It was a short walk, but so much was riding upon what happened at their destination…


	132. The Return of the Prodigal: Part II

**The Return of the Prodigal: Part II**

The footsteps of the two friends took them back first almost in the same direction they had come only a couple of hours before, but they forked right instead of left as they neared the station once more. They walked past the massive edifice that was the V & A Museum. Ethan saw it, but did not; he had been inside the building a few times with Drew all those years ago now, but had never actually seen this part of the exterior then, having arrived by tube at South Kensington like most visitors, and then approaching along the tunnel from the station concourse. Still, the very name filled his head with memories…

"Okay, so tell me what you are thinking," said Nick suddenly, disrupting his reverie.

"I am thinking about one summer day that Drew and I spent inside that building, nearly a decade ago now… So much treasure inside one building, and that is what the contents of that museum are; an eclectic mix of everyday items with sculpture, gold and jewels… That was the summer before you and the guys came over, the summer before you and Jeff married; the summer before he had even heard of someone called Lucy George. It was good then, at least for us. If I could turn back the clock, ensure that they never met, then I would, even if it meant that everything else in the world went wrong…."

Nick did not reply, but Ethan knew that he understood. They kept walking, and before long they reached the start of Launceston Place , which was numbered in a quite bizarre fashion; sequentially from north to south on the west side, then south to north on the east. They were early, and Nick instinctively slowed his pace, and Ethan followed suit.

"This is a very nice street," Nick remarked. "The frightening thing is that I recognise these houses now; in fact, if I recall, there was actually a house to let on this street that I liked the look of, but Jeff preferred the one in Thurloe Square; he said it reminded him of our own house back in New York…" They had kept walking as he talked, and now he paused. "Yes, this was the one. Number 26, which would have meant…"

"You would have ended up living right across the street, more or less," said Ethan quietly, as he glanced over the road and saw Number 12 right across from the spot where they now stood. Nick shivered slightly at that, knowing that such a situation would have been a nightmare. They moved on a few steps, both of them doing their best not to stare at the white stucco house that was Number 10, with the expensive sports car parked outside, and the woman stepping out of the front door…

On seeing her, Ethan grabbed Nick, and almost pulled him right into the hedge outside the property they were in front of. "That is her…" he hissed. "She's just come out… That is why Drew was so time specific! Please don't let her have seen us… Actually, no, this is a bad idea, we should go…" Ethan was barely able to get the words out now, his breath coming in gasps. If she had seen them, had realised who he was, then she would turn round and head back in, to hit his best friend again, and again, and again… He closed his eyes, and felt his legs grow weak; if Nick had not been there, he would have collapsed into the hedge…

Then as he wobbled there, he heard the sound of a car engine, then the screech of tyres on the road as a car moved off and screamed down the street. Then there was silence once more. She had obviously not seen them, or if she had, had not recognised them. It had however been a very close thing, and now he could not help but think that it might be an omen…

As Ethan's breathing returned to normal, Nick let go of him, and seeing that he was able to stand on his own once more, began to walk forward again. After a few steps though he stopped, as he realised that Ethan was not following him, but was still rooted to the same spot on the pavement. Feeling his friend's eyes upon him, Ethan said in a low voice, "Maybe this is a bad idea, Nick…"

"A bad idea? I am sorry, but how can you stand there and say that?" replied Nick. "For the last few years you have been desperate for this moment, and now it is here. Drew is literally just a few yards away…"

"What if Jeff was right, and he doesn't want to see me? Don't say that he will, because people change. He didn't want me when he sent me that letter, and if he is still of the same mindset then this could well be the final nail in the coffin for our friendship. No Jeff is right. This is a bad idea. That's what he thinks, and you can't deny that. So you go, see Drew. He is expecting you after all, not me…"

"And say what? Hey, how are you? By the way, Ethan is in town, but he decided to chicken out of coming at the last minute?"

"Yes! Nick, I thought I could handle this, but now… I just couldn't bear it if he slammed the door in my face. It broke my heart when he rejected me by letter, and if he did the same in person, it would be the end of me."

Nick sighed, and stepped back over to his friend. "Ethan, if I go in there, then the chances are he stays here, with her. The only person that will ever be able to talk him round, to get him to see sense is you. I get it; a rejection would be soul destroying, but what if I have to call you up again in a few months time to say that she has gone too far this time, and he is seriously injured, or even…"

"Don't say it! Please, don't!" Ethan virtually screamed at Nick. He had tears in his eyes now, and he desperately swiped at them, before saying in a quieter voice, "It's a Catch 22 situation, isn't it? Whatever I do, I could end up losing…"

"You know as well as I do that one of the two options gives you better odds of a win… So, shall we go? It is now just after 11am, and the curtains in the house behind us are twitching now; they probably think that we are casing the joint…"

Ethan couldn't help but let out a chuckle at that, and then he sighed deeply. "Okay, you win - however, I think it might be best if I go it alone. Then, if he does slam the door in my face, you can give it a try…" Nick nodded, and although he personally thought that if the door was slammed in Ethan's face the chances of him being let in would be slim to nil, he pulled his friend into a hug. Then they pulled apart, and as Ethan headed across the road, he walked up the street a little, so he could be close by when fate brought whatever response it would…

Ethan's palms began to sweat as he approached the front door of No. 10, resplendent with brass door furniture, including a knocker in the shape of a lion's head. On the threshold he stood for a moment, frozen as thoughts ran through his head. Right on the other side of that stout piece of wood was his best friend's home; he was so close now to the man that had been there for him for so long, and whose absence had been so keenly felt by him for so long. There was no vase in the window, so the signs were good. As he stood there, he could almost feel Nick's eyes burning into him, and so, with a deep breath, he raised his hand, lifted the knocker, and rapped twice, producing a sound so redolent of Mr Bangy that he was transported almost instantly back to the day in the Senior Commons at Dalton when he had first sat there with Drew at his side… Connor had been the Head Warbler then, wielding the gavel… Dalton had put him and Drew together, and as if the school had had access to Hogwart's sorting hat they had gelled almost at once, becoming the firmest of friends; brothers almost…

He heard then the sound of steps on the other side of the door, the noise making him feel that there was probably a wooden floor inside, and not carpet. He heard the sound of a security chain being taken off, and then of a key turning in a lock. Then the door was opened wide, and the man inside, looking down at the floor and not at the person in front of him spoke. "This wasn't such a good idea Nick. I should never have agreed to it. She was late in leaving and she almost…"

As the voice faltered and stopped, Ethan looked up himself, straight into the eyes of the man that was no longer looking at the floor, but now staring straight at him as if he had seen a ghost.

"Eth…Eth… Ethan…"

"Hello Drew," was all Ethan could reply before his own words failed him as he took in the bruise on his friend's face… Then, to his utmost horror, he saw his friend's face crumple, tears springing from his eyes. Then he fell forward, his legs giving way under him, falling down towards the polished woodblock floor. He began to not just sob, but wail, then gasped out the words, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry…"

Ethan was swiftly down on his knees too, catching Drew before he hit the floor hard. He pushed his friend backward as he did so, getting him back inside the house, so that he could close the door and not have the moment witnessed by any random passer-by, or worse still a nosy neighbour, who might pass on the news of this moment to Lucy in all good intention… As he closed the door, he briefly caught sight of Nick, who nodded at him, and then walked away…

Nick did not matter now. All of Ethan's attention was now focused on the man that was sobbing heavily into his chest, still apologising at times, but at other's just making a keening noise that made his heart break. He felt his own eyes grow wet as he held his friend tightly to him, a hand gently stroking through his hair; the last time this had happened had been back in Ohio, when they had been told that Wes had died…. He could almost feel his presence in the room now; not in sight, but watching him nonetheless… As Drew's sobs began to diminish, Ethan said quietly, "You have nothing to be sorry for…"

"I've been such a fool; such an idiot," Drew said, then began to sob again. Ethan held him close again, humming that tune that Wes had always used, unable to trust himself to sing it in case he choked on the words as his emotions ran riot. That seemed to have a calming effect, as it had always done; he could feel his friend getting less tense, could hear the sobbing diminish. He was about to speak again when something unexpected happened; something that posed a new set of questions…

"Don't cry, daddy…"

Outside, Nick's feet were taking him back down Launceston Place, heading back towards the house that he currently called home. As he walked, he kept his eyes cast down, as he could feel the tears welling up in them. To see the way that Drew had reacted to seeing Ethan had torn at his heartstrings, and had Ethan not closed the door, he would have rushed over to help out in whatever way that he could. However, he knew that he would only have ended up as an extra in a show that was made for two players; a bromance that needed to be repaired, a pair of friends that had found each other again. Something told him that when Ethan flew back to New York, whenever that was, he would not be doing so alone.

He stopped briefly at the same French bakery that his husband had stopped at the day before to buy cake, something that was rare for a confirmed baker like himself; then again, he needed a new challenge, and maybe perfecting cramique was it… He was aware of course that back in Thurloe Square, Jeff would be anxiously awaiting news. That hastened his steps back to the house, and soon he was putting his key into the lock and opening the door. He was not in the least surprised to find Jeff waiting for him in the hallway as he closed the door behind him. "He broke down," said Nick. "Ethan is with him now, and hopefully this will be the moment when he gives up on his futile attempt to change his wife, and heads back to the bosom of his true family, The Warblers…" Jeff nodded, then stepped forward to pull his husband into a hug. It had been quite the 24 hours for them after all…

At No. 10 Launceston Place, those words uttered by that small voice had given Ethan quite a start at first, but then he found himself frozen in place. This was a completely unexpected complication to his entire plan. Drew had obviously sensed his shock, and he pulled away at once, and drying the tears from his eyes, he turned to face the little girl that was standing at the foot of the stairs.

"It's okay Evie; daddy is crying happy tears this time, not sad ones," he said, and the little girl cautiously stepped forward and made her way to his side. "Now, I need you to keep a big secret from you know who… Remember that story that I told you about the man and his daughter that were being held captive by the wicked witch, until they were rescued one day by a handsome prince?" Evie nodded, whilst still looking at the strange man at her father's side with apprehension. "Can you remember the name of the prince?" Drew asked.

"Prince Ethan," she replied quietly, which brought an instant lump to Ethan's throat.

"That's right," said Drew, with a hint of a smile. "Well, this is Ethan…"

With a squeal, and a huge smile blossoming on her face, Evie threw herself at Ethan. "You came! You really came! Will you save us from the wicked witch?"

"I will, if that is what your daddy wants… To be taken away from here to a better place…"

"It is, and honestly, it is all I have wanted for a long time," responded Drew. Then he turned to his daughter again, and said, "So I need to talk to Ethan now, and what we are going to talk about is very boring, so I need you to go back upstairs and play with your toys for a little while."

"Okay daddy. I should go and chose what toys I want to take when we leave anyway. I love you so much, Prince Ethan…"

"I love you too," Ethan replied with a smile.

"And don't worry, I won't tell the witch anything…" she added, before she headed back up to her bedroom.

Drew got up then, and walked down the hallway, Ethan following right behind him. "I'm afraid I don't have any coffee to offer you; Lucy disapproves of it, so we are not allowed to keep any in the house. Sometimes, when I am feeling brave, I head to Starbucks… I can make us tea…"

"That will be fine," replied Ethan, watching as Drew pulled out a teapot, and switched on the kettle. He ignored the wince that his friend gave as he reached up into a high cupboard to get cups, and instead said, "Nick sends his apologies, as does Jeff. They weren't sure if you would ever forgive them for calling me, although Nick did send a peace offering with me…" He placed the bag that he had kept in his hand until that time on the table, and Drew came over to inspect it. When he saw what was inside it, his face lit up.

"Lemon Drizzle cake; he remembered my favourite… Of course I forgive them; in fact, maybe there was a little bit of me hoping that after Nick had seen me, he would call you. However, he was smart enough to make the call first."

Drew sat there with a smile, and Ethan got up instead to make the tea when the kettle boiled. He knew that he had to ask one question, and it was the hard one. "So, Evie; she is beautiful. How old is she?"

"She is nearly four, and no, she isn't Lucy's child. She is mine, and there is a whole story there, but that is for another day. At the time, she seemed like a small victory for me, but now…" Drew stopped, and Ethan knew at once what he was thinking; he was worried that Lucy might start to turn her anger onto his daughter. In some ways, having a child had been a silly move for his friend; maybe he had imagined that having a child in the house might soften her, but obviously… He watched now as his friend took a bite out of the cake Nick had sent, his eyes closing in bliss. "I had almost forgotten just how good Nick is at baking. You'll have to tell him that for me…"

"You can tell him yourself, once I get you out of here."

"Well, that is a lovely idea…"

"We can go tomorrow; back to the States…"

"We can't, Ethan. There is a problem. Quite a major one as it happens."

"Oh, I'm sure that we can sort out a passport for Evie in no time, when we explain the circumstances."

"I'm sure that we could, but that would leave us with the small matter of mine…"

Ethan looked at his friend with a degree of confusion. "What do you mean? I know that you have one, otherwise you would never have been able to come here in the first place. If it is out of date, then it is simple enough to renew it; we just take along the old one."

"I know, but…"

"But?"

"I had an argument with Lucy, and I told her that I had had enough, that I was going to leave her, that I was going home. I had made up my mind, and had started to pack my bags, and had a flight booked and everything, but unfortunately, she came home early and caught me unawares. We got into a huge row, I might have called her a pyscho, and well, a few moments later, I 'slipped' and fell down the stairs. There might have been a few punches and kicks after I fell too; I don't really remember as I passed out. We were still living in Oxford then, and when I did eventually come round, it was at the hospital there, the one where she worked at the time. Lucy had spread some story about coming home to find the front door open and me lying at the foot of the stairs; told the police that there were some items missing from the house, that I must have disturbed an intruder… However, one of the senior nurses at the hospital wasn't buying the story at all, and had her suspicions; she had seen me coming in with injuries too frequently I guess. All she could do though was look at me sadly, because she couldn't say anything. No-one would have believed that a doctor like Lucy would be doing something like that…"

Drew paused, and Ethan just shook his head sadly, before his friend carried on. "On my second day in the hospital, Lucy appeared; she was showing all the appropriate levels of concern, going on about the intruder, and how accident prone I was to boot… I had a private room, however, and the moment that she was able to get the door shut so it was just the two of us… She told me that I was to go with the intruder story or I would pay for it. I told her that I was still leaving her. She just laughed, and then showed me a video on her mobile phone. She had taken my Dalton blazer and tie, and placed my passport, drivers licence, graduation papers, all my ID on them out in the back garden. I watched as she doused them in petrol, and…"

"…set fire to them all," whispered Ethan, shock and horror on his face.

Drew nodded, blinking away a tear, and then went on. "She made me watch as my life so to speak was turned to ashes. Then she told me that I was now nothing without her say so; the only identity I had now was as her husband. She then made me sign a letter to my boss, resigning from my job with immediate effect. She sat there and calmly told me that I had to leave as she had just found out she had been given the job at a better hospital, and we would be moving to London. It all happened so quickly that I never even got a chance to see any of my colleagues again. When I left the hospital I was driven straight to London… Of course, during the move my cellphone had been 'mislaid' and as I had no documentation, I couldn't get a replacement with all the old information on it, my old photos… She called it a fresh start. However, she soon found out that sometimes things follow you, and just for once, I ended up with the upper hand…"

"She had of course started her new job straight away; told me that as she now earned a lot more that I didn't need to work any longer; could concentrate on keeping our home the way she liked it. Two days later though she came home mid morning; on her arrival, she had been called straight to the medical director's office. There had been an allegation made by a nurse in Oxford. I don't know for sure, but I am guessing that the nurse I mentioned earlier had decided that now she was gone, she could risk speaking up; Lucy could no longer touch her. She had been suspended until the police had spoken to me about the history of accidents I had built up in the hospital records. That day she pleaded and begged, and I was so tempted to speak out…"

"Why didn't you? Why didn't you tell the truth?"

"Because it was my word against hers in the end. If they chose not to believe me, to take her side that I was just accident prone, then the consequences for me in the aftermath would have been unimaginable. Also, whilst she is a psycho as a wife, she is still a very gifted paediatric surgeon. She would have been out of a job, and there would have been kids that might have suffered as a result. Plus, don't forget, I had no papers; I would still have been reliant on her for everything. So I chose to lie, to go along with her version, but I told her that I would only do that on one condition; that we had a child. Of course, I knew even as I said it that there was no way she would ever let me get her pregnant, but for once, I had all the cards, and so she agreed to let me use a surrogate. I lied, and a little under a year later, along came Evie… I guess that I hoped that she would fall in love with her as much as I did, that it would be the catalyst to change her into a more normal human being, but the day that I brought her home, she said to me, and I quote, _Enjoy your new toy; it is your responsibility. By the way, if it makes too much noise, there might be a terrible mishap…_ "

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Ethan, horrified that anyone could even say such a thing.

"Since then I have chastised myself for asking for a child; I have dreaded the day when Evie does something that annoys her too much. I wouldn't be without my daughter now, but I castigate myself for my selfishness and stupidity, which has put the life of a child at risk…"

"The one good thing I guess is that with an attitude like that, there is no mention of her on Evie's paperwork?"

"I asked, but she made it quite plain in her usual way that she wanted nothing to do with her, even on paper."

"That is good. She can't stop us taking her out of the country. We should also be able to get her a passport, and a US one at that."

"All rather a moot subject given my lack of documentation though. I can't prove who I am Ethan, and I don't think that anyone would accept that photo of the two of us you used to carry about in your wallet as adequate evidence. We can still have today though; Lucy will be at work until at least 10pm… That is the best thing about the move to London; back in Oxford, she worked much shorter hours, and she had more time to deal with me as she would put it. Here I can sometimes be in bed before she gets in, and usually she doesn't bother me. Other nights though she expects me to have dinner ready for her, and woe betide me if it isn't perfect."

"I can't imagine how hard it must be to live like that," said Ethan, taking his friend's hand across the table.

"You get used to it, like you get used to any form of torture," said Drew with a sigh. "Most of the time it is just a slap, a Chinese burn. The really bad stuff doesn't happen as often these days; the last time she really laid into me was in February. Something had upset her routine at work, and she laid into me. I ended up having to take myself to the ER at the local hospital once she was asleep, because the pain was just too much. So I woke up Evie, bundled her up and headed down. She'd broken my left wrist, all because an American disrupted her day… She is mad, and I have always known if I am honest…"

"She certainly is! She broke your wrist because there was an American patient at her hospital?"

"No, that she could have dealt with; I recall her coming in and screaming her complaints about the fact that there was a Yank with a cheque that she had managed to avoid having to be nice to by bringing forward a surgery, claiming that it was an emergency, but that her boss had not been happy with her as a result, and she went for her usual American whipping boy…"

As Drew had spoken, Ethan's blood had suddenly began to run cold. Now he had no option but to ask. "Drew, please tell me that she doesn't work at Great Ormond Street…"

"No, that's where she works - how did you…"

"My family runs a big company, and for philanthropic reasons, they also have a charitable trust. Normally my mom does it all, but my dad was ill, and she asked me, and so I took over. I had to choose a recipient for a big donation, and… Drew, the Yank was me. I was here, in February, handing over a cheque at Great Ormond Street," said Ethan in shock.

Drew suddenly paled, knowing what was going through Ethan's mind. "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known…"

"But it is! If I hadn't been in London, hadn't authorised that donation, then she… I got you hurt, Drew. I got you hurt!" Ethan burst into tears, his heart broken at the thought that this time he had been responsible for his best friend's pain and injury.

Drew got up, walked round the table, and pulled Ethan into a hug. "I will not say this again. It is not your fault. Anything could have set her off. That money will do so much for the sick kids, and if to get it I had to suffer, then that's that. I am glad that she reacted to your visit the way that she did. I am glad she lied and pulled forward a surgery, claiming it was an emergency."

"How can you even say that!" sobbed Ethan.

"Because imagine if the two of you had met then. Who knows what she might have done…" There was silence then as the two of them imagined exactly how they knew it would have gone; how she would have reacted to Ethan's presence once more in her world…

Ethan knew that Drew was right. It didn't stop him blaming himself for his injury that night, and nothing he could say ever would. However, there was no point in crying over it now, and ruining the time they had. He sighed under his breath, knowing that this weekend was his only chance to get his friend and his daughter out, and away from a source of danger, but the lack of any form of ID was going to prevent that; no airline would accept them these days without it, and he could not even send for the company jet and fly them back on it without some. The other option, taking them back with him to Nick and Jeff's home and hiding them out there until he could get something sorted, would only potentially place them and little Wes at risk. He knew that the two of them would not mind if he did, as they were good friends after all, like all of…

And then it hit him. Amongst all else it had done, Dalton Academy had been obsessed with keeping records of all of their students; detailed ones. There would be enough in there to help, copies of certain important papers. Plus there was also one even more important fact; they had a mutual friend that might well be able to help them expedite the processes necessary to get Drew new papers; a friend that would only be too willing to help out a fellow Warbler…


	133. The Return of the Prodigal: Part III

**The Return of the Prodigal: Part III**

Ethan looked at his best friend, his eyes downcast, thinking that today was a one off, never to be repeated. "Maybe there is something that can be done about your missing documentation; being a Warbler does come with a whole set of advantages after all my friend…"

"What do you mean?" said Drew, looking up as Ethan checked his watch then pulled out his phone.

"Nick is not the only one of our group that has made himself a place in the political world; Trent has also done very well for himself."

"I know that he was working for Burt, but there isn't much that he could do about my problems, even as the leader of the Democrats in the house."

"Ah, but that is it you see; Trent doesn't work for Burt anymore," said Ethan with a grin. "He is now being recognised for the talent that he always was by a much higher authority. In fact, even you have probably heard one of the speeches that he has written for his new employer recently…back at the end of January possibly…"

Drew looked puzzled for a moment as Ethan dialled a number, and then it dawned on him, his eyes going wide. "Wait, Trent wrote… he is working for the…"

"Yes, and yes. Now he has always been an early riser, even at the weekend, so he should be up by now…." He listened to the telephone ringing in Washington DC, all those miles away, and was pleased when a familiar voice answered it in short order.

"Hey, Ethan, what are you doing calling me at just before 7am? I thought that you always slept later on a Saturday?"

"Normally I do, but it is actually just before noon where I am right now."

"Wait, what?"

"I'm in London, Trent, sat across a table from Drew…"

"Oh my God! That's fantastic! Is he coming back? Please tell me that he has finally seen sense!"

"He has, but there is a major problem. We need a very big favour, and there is only one person that we know that has any chance of being able to deliver it."

"I am guessing that one person is me? Anything that I can do to get Drew home I will do, you know that…"

"Right; to cut a long story short and avoid details, Drew has no passport, or any other sort of ID, thanks to the actions of you know who. I need him to be able to collect a new passport yesterday so to speak, and there is probably only one man that can authorise something like that with an embassy."

"My ultimate boss… Look, I hate to say this, but with no sort of ID papers, I don't think even I could get that done for you."

"You are in a better position that I am to call Dalton though, and ask them to access the files that they have there; the file on Drew that will have a photocopy of his first passport, and as they were the ones that put us through our driver's ed courses, they should also have a copy of his first driver's licence…"

"I had forgotten about that… yes, with access to that, it might well be possible… Okay, so nothing ventured, nothing gained. I will get in touch with the Oval office right now; the President is an early bird like me. I will call you right back as soon as he tells me his decision. There is no guarantee though that he will say yes; none whatsoever."

"I know, Trent, and I also want you to know just how grateful we both are that you are even considering doing this for us; I just hope it doesn't get you into trouble."

"I hope so too. Anyway, I will try my best, which is all that I can do. I will call you as soon as I can. Give Drew my love…"

Ethan hung up, and turned back to face Drew, who was looking down at the table again. "How could I have forgotten about those files at Dalton, Ethan? If I had only remembered them myself then maybe this could all have been over by now; I could have been home years ago…"

"That is not important now; what is important is that we get you home as soon as we can, and hopefully that will be tomorrow. If Trent can't get the President to authorise it, then we go to Plan B instead; we call Thad, and get him to retrieve your files. He can copy them again, make them into an E-mail attachment, and then we can print them off somewhere and take those to the authorities; hopefully that would be enough to get the ball rolling."

The sound of Ethan's phone ringing made them both jump then. One look at the screen showed him that the caller was Trent, and part of him did not wish to answer the call, in case it was the worst possible news. He had no choice though…

"Ethan, I spoke to the President, apologised for even asking first, and explained all the facts to him. He had me on the speakerphone, and the Vice President was there too… As you know, one of her campaigns currently is in the area of spousal abuse, and well, I think you have her to thank for the speed of the decision. Make your way to the embassy in London as soon as you can. They will have been notified, and all the documentation from Dalton will be on its way in the next 5 minutes. I called Principal Lefevre, rather than Thad, and she is en route to the office to send it through. Tell Drew I am looking forward to giving him a big hug, and introducing Cormac to his new uncle."

"Thanks so much Trent. Once again, you have saved the day for the rest of us. We are both forever in your debt," said Ethan, before hanging up on his friend. He turned back to face Drew, and one look at his best friend's face was enough to make him cry, just as Drew was. "So, we need to get to the US Embassy, whose location I am afraid I am unsure of, like yesterday. Is there someone that can look after Evie, because it might not be the quickest of processes, and she will quickly get bored waiting."

"The nursery has a drop-in play session on Saturday afternoons; I can take her there. I will go and get her ready, give her a sandwich for lunch. Now luckily, I do know where the embassy is, and it is probably easiest if we take a cab there… I still can't believe that this is all happening… I keep thinking that I will wake up, and that the last two days will all have been a dream…"

"Trust me, Drew, this is all very real. Go and get that beautiful little girl of yours ready… Actually, do you have a recent passport sized photo of her; we will need one…"

"I do; I will bring it along with all her documentation. Now this is happening, I just want to get out of here. I need to get away. I have been a fool for too long, and thankfully now I have seen the light. I am going home, wherever that may be…"

As Drew headed upstairs to get his daughter ready, picking up his own mobile to call the nursery in advance, Ethan reflected for a moment on the momentous events that had all taken place in less than a day. Twenty four hours ago he had been on his way to his office, no plans for the weekend other than heading to the Spotlight Diner, and quite possibly the synagogue, where he was always guaranteed a warm welcome, despite his status as a gentile. He had begun to forget all about Drew if he was honest, his old friend no longer haunting his thoughts on a daily basis. Now he was thousands of miles from New York, sitting in the well appointed kitchen of his best friend's home, plotting to engineer the other man's return to the country of his birth.

Drew's final words before he had headed upstairs still rang in his ears; _"home, wherever that may be."_ He knew instinctively where he would like his best friend to be able to call home; he had two spare bedrooms in his apartment after all, and Jeff would have no objection to Drew and his daughter using them for however long they wanted. They would be safe there, and they would also have the benefit of so many friendly faces close by; indeed, Beats would be right upstairs. However, there was no guarantee that Drew would wish that; he might chose instead to return to his parents in the anonymity, safety and peace of rural Ohio. It was after all his friend's choice, not his to make…

He considered suddenly if he should make a call to the Symons; after all, his mother was desperate to hear news of her son, and he had promised that if he heard anything he would tell her at once, but he quickly decided that he would wait until he had her son back on American soil. He did however send a quick text to Nick, to tell him that he and Drew would be busy, but that he would be back that evening, once all of the issues had been resolved. The response was immediate, telling him that he would be welcome back at any time, and in any case, he and Jeff would not be straying too far from home that day…

At Drew's insistence, Ethan left the house first, on his own. He asked him to do so as the neighbour across the street, whose curtains had been twitching as he and Nick had stood there early, was a great friend of Lucy, and would not hesitate to report to her that her husband had left the house with a strange man. Ethan saw his friends point, and as he emerged from the house, he made a show of shaking Drew's hand, much to the confusion of his friend. He was also carrying a small black book he had grabbed in the kitchen; it had reminded him of something he had carried on two occasions to support Sebastian… "It looks like the Book of Mormon," he whispered to Drew as he shook his hand. "I'll notice her if she is looking, then make a bee line for her front door next. If she does answer, then I know the correct spiel…"

Drew had to stifle a laugh at that; he closed the door, then as he waited for his daughter to be ready, he took a look out of the window. He smiled as he watched his best friend head across the road and ring the bell of that awful woman. Then Evie was in the hall; as he examined her to make sure she was perfectly ready, he heard the sound of raised voices across the street, and he couldn't help but laugh. That made his daughter smile, as she couldn't recall the last time her daddy had laughed out loud…

"Okay, so you can't tell anyone at the nursery that Uncle Ethan is here. He is going to meet us there, but you have to pretend that you do not know him. Then, when we get back home tonight, I will need you to chose your favourite toys and books, just a few of them, so that we can pack them away to take with us when we leave."

"Are we really going away daddy?"

"Yes, and very soon. It will be so much better where we are going, I promise."

"I'll miss all of my friends at nursery, but I will make new ones, won't I?" said Evie with a sad smile.

"I know that you will. Now, when you see your friends today you have to pretend that you will be seeing them again soon, but you might not be; remember that when you are saying goodbye. Right, so off we go - and if we seen Uncle Ethan as we are walking to the nursery…"

"We don't know him," said Evie. Drew took his daughter's hand, and they headed out, walking down the street in the direction of the nursery school.

A quarter of an hour later, Drew and Ethan were sat side by side in the back of a black London taxi cab as it headed towards the US Embassy, located these days in a modern building in the Nine Elms area, instead of in the historic location of Grosvenor Square. For once the traffic in London was light, and they made remarkably swift progress. Ethan had his fingers crossed that everything would go to plan, and that there would be no unforeseen hitches in obtaining everything that they needed. A part of him wondered if he should have told Trent about Evie, but he did not foresee any issue with getting her a passport.

As the cab dropped them off at the gate, there appeared to be a major obstacle; the sign outside stated that it was open to the public only on a Monday to Friday basis. Drew's face fell, but Ethan was sure that Trent would not have sent them on a wild goose chase, so he headed towards the door, his passport at the ready, hoping that the guard would give them the news they needed. At first, the sight of it did little to make the expression on the face of the guard change. "We are here to see about an emergency replacement passport for my friend here; he is a US citizen who has been the victim of a terrible crime. I know that officially you are closed, but my contacts at the Oval Office should have called through and made the necessary arrangements. As you can see, my name is Ethan MacKenzie, and my friend is Mr Drew Symons. If you could check for us, I would be grateful."

The guard's expression had altered slightly at the mention of the Oval Office, and he checked his computer screen; he soon found their names on the system, and the note stating from whom the urgent request had originated made his eyes open wide. He turned back to look at them, this time with a smile, and said, "When I let you through the gate, you need to turn left to the reception area; you will be met there by Ms Baptiste, the duty officer. I hope that everything gets sorted out for you gentlemen."

They passed through the gate, and as they followed his instructions, Drew whispered to Ethan, "What do you think made his attitude change?"

"I should think there might have been a note stating the request was from either Mrs Obama, or the President himself," Ethan replied.

They entered the reception area, to see a woman standing there with a tablet computer in her hand. She looked down at it, then at Drew with particular care. She nodded to herself, then said, "Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am pleased to tell you that we have been sent all the necessary paperwork from your old school, and Mr Symons, you are clearly the person shown on the passport I have a copy of. Now I understand from the White House that this is a rush job. You will be pleased to know that we have already started to prepare your new passport, and we will have all the other documents you need ready in a couple of hours…"

"Actually, ma'am, there is a little something else that we need to discuss," said Ethan. "My contact in Washington, who liased with the Oval Office, is unaware, as was I until this morning, that Mr Symons has a three year old daughter. Naturally, she will also be requiring a passport."

"A daughter; that does change things, but only a little. The E-mail that we received from the Oval Office did disclose the reasons why this need to be prioritised; we are aware that Mr Symons is a victim of domestic abuse. That alone is a good reason to speed up the usual process in creating his new documents. A child however does make the situation a little more complex; your partner will have a claim on the child, and sadly, even in these instances, the courts do tend to favour the mother in custody arrangements."

"That isn't the case here; my wife is not the mother of my child. She refused to allow herself to fall pregnant; she took the contraceptive pill for the entire duration of our marriage, even when she informed me that we were trying for a family in the first months. She knew how much I wanted a child, and after an incident in which she went too far, and left me so badly injured that she found herself subject to an enquiry into her conduct, she decided that I would be allowed to use a surrogate. They in their turn declined all parental rights over my daughter, and signed papers to that effect, which I have here. My wife also refused to have anything to do with my daughter, and although I suggested that she be named on the birth certificate, she declined in the strongest of terms," Drew replied, pulling out the pile of papers as he spoke. He produced the birth certificate from them, and handed it directly to Ms Baptiste, who scanned it carefully for a few moments.

"That does make this process a lot easier than it might have done. I take it that you have a picture of her?"

"Yes, of course. A few weeks ago, I was with her in the shopping centre at Shepherd's Bush, and I took her into one of those photo booths for a laugh; told her to pretend that we were going on holiday. As a result, she is doing everything she has to, to the letter," replied Ethan, digging in his wallet and pulling out one of the photos, which he handed to Ms Baptiste.

She took a look, and smiled. "She is a very beautiful little girl. Based on this, I would say that there will be no trouble whatsoever in getting her a passport. Yours is already being processed, thanks to that information from your friend. I will need a few details from you about your daughter, and then we can get her passport under way too. It will all be ready in around two hours at the most."

"That's quick!" said Drew, a huge smile on his face.

"It's normally a lot longer, even in these circumstances; however, when the instructions come from the Oval Office, things do get sped up…"

With the paperwork completed, Ms. Baptiste showed Ethan and Drew to a waiting room, then hastened off to deal with another issue. Ethan took the opportunity of knowing that all of the documentation would be in place to open up the airline app on his phone to check the timings out of Heathrow the following day; he spotted one just after 4pm, and turned to Drew. "Right, so is your wife working tomorrow? If she is, then I see a great flight back to New York…"

"She is, yes, and she starts at 9am, so there will be extra time for us to get away."

"Right, so the flight is at 4.15pm, so we would need to be ready for noon at the latest, allowing for traffic and security; is that something we could achieve?"

"Yes. I can have a case packed for me and Evie by then."

"Two cases. I have business flyer perks, and so we will be flying back in that class, which means a double luggage allowance - and as I only came with a cabin bag, there will actually be another allowance now I think of it. So, six cases altogether."

"Six cases! The only problem is that I think we only have two large cases in the house."

"We can buy another four on the way back; that way, none of Evie's toys or books need be left behind. Of course, when we get back, you can come and stay with me in the West Village; I have plenty of space in my apartment."

"Temporarily, yes, but I can't expect to impose on you forever. I'll need to find a job of some sort pretty quickly, then I can save up money for a deposit and rent. To be honest, I am pretty much flat broke. All the money that I did have was either spent on buying the house outright, or went into our joint account - well, she calls it that, but I don't have access to it. In any case, the last time I saw the balance, it was negative anyway."

"She took all of your money on top of everything else?" said Ethan, outraged at the idea. "All of it, even the money you inherited from Wes?"

"She kept saying that we were married, and therefore, what was mine was hers…"

"…but obviously not vice versa. Look, I can lend you have the money for a deposit if you need your own space, but honestly, I don't mind how long you need to stay with me. You're my best friend after all."

"I know that, and I appreciate it, but… I don't know if I will be able to handle it. Everyone there will know how much of a fool I have been, and maybe it would be easier to deal with if I go somewhere that no-one knows what I did."

"Well, the offer is there, and stays on the table," said Ethan sadly. He really wanted to beg Drew to stay, to help fill in the void in his life, but he said nothing. After all, Drew had been ordered around by other people for so long; he had to be allowed to make these kind of decisions himself now.

In the end, Ms Baptiste was back in just over 80 minutes, presenting Drew with two shiny new passports, and much to his surprise, a birth certificate and an Ohio Driver's Licence. They both thanked her profusely, but she just shrugged it off. "It was no problem, trust me; always happy to help someone get themselves out of a problem. Now go and get home, and take good care of that lovely little girl of yours."

It was only once they were standing outside the embassy again that Drew began to cry, and Ethan could understand why he was. He wrapped his arms around his friend, and just let him weep for a while. Then, his friend's tears subsiding, he was back to being all business. "It is probably best that you give me all of those documents; if certain people happen to find those in the house, then we will be right back to square one."

"Worse that that; I think that she just might kill me and Evie," said Drew quietly.

Ethan made no reply, although he could feel his blood boiling in his veins. He carefully placed the new documents in the inside pocket of his jacket, and then said. "Now, we need to find a cab, and go somewhere that we can obtain those new cases; then we get you back home to begin packing; stuff that she will not notice has gone for a start."

"Agreed," said Drew, "although I still can't actually believe that this is really happening. This time tomorrow, I am going to be at the airport, and getting ready to head home at last…"

It was easy enough to find the new cases that they required in a large supermarket on the way home, but quite another matter to smuggle them unobserved into the house in Launceston Place. In the end, Ethan alighted from the cab halfway up the street, and went ahead, his little black book once more in his hand, and returned to the front door of Lucy's spy. He knocked loud and long, but there was no answer, and the curtains did not twitch. At the same time, the cab pulled up across the road, and Drew got out, and managed to get the cases in without being seen. Ethan joined him in a few moments; the new cases were placed in the hall cupboard upstairs, as it had a key, and could be locked. Drew pocketed the key, and then they left once more, to head to the nursery to pick up Evie.

Ethan's intention had been to leave Drew at the gate, and let him pick up his daughter alone; however, the weather was warm and sunny, and the children were not inside, but playing in the garden. The moment that Evie saw them she shouted out, "Daddy! Uncle Ethan!" That outburst did not interest the other children, but it did immediately draw the attention of the nursery teacher who was supervising. On seeing Drew, she smiled, and headed over in their direction.

"I should go!" whispered Ethan to his friend.

"No, it's too late for that," replied Drew. "It's okay; Lucy doesn't even know where the nursery is, let alone any of the other parents or staff… Good afternoon, Miss Frobisher. I hope that Evie has behaved herself for you this afternoon."

"She did, as always, Mr Symons. I am just glad that we were able to help you out in your time of need," the lady replied, before she turned her attention to Ethan. "I am Abigail Frobisher, and you must be the 'Prince' Ethan that Evie has confided in me about in quieter moments when it is just the two of us. You certainly fulfil the handsome part of her description very well."

"I'm flattered that you think so, ma'am, but I am really quite ordinary, and certainly not a prince," Ethan responded with a touch of colour to his cheeks and a self deprecating smile.

Drew however had other concerns. "She told you all about Ethan… she wasn't supposed to repeat those stories…"

Miss Frobisher turned back to Drew, and with a sadness in her smile, said, "Mr Symons, I have been teaching for a good few years now, and trust me, I can see the signs. Tales about a handsome prince riding to the rescue are more common than most people would admit, but it is usual an evil king they will be fleeing from, not a wicked queen…" Drew suddenly went very pale, and Ethan had to grab him to steady him on his feet. "Don't worry; I have never met your wife, and this will remain between the three of us. I do know people that can help you, if you need assistance of course."

"I did; I have needed it since before Lucy and I married," said Drew, and Ethan was surprised at just how frank his friend was being. "However, the prince, my best friend in the world, has managed to find me and has ridden to the rescue. We will be leaving for the States tomorrow."

"So soon… That is good. I will miss Evie, and indeed you. You were always one of my favourite parents, and her smile could brighten up my day the moment that I saw it…" She stopped, as she spotted Evie approaching, now wearing her jacket, and sank down on her haunches to be at her level. "So your prince has come, and this means that I have to say goodbye to you Evie. I will miss you, and our little chats, but I know that you will be happier wherever you and your daddy go than you are here."

"I will miss you too," said Evie sadly, before flinging her arms round her teacher to hug her close…

Ethan parted company with Drew and Evie on the street corner. His friend needed to head home and start packing, and in any case, Ethan was starting to feel the effects of his long journey and subsequently busy day. "I will get a taxi arranged to pick me up at 11.50, and we will be here for you at noon. That will leave us plenty of time to get to the airport and check in. if anything crops up in the meantime that you think I need to know, if there is any change in her schedule, then call this number." He pulled a bit of paper from his pocket, and scribbled down a number. "It is Jeff's number. I will tell him that if he answers the call and hears her voice, then he is to tell her that he was being consulted about painting a portrait of her - you know, make her think that she has just ruined something special by being distrustful of you."

"I doubt that would bother her… Anyway, if you don't hear from me, then everything is going to plan. I wish it was tomorrow now…"

"It will be here soon enough. Take care," said Ethan. Drew nodded, and with a wave from Evie, he headed in the direction of his house. As he walked, he put Jeff's number into his phone, and on a whim, sent his friend a text so he would recognise the number if he had to call tomorrow. A reply came in seconds, and he deleted it, so nothing could be found…

Ethan meanwhile headed back the way he had come with Nick that morning, but in his head he was processing all the additional jobs that needed to be done. First off, there was the small matter of the house. Drew had told him he had bought it outright; if that was the case, then there was no way that his friend was leaving his main asset to her; it was all he had left of the money he had once had after all. He wondered if Nick knew of a good realtor, and more importantly, could find a good divorce lawyer. Drew just wanted to leave, but he was never truly going to be free as long as the marriage certificate was in place. He also wanted to confirm something with Great Ormond Street; if Lucy had indeed been the senior surgeon that he was scheduled to meet on that day back in February, then he had a weapon that he could use against her in the divorce, albeit a questionable one. Still, the end justified the means - plus she had thought nothing of using blackmail to get Drew to marry her; it was fitting then that blackmail could be used as a weapon to obtain his best friend his divorce…

Three hours later, Ethan found himself sitting on the sofa in Nick and Jeff's living room, a smile on his face. Nick had made a few calls for him whilst he had been speaking to the hospital, and they had established quite a few things. Firstly, Drew did indeed own the house; there was no mortgage being paid, and no bills outstanding. With that fact established, it had then been just as easy to find out who had sold the property to Drew, and to ask them to place it back on the market; Nick had said that he was a lawyer, acting on his behalf, and at least half of that was true… The agent had been only too happy to do so, as there was such a strong demand for the type of property in the area, and he anticipated a sale in a matter of hours once it was made available. They had also managed to find a divorce lawyer; she had listened, and had informed them that from what she had been told, it was an open and shut case. Ethan had just smiled, and had asked her to write up formal papers, something she was only too happy to do, and promised they would be ready in the morning. That would give Ethan another nice gift for his least favourite woman in the world…


	134. The Return of the Prodigal: Part IV

**The Return of the Prodigal: Part IV**

Ethan found it hard to get to sleep that night, despite how busy his day had been and how exhausted he felt; however, after a brief period of restlessness, he finally closed his eyes, and his racing mind was able to put itself on hold for a while. Across the hall, it was not so easy for Nick and Jeff, and both lay awake. Ethan had eventually decided that it would be best to tell them absolutely everything that Drew had told him, as he would need their assistance the following day. The fact that Drew had a daughter had left them both stunned; they could both understand his desire for a child, but they had to question the wisdom of his decision in the light of the actions of his wife. They had kept their thoughts to themselves though, sensing that the situation was tense enough as it was, and that their words would not help. They had also agreed to say nothing about her existence to anyone until Drew was able to tell them all himself.

"That poor little girl must have seen and heard some awful things in her short life," said Jeff quietly as he lay by his husband's side in bed that night. "Just the thought of all the things that she has done to Drew gives me nightmares; what that would do to a child I do not like to even consider…"

"It can't have been easy for her, but if I know Drew, he will have done everything in his power to shield her from the worst of the fighting, and to hide his injuries. I am actually more concerned about how he will feel after all of this is finished. He was always such a strong and confident person when we were all at Dalton, but I fear that now he will be a shadow of his former self… I mean, he broke down completely when he saw Ethan in front of him; I heard him apologising to him, when he had done nothing wrong. All he did was fall in love…"

"Just like my mother did," replied Jeff, and Nick went quiet as he realised the truth in what his husband had just said. What had happened to Drew was indeed remarkably similar to what had happened to Elspeth. She had survived, and had come out the other end, but if all of Hunter's plans had not gone awry, how much more could she have stood from her husband? "The thing that makes it worse, Nicky, is that she is a doctor," Jeff continued. "A doctor should be a compassionate human being… Remind me that no matter how sick little Wes gets, and God forbid he should, but if he does, we do not take him anywhere near that hospital." Nick nodded, in full agreement with his husband; he was just as determined to keep his son away from a woman that could be so calculating and cruel.

When morning came, a plan that had been formulated late the previous night was put into play. Ethan had come to the conclusion that it would be for the best if he did not travel with Drew to the airport, given just how nosy the neighbour was. He had a feeling that just the sight of Drew getting into a cab with his daughter and half a dozen large cases would have her dialling Lucy, out of neighbourly concern of course, and that would probably get her running home. A description of him would be all the clue that she would need as to his destination, and then she would be en-route in that fast car of hers to Heathrow, the logical airport. True, she would not be able to get past security, but she could quite easily report Drew to the police on some spurious charge and have him prevented from boarding the flight…

No, they had to ensure that she was delayed, and better still, misdirected. For that reason there was really only one course of action open to him; he had to confront her, face to face. When he had first said those words to Nick and Jeff the night before, they had both looked at him as if he had taken leave of his senses, and maybe to an extent that was true. The fact was that he had so much he wanted to say to her, things he had wanted to say for years, and if he did not get them off his chest now, he would explode with anger eventually. He had to make her pay for all that she had done to his best friend. Their little confrontation also had the potential to help smooth through the process of both the house sale and the divorce. What he had to tell her would hopefully remove all her objections to both, as she would realise that there was no point in fighting the process. If she did, then she would pay a very heavy price…

Going along with Ethan's plan did not mean of course that Nick and Jeff approved of the scheme. Had they been able to think of a better or more conceivable way of doing what was needed themselves, they would have gone all out to persuade Ethan to use it instead. However, they had come up with nothing, not even during the night. There was no rear access to the house, no convenient back door to leave by to avoid those prying eyes. They also had no way of guaranteeing that the neighbour would leave home that morning and be absent at the crucial time. The best they could hope for was that she was a churchgoer, and that she would be at her prayers at the crucial moment; these days though, particularly in England, such things were really not that likely anymore.

Jeff had found himself co-opted to be the one that took Drew and Evie to the airport, although he knew that as the taxi arrived, he was to announce their destination loudly as Victoria Station, from where you could take a train to Gatwick airport. As both of London's two main airports had flights to the relevant destinations, it was not implausible, and hopefully the neighbour would hear, and send Lucy off on a wild goose chase. By the time it became clear that he wasn't at the airport in West Sussex, it would be too late to stop the flight from leaving Heathrow, or so they all hoped.

The second part of the plan involved Nick, who would just happen to be walking down the road at the relevant moment with his son, and they would create a suitable diversion for the neighbour; she would be so busy watching them that she would not notice Drew handing the keys to Ethan, and the latter heading into the house. He would leave the house an hour after his friend, which he hoped would be long enough to let Lucy get back, and allow him to have his little chat with her. Then he would head to the airport, using the same misinformation campaign; with his fast clearance privileges, he would still make the flight in good time. If he did not, then Jeff was to ensure that Drew would be on board. If that happened, and it was unlikely, Ethan would ask Beats and Flint to go to JFK, and ask them to meet the relevant flight. It would be a shock to them, but he knew that they would both drop everything to help out an old friend…

Just after 11am, there was a knock at the door, and a courier making a delivery for Ethan. Nick and Jeff had no idea what was in the envelope he took, and he did not enlighten them, just smiled and tapped the side of his nose. Then all too soon the appointed time was upon them. At the last minute, Ethan had decided to request that the cab come just a little earlier than originally planned, with the idea that it could convey him, Nick and little Wes to the top of the street and let them out. They could head down the street and make a quick check that there was no sign of Lucy's car, text Jeff, and he could then come down the street in the cab to pick up Drew and Evie as originally planned. The cabbie did look a little perplexed at all of the instructions, but he agreed to them; after all, he was on the clock. There had been a quick discussion of what their Plan B should be if Lucy was actually still there. They had not managed to come up with anything concrete and workable, although they had all agreed that much as she deserved it, hitting her over the head with something heavy and knocking her out cold, or worse, was not the way to go; that would only lead to even worse drama in the long run.

Little Wes of course had no idea as to what exactly was happening, other than the fact that his Uncle Ethan was going back home, and his papa would be helping him by going to the airport. He had said his goodbyes to Ethan back in the house, so as he stepped out of the cab with his father at the top of the street, he just gave his papa and Uncle Ethan a wave as he walked off with Nick, his hand holding his son's tightly. Ethan followed on, walking a little faster and passing them on the opposite side of the street. As he approached Number 10, he was glad to see that there was no sign of that distinctive and expensive car. He smiled, and sent the text to Jeff to proceed, before pulling the little black book that he had taken from Drew's house yesterday and used as part of an act out of his pocket. He headed this time to his friend's front door, and knocked…

As he waited, he could feel eyes upon him, and he had to fight hard against the temptation to just turn around and wave at the woman across the street; he knew it had to be her. Then the door opened, and he saw Drew standing there, waiting for him, with the beginnings of a fresh black eye…

"Don't say it… I was busy with the packing, and I lost track of time, and the pie that she had asked me to make for her dinner got a little browner than it should have, and well, she doesn't like burnt pastry… It was my fault, I should have paid more attention…."

"It is not your fault! You burnt some pastry for goodness sake! She should not have hit you for something like that, and to be quiet frank, there is nothing that excuses that kind of behaviour," Ethan replied to his friend, trying his best not to scream at him. "So, are you all ready to go? The cab will be here in a moment; Jeff will be in it, and he is taking you to the airport."

"Jeff!? Why aren't you coming with us right now?" Drew asked in an anxious voice.

"I thought that you going with him might be for the best, given that we have a very attentive audience. She will describe to Lucy how you left with a blond haired man, not the Mormon missionary that pestered her on the doorstep yesterday. I want you to give me your keys, and when the 'distraction' that I have set up takes place, and she is staring at that, I will let myself in past you. I will stay put for a little while, and then leave discretely and join you at the airport. The only thing I need from you before you go is a signature…"

Before Drew could question the plan that was now being put to him, and what the signature was for, a cab drew up outside, with a familiar blond head at the window. It was then that he hard a voice that he had not heard for years, yelling at someone. "Nick has just got a call from someone that he is really angry with; his raised voice will inspire her curiosity, as will the reaction of little Wes to his father's rage. So whilst he is the centre of attention, I will do this…" He slipped round Drew and stepped into the hallway "…and you can get on your way. Right, I will see you at the airport, I promise. Jeff will come with you, give you a hand with your bags, get you checked in and see you through security. You have to promise me that you will get on that plane, regardless of whether I am there or not. I need you away and safe above everything else. Jeff will hang around with the other two bags that will be mine, and check them in for me once he knows I am en route. If I don't make it, and that is very, very unlikely, then I will ensure that there will be a friendly face waiting for you at the airport. No protests, Drew, just go. I need you safe above everything else…"

Before Drew knew what was happening, he was being swept along in a tide which he could not swim against. Jeff was at the door, helping him with the cases; he had a pen in his hands and was signing two documents that he had no time to read, and then, before he knew it, he was in the back of the cab as the last of the cases were passed in, where the driver did look a little startled at the amount of luggage that was being taken for a minute, and then he twigged what was going on; the new man was leaving someone… Jeff came over to the cab, told the driver to head to Victoria at the top of his voice, and then got in. Without a backward glance, the taxi was speeding off, the driver merely asking if their destination had changed, and smiling at the resounding no he received.

With Drew on his way, Ethan found himself alone in what had been his home. He headed upstairs for the first time, and couldn't help but smile as he found himself in a room that by its décor had to have been Evie's, but was now stripped bare of everything but the furniture. There were no pictures, no toys, no books; even the bed had been stripped of its duvet cover. As he turned to leave, he suddenly spotted a tiny stuffed toy under the bed, and without pause for thought, he grabbed it, and stuffed it into his jacket pocket. He moved on into the room that had once been his friend's; he shuddered at the thought of what he had suffered in that space. The drawers and a wardrobe lay open and empty, and then he spotted something that made him smile. On the bedside table lay a ring, left for the wife that he was leaving behind. Ethan grabbed that too; it was more than likely that Drew had paid for it, and as it was a plain gold band, it could be sold, even for scrap. He was determined that he wasn't leaving a cent for that woman…

He headed back down the stairs then, but as he crossed the hallway, he heard a loud and insistent knocking at the front door. "I know that you are in there! I knew you were up to no good! I have called the owner, and she is on her way. Don't think that I won't call the police too!" It was that statement about calling the owner that made Ethan open the door to confront the woman that was standing there; the lady from across the road that was too nosy for her own good. "I knew it! I knew you weren't a missionary! You have abducted my friend's husband and child! On top of that, you are probably a thief!"

"Oh, you have so many things wrong in that statement… So let me enlighten you. You are correct, I am not a Mormon missionary. My name is Ethan MacKenzie and I am a school friend of the actual owner of this property, Mr Drew Symons. I assume that Dr George told you she was the owner, and you assumed that had to be true as she was a doctor, and he was a stay at home father? I have to say that if you have called her, I am grateful, as I have no problem with seeing her again."

"Yes, it was Dr George that I called, and we will soon see what is going on. I would have called the police, but she asked me not to."

"Now that is interesting. You did tell her that her husband and child had been abducted, and yet, she didn't want you to call the authorities. Did you ever stop to wonder why? Now, could it be related to the state of his eye this morning? I trust that you did notice it… Do you know how he got it? Not from an accident, as I am sure she will tell you. He burnt the pastry last night, and she was upset, and so she punched him in the face. It's not the first time she has treated him like that either; she began abusing him before they married, but he like a fool thought he could change her…"

"I am quite certain that she…"

"Are you, because there is just a little bit of doubt in your voice now. What is it? Are you remembering hearing them argue, raised voices that made you shut the window and turn up the television? Are you recalling the times you have seen him with a limp, or bandages, or just quite obviously in pain, whilst she has never been like that - in fact, she has always been so healthy? Or is that you have recalled some burst of anger from her in your own meetings? The fact is, you watch this street every day, and I guess you do recall it, but always thought two things. Firstly you thought that as she is a doctor, she would never be like that. Secondly, and this is what is worst and almost unforgivable, you turned a blind eye because he was a man… If a woman had just emerged from that house with a black eye, after months of other minor injuries, with a stack of cases, you would be calling the police on her partner, willing to stand witness to the crimes committed against a fellow woman. But as he was a man…"

There was no reply from the woman on the doorstep, who now had a look of horror on her face, as she realised that every word Ethan had just said was true.

"Well, maybe if it, God forbid, happens around here again, you will call the police at the time, rather than just sit back and ignore it. I might also suggest that you make better choices as to who you befriend. Right now, you just need to go home, and pay no more attention to this house." With that, he slammed the door shut in the woman's face, and headed to the kitchen for a seat…

With the neighbour now gone with a flea in her ear, Ethan began to prepare himself mentally for what was now inevitable; the moment that he confronted face to face the woman that had destroyed the life of his best friend. He realised that he had actually been waiting for this chance since he had found out about the wedding, but now he had so much more to avenge. She had tried to enslave him, had forced him out of his job and away from the career he loved. She had taken him away from his friends and family and stopped all contact. In his eyes, Lucy George had no redeeming features whatsoever; she could be the best paediatric surgeon in the world, but as a human being she was a complete failure. He knew of course that what he was doing was very risky; he knew what she was capable of after all. The sensible thing would have been to have just headed to the airport, but he couldn't without saying what he needed to. He had set up a security net; if he had not sent a message to both Nick and Jeff within the hour, they would alert the authorities. All he could do for now was wait.

He had decided to wait in the kitchen, hidden from view when the front door was opened. He considered whether he should make himself a coffee, then decided that hot water was probably a very bad idea. In any case, he had no sooner dismissed the notion than he heard the sound of a car being driven up outside; a car being driven up at excessive speed, coming to a halt with a screeching of brakes. There were angry footsteps on the path outside, and the sound of a key being forced into the lock…

Then the front door was slammed open, the door furniture rattling as it bounced back off the wall, and then slammed just as hard shut. "DREW! You had better be here! Answer me!" He said nothing as he heard the sound of feet pounding up the stairs, and then a string of expletives as she obviously walked into the bedroom and discovered the state that it was in; how it had been stripped of any trace of her husband. Ethan took a deep breath, knowing he could run now, but he stayed put. He heard the sound of feet thundering back down the stairs, a voice cursing continually, then those same feet rattling over the woodblock in the hall towards the kitchen. She came in, and stopped abruptly as she found herself facing Ethan. She looked much older than he had recalled, and her face was twisted with rage. Her eyes widened as she saw him, and then with a snarl, she said one word - "You!"

"Yes. Me, Lucy," replied Ethan calmly. "You're too late. He is gone, and he isn't coming back."

"Really? Trust me, he will be back. He can't get far, and when I call the police and tell them of my distress that my husband has snatched my daughter from me, they will soon bring him back where he belongs. I will forgive him in front of them, but once they are gone, he will pay for this!"

"Actually, I think you will find he can get much farther than you imagine," said Ethan with the tiniest grin. "I guess that you think that because you destroyed all of his identity documents, and his passport, that he was stuck here forever? Wrong! Dalton Academy keeps very thorough records on all of its students, including copies of birth papers, driving licences and even passports. With that resource, sorting out the necessary replacements is so easy."

"That kind of thing takes time. He will be found long before that, especially if he is hanging around the US Embassy waiting for them to be processed."

"The one thing about Dalton alumni, and former Warblers in particular, is that we share a bond which remains firm throughout our lives. So although normally it would indeed be a lengthy process, and impossible at the weekend, when one of your former classmates and a dear friend to boot happens to have direct access to a man you might have heard of, a certain Joe Kennedy, well things can be expedited. In fact, getting them all took just over an hour…" Ethan replied in the same calm measured voice. "Oh, and as for telling the police that he has snatched your daughter, well, she isn't your daughter, is she? Your name is not on her birth certificate, nor have you adopted her. To all intents and purposes, she is merely his child, that happens to live here with you. She is nothing to you, and the police will do nothing, except maybe arrest you for wasting their valuable time."

"True, but when I tell the authorities that he is a known abuser, they won't let him leave the country until he can prove he isn't - and that might be hard."

"That is true, I grant you, but the fact is that when they find him, they will see that you are uninjured, and he has a black eye. The one that you gave him last night. They will examine him and see all the other bruises and injuries on his body. They will check medical records. And then they will ask who it was abused him? There only conclusion will be that it was you. There is also a little three year old witness to so much of it. Trust me, the authorities will not have the same attitude as your spy; they won't think _'She's a doctor, she couldn't have done it.'_ By the way, I spoke to her about ten minutes ago, and made her think; I think it is safe to say that her eyes are now open, and she has seen the reality of what is going on; the monster you actually are…"

Ethan stopped, and ducked as a plate came hurtling in his direction, passing over his head to smash against the wall. "Oh, so it is going to be like that, is it? Are you going to hit me for speaking up, for making you look bad, just like you constantly hit Drew? Or maybe you think that I deserve much worse because I have set Drew free and ruined your reputation in the neighbourhood? Just remember, I am not like Drew; I have no love for you, and I certainly don't think that I could ever change you and save you like he did. Plus I am prepared; if I do not send two messages to two contacts on my phone in less than half an hour from now, then the people in question will contact the relevant authorities. They know where I am, and who I am with. Even if you do succeed in removing me, my place will be quickly taken up by all of our friends from Ohio. We are a very close band of brothers and indeed sisters these days. You hurt one of us, you hurt us all… I would suggest that you don't even start a battle that you will never win."

He looked at her, her face puce with the anger she was feeling; the knowledge that he had her. "Fine. He was starting to annoy me too much in any case; him and his little brat. Good riddance to them both. I was considering ending it anyway; I have taken him for all that I can, and I've done pretty well…"

Ethan shook his head, then said sardonically, "Oh, I'm sorry, are you labouring under the impression that you are getting to keep everything he left behind? Oh, Lucy, for a doctor you are really, really dumb! I know that you took him for every single cent that he had, and transferred what you could not spend to a so called joint account that he has no access to. He told me that last time he snuck a look at the balance that it was in the red, and we are more than happy for you to keep that account and its lack of contents. However, I also know from the helpful people at the land registry that the house was bought outright by him and him alone, so he will be keeping that; indeed, it is already on the market as of yesterday. That means that you will have to move out and find somewhere else to live. Then there is the little matter of the divorce that you are going to give him, one that you will not contest naturally. I had these papers drawn up by a lawyer overnight, and took delivery of them this morning…" Drew went into his pocket, and pulled out the envelope for the second time that day. "It's quite simple; he is divorcing you on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour, which you admit, and thus take no claim on the house or any other article of his property."

"No chance," said Lucy. "I will be staying here, as is my right as his wife. I will start proceedings against him for desertion, and he will be paying me hefty amounts of alimony…"

"Really. That sounds nice, but I have a big problem with all of that, so no."

"I don't give two hoots what you think, Ethan! You are nothing in all of this, just a biased observer."

Ethan shook his head sadly, then smiled smugly at her. "Oh, my dear Dr George, it is such a pity that you did not take time to get to know your husband's friends properly, instead of regarding us as a group of singing preppy losers. I mean, I am his best friend, his loyal buddy, but all you know about me is my first name; you don't know my surname even, and that is such a pity…"


End file.
